It may seem odd given their status as a luxury item today, but throughout history oysters have been a vital food source for humans. The fossil record shows that oysters have been around since before the dinosaurs. When humans appeared several million years later oysters would have been plentiful. Archaeological evidence from roughly 6000 years ago (during the Mesolithic period) shows oyster shells with scorch marks but no scape marks suggesting ancient humans used fire rather than tools to open oyster shells and access the meat
Fast forward a few thousand years to the roman empire and we find more archaeological evidence of the importance of oysters to human society. In a large number of roman dig sites oyster shells have been found, including at Vindolanda and along Hadrian's wall. Shells have been found in villas, towns and forts showing oysters were eaten by the rich and poor alike. When the Romans left England the oyster lost its status as a valued food source.
From the 17th to the 19th century humans experienced the golden age of the oyster. An increase in production made them readily available to a large number of people. This painting shows how Oysters were a common dish eaten by the wealthy. However, as I'm sure many of us can relate to today, not everyone was convinced by their slimy look. Jonathon Swift (author of 'Gullivers Travels') once said "He was a bold man that first ate oyster". By the mid 1800's production soared and the price of oyster dropped so anyone could now afford them. In 1889 the price of an oyster was just 1 pence (equivalent to 25p today) and oysters were often used as a cheap replacement to other meats as a source of protein. They became so popular that oyster houses popped up around the UK and US, specialising in oysters, where workers could come and get a quick and cheap lunch.
However due to their popularity oyster were massively over harvested. Catches around the UK dropped from over 700 million to just 3 million per year. Non-native pacific oysters were introduced to UK waters to replace stocks. However this was not enough. Oyster populations around the UK were already decimated.
Now the pacific oyster remains in some areas of the UK and under strict UK laws is harvested by licences farmers and fishermen. Due to their rarity price has increased greatly and they are now once again considered a luxury food.
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