diSC very 198 P r t L a n d montHL maga ine from toP: courtes uLie iu PHoto B eff tHiBodeau . . da id A , i nd it ise to be di lomatic hen i m asked, “where do the best oys ters come rom ” encouraging the asker to remem ber that every oyster roducing region n gro e ce tional oysters. i can rave over an oyster rom any here, as long as it s served in eak condition. But i ve got a i m n a . maybe i m biased rom ha y childhood memories o acadia national Park and ro mantic summer tri s ith my then boy riend, no husband. maine has al ays served us ell as a lace o rela ation and rene al. we even got married in stockton s rings and toasted our ne li e together ith cham agne and local oysters. ob ectively s eaking, i think the ristine environment and bracingly cold aters o the gul o maine make the oysters here taste a cut above the rest. ou ust can t deny the cris brininess and bone broth savoriness o the oysters that come out o these aters. oysters aren t that di erent rom ne ines inso ar as they are site e ressive, meaning their taste is sha ed by the characteristics o their gro ing environment. terro r mero r water salinity, tem erature, the ty e o algae resent in the ater, and seabed characteristics all actor into an oyster s avor. d i land at Portland international et ort and get right do n to business. first sto : eventide oyster co. or a midday snack. my rst meal o the tri eatures ne discoveries rom Bro n Point, otter cove, and schoodic Point arms. a late o uke crudo ith ild blueberry and hoisin sauce is a delicious addition to my oyster centric diet. tem orarily satiated, i head south to meet u ith abigail carroll, the “accidental oyster armer” ho gro s nonesuch oysters near scarborough, and i m immediately ascinated by her a roach to the cra t. scra y and innovative, she has re ur osed old lobster tra s as make shi t oyster nurseries. they seem to er orm ust as ell as traditional gear. i sam le some o her bottom lanted oysters, bag cultured oysters, and a cou le o her nonesuch flat a variety that is native to euro e d i but can also be ound in maine. they have a robust, savory avor and metallic nish that is com letely di erent rom our native atlantic s ecies o i ini . d t as soon as i set oot inside robert s maine grill in Kittery, i automatically oat over to the stainless steel ra bar beneath the cathedral ceiling. no that s hat i call an oyster theater e ecutive che Brandon Blethen and tom robinson rom taylor Lobster com any and i begin discussing oysters over a round o beers. we sam le a latter o t o do en oysters rom several a ellations in maine, ne Ham shire, and nova scotia. i hi out my on tasting ournal, and e roceed to com are tasting notes like college kids cramming or nals eek. the com le , layered sea eed and mineral notes o the ca e Blue oysters rom the damar iscotta river are onder ul, but the real sho sto er o the day is che Blethen s cold, hickory smoked glidden Points. the smoky brine takes this ra oyster to a hole other level. d t a long drive rom southern maine to mount desert island is richly re arded ith some o the tastiest ood red i a i ve ever had and a round o reshly harvested oysters rom western Bay, mount desert island. i meet ith oyster rancher matt gerard, the o ner o Bar Harbor s s eet Pea farm, ho is a generous and entertaining host. His ersonal a roach to oyster arming can be described as i i : they are bottom cultured and e osed to the elements and redators. Later that a ternoon, i have a chance to tour a nearby oyster lease ith Brian Harvey, gro er o mount desert island selects. these are some o the s eetest and meatiest oysters i ve ever ound in maine. their umami taste actually reminds me o cured ham. Prosciutto o the sea, anyone tific American. “Growing up, the old saying went that you shouldn’t eat oysters during months that don’t contain the letter ‘r,” says Lisa Carol Rose, a fifth generation waterman– the term used in Chesapeake Bay to de- scribe an oyster fisherman. “The summer months are when algae blooms or ‘red tides’ occur, spreading toxins that are then ab- sorbed by shellfish.” By this measure, wild oysters were firmly off the menu during Va- cationland’s busiest months. In Maine, two generations of oyster eat- ers slowly forgot such a delicacy even existed. They all but dropped from the menus of cel- ebrated restaurants. Oysters seemed down- and-out, with all hope lost. a miraCLe C me aC Following fallow decades, science ushered in a new dawn for the maligned shellfish. “Cleaner waters and advances in aquacul- ture techniques made oyster growing a vi- able business. Today, most commercial oys- ters in New England come from hatchery- reared larvae,” says Scientific American. Farms have also introduced the native spe- cies’ suave European cousin, Ostrea edulis, to Maine waters. The market is greedy for this renais- sance. Step into any seafood bar in Port- land, and you’ll see a menu of oyster vari- eties on sale for up to $3 each on the half shell. Kurlansky calls it the “second Golden Age of the oyster.” The Oyster Chronicles a has part nered ith aine ea rant t de el p the s ter rail aine a pr gra that ai s t edu ate l als and isit rs alike n l al ster arieties and the gr ers pur e rs and restaurants that get the t u. international oyster e ert kno s a great oyster hen she tastes one. the ne ork based ostreo hile and ounder o n blog recently made a ve day tri to maine to indulge her assion or our oysters. y uLie iu