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In Search of the Perfect Oyster Pie

© Virginia Marin

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What makes a Thanksgiving meal successful? Some folks base success on the number of various items placed on the table--the more, the better. Others consider the meal successful only if everyone leaves the table stuffed like the turkey. But, in the South, Thanksgiving without Oyster Pie is NOT a good Thanksgiving. I am letting the secret out of the bag--there are Oyster Pies, and then there are other Oyster Pies, so for years I have searched for the PERFECT Oyster Pie.

I will tell you right at the outset: I am NOT overly fond of oysters, except in Oyster Pie. Well, let me qualify that. I like the flavor of oysters in Oyster Stew with its unhealthy buttery fingers swirling across the surface, but I will not eat the oysters which, of course, have imparted their distinctive flavor throughout the creamy white liquid. There is something inherently distasteful, to me, about biting into an unpleasantly slick oyster, only to discover a mouthful, or less, of grit--that is, of course, grit, like in sand, and not our unique Southern delectible--grits.

There is much in folklore concerning oysters as well as their pearls. Of course, no one eats pearls at Thanksgiving, or any other time, but the folklore does provide entertaining table stories, and conversation.

Chinese legends refer to the pearl as a symbol of wealth, power, and longevity. In classical times, people believed that a pearl was formed when moonbeams cast their shadows upon the oyster, causing it to open and received drops of dew from the moon. The dew drops, in time, formed a lovely pearl.

In Egyptian lore, Queen Cleopatra so loved pearls that she once dropped a pearl into her wine goblet while dining on oysters with Mark Anthony. The purpose was to impress upon him her vast wealth, as well as her love.

Pearls are created in oysters when a tiny grain of sand, or other irritant, finds its way into the living organisms. The oysters cover the irritant with layer after layer of nacre, or aragonite, which is a form of mother-of-pearl, until a pearl is finally formed. It is not unheard of to find a lovely pearl when one pries open a cooked oyster shell.

Lore states that oysters should only be eaten in the months with contain an "R". This is a good rule of thumb because R-month waters are cooler. Non-R months have warmer waters which favor the growth of bacteria which is harmful to humans.

The copyright of the article In Search of the Perfect Oyster Pie in Folklore is owned by Larry Low. Permission to republish In Search of the Perfect Oyster Pie in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.