Five Categories of Oysters

Olympia Oyster

• The Olympia Oyster is named for Olympia, Washington, the city near the area where most of these oysters are harvested. To be more exact, the majority of these oysters are harvested in the Hood Canal and Southern Puget Sound region. These oysters share a recognizable sweet, metallic, celery-salt like flavor, though some are nutty and musky in taste. They are tiny in size but expensive because they are found in only one region.

Flat Oyster

• Also known as the Belon Oyster or the European Oyster, the Flat Oyster is roundish, flat and with a ribbed shell. The number of these oysters were greatly reduced because of over harvesting in Europe during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The flat oyster is also prone to a variety of oyster diseases, causing large numbers of them to die off, making them rare and expensive in restaurants.

Kumamoto Oyster

• The Kumamoto Oyster was originally harvested in one bay around the southernmost island of Japan called Kyushu. It is also grown in the U.S. in a few bays around California, Oregon and Washington, making the Kumamoto an inexpensive oyster to order in restaurants.

Pacific Oyster

• Known also as the Japanese Oyster, the Pacific oysters are originally from Japanese waters. They were brought to Washington state when the Olympia oyster species population was depleted in the early 20th century. The Pacific oyster thrives in the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest, and now the Pacific Oyster can be harvested in both the U.S. and Europe, making it one of the most common oyster species in the world. These oysters are known for their creaminess and salty, metallic taste.

Virginica Oyster

• Also known as the East Coast or Atlantic Oyster, the Virginica Oyster can be found in waters from Nova Scotia to South America. These oysters tend to have more saltiness then Pacific oysters and have clean, briny, smooth and sweet meat with a salty, almost metallic finish.