LUXURY THROUGH THE AGES

Two hundred years. That’s how long it’s taken, approximately, for oysters to go from pedestrian pie filling to the cover star of Gourmet Traveller. “In the 1820s a litre of oysters was cheaper than a dozen eggs,” says Dr Jacqui Newling, assistant curator at Sydney Living Museums. Oysters were harvested from Sydney harbour to make lime, with oyster meat relegated to a cheap byproduct used to feed the poor or even animals. “Fast-forward 100 years and the oysters got so fished out they had to be regulated, you needed leases and licences,” explains Newling. “And now, another 100 years on, they are a very premium food.”

Education has also played a critical role in developing and deepening consumers’ appreciation of the delicacy, adds chef Neil Perry. “Restaurants have been at the forefront of educating people, where people can try these ingredients in