Pacific

The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) is native to Japan’s Pacific coast. It grows quickly and easily; has elegant, ruffled shells with streaks of pink and purple amid the white and green; and tends to be sweeter and less briny than the Eastern oyster, with a flavor like cucumber and melon rind. It was imported in the 1930s to save the west coast industry after the Olympia was nearly wiped out, and is the main oyster used today worldwide, from France to China.