22 May 2010 – Oyster lovers head for Bluff.

Oyster lovers are gearing up for New Zealand’s annual Bluff Oyster Festival, where the succulent shellfish treats will take centre-stage in a variety of classic Kiwi dishes.

The festival is held in Bluff, Southland – New Zealand’s southern-most town – and celebrates the Bluff oyster season, which usually runs from March – August.

Bluff oysters are a prized seasonal delicacy in New Zealand and world-renowned for their taste and size. The oysters are harvested from the rich fishing grounds of the Foveaux Strait, and are in great demand from restaurants and markets throughout the country.

As well as oyster-eating and opening competitions, there will also be live music and a unique oyster sack fashion parade. NZ Prime Minister John Key – a self-professed Bluff oyster-lover – participated in the 2009 oyster-eating competition, finishing at third place in his heat.

Oyster pies
One of the highlights of the Bluff Oyster Festival are oyster pies from Stella’s Bakery – a Bluff icon. Baker Lynley Taylor and owner Jean Jablonski created the recipe for the bestselling pies two years ago. At the 2009 festival, they sold 800 pies.

Jablonski said the bakery would have a stall at the festival again, and was planning to sell double the number of pies this year.

“When you bite into my oyster pie, it’s like you’re gulping down a mouthful, to me, of the Foveaux Strait. There’s no smoking guns in that pie – there’s three full oysters in every pie, because we count them painstakingly.”

A variety of stalls offer regional specialities and highlights, including non-oyster items such as fresh New Zealand crayfish, paua or abalone patties and sausages, spit-roast lamb, and venison. Fine wines and other beverages are also on offer to wash down the oysters.

Bluff oyster season
The Bluff oyster season runs from March – August each year, depending on the available stocks in the oyster beds. The 2009 season was a bumper.

Bluff oysters battled with the shellfish parasite bonamia between 2000 and 2003, when it wiped out one billion molluscs. Bonamia is not considered harmful to humans and animals but causes the oysters to lose strength.

The oyster fishermen have voluntarily reduced their catch for the past five seasons to allow regeneration, and recent fisheries surveys have indicated a resurgence of oyster numbers.

Foveaux Strait, or Te Ara a Kiwa in Māori, separates Stewart Island – New Zealand’s third largest island – from the South Island. The Foveaux Strait oyster beds are harvested by a fleet of boats based out of Bluff.

Bluff oysters are only available in New Zealand, and can be sampled either fresh or cooked at many of the country’s restaurants.

On the web: http://bluffoysterfest.co.nz/

Tags: Bluff, Southland

Posted: Friday, 09-Apr-2010 at 17:33
Filed in categories: Southland.
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