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Should I only eat oysters in months with the letter 'R'?

Richard Cornish
Richard Cornish

Oysters can be enjoyed year-round in Australia.
Oysters can be enjoyed year-round in Australia.Marina Oliphant

Should I only eat oysters in months with the letter 'R'? W. Lei

You could, but getting a wand and pack of tarot cards would be just as accurate in determining the health of oysters. I love oysters. I eat them all year long. I celebrate them from their calciferous shells to their meaty little innards. I love them with chablis, champagne and sake. The mnemonic you mention comes from the northern hemisphere, where the R-free months, namely June, July and August, coincide with the northern summer. In the warmer months oysters can spawn after rain, losing quality. However, I eat oysters over summer with confidence; we grow oysters over thousands of kilometres of coastline and there are always good ones. The amount of testing and the water quality of most Australian waterways is second to none. If it rains there's more testing done. The more we do to protect the forests and farmland that surround our oyster waterways the better. When you're out, make sure the oysters are being opened to order. This means they were alive until they were opened and served to your table. Better still, learn how to open oysters.

I am a vegan. Can I eat cochineal? I heard it is made from bugs. V. Anderson

Should you eat it? No. Drinking it is even worse. It will stain your teeth zombie red. Can you use it as a food dye? As it can be made from bugs it would probably offend your vegan sensibilities. You'll find cochineal labeled as "Colouring E120". I remember working in Mexico, interviewing a cook who was also a fabric dyer. She hand-made her own dye from wild herbs and other natural found objects. I was taking notes and some tiny little thrip-like critters jumped from the cactus paddles onto my notebook. Later I opened it to read my notes to find great blood-like smears across the pages. This was the cochineal from the little cochinilla​ bugs.

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Attempts to harvest them here in the late 1700s to dye the red coats of the British soldiers failed. The bugs died but the cactus (over 20 different species) imported to grow them on survived and grew up in enormous numbers. We call those cactus "prickly pear". That all said, there are some chemically derived forms of E120 such as calcium carmine and aluminium carmine. These are not recommended to be consumed by children. Give raspberry extract powder or beetroot juice a go. Not exactly the same colour but very pretty nonetheless.

I love nuts on Christmas Day but we have a grandson with a nut allergy. Any nut-like alternatives? G. Symmonds

I could suggest soy chips, edamame, fried fava beans or Japanese rice crackers but these are all a bit downmarket and even industrial for Christmas Day. Christmas Day is all about the build-up and the reveal – like cracking open a walnut. What about beautiful small things that can be unwrapped such as individual nut-free nougat? The best little chocolates? Hand-made cheese twists wrapped in cellophane? Whatever it is it needs to be something shared, passed around and enjoyed together. Fellow readers – any suggestions?

Send your vexing culinary conundrums to brainfood@richardcornish.com.au or tweet to @Foodcornish

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Richard CornishRichard Cornish writes about food, drinks and producers for Good Food.

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