【Reading】まがき

【English Name】Pacific Oyster

Magaki is one of the most widely distributed types of oyster in Japan, a bivalve belonging to the family Ostreidae. It is said to be native to the Pacific coastal regions of Asia and is distributed throughout Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu. Natural individuals are also found along the Korean Peninsula and the Chinese coast, and it has been transplanted for aquaculture to many parts of the world, including North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.

It grows by attaching its left valve to hard surfaces such as rocks and pilings, and because its outer shape is influenced by the form of the surface it attaches to, individual variation is large. It prefers eutrophic waters of somewhat low salinity, such as inner bays and estuaries, inhabiting reefs from the intertidal zone down to depths of about 50 m. The spawning season is mainly July to August, with release of eggs and sperm occurring at water temperatures of 19–23°C; it lays 50 million to 100 million eggs at a time.

At sushi shops it is sometimes served as "kaki" in nigiri or gunkan-maki. In addition to being eaten raw, it is also popular fried or steamed. The season for magaki is generally from autumn to winter, and it is also known by the Western custom of eating oysters "in months with an R." In France it is said to account for about 75% of all European aquaculture production, making it a globally important fishery resource.

Incidentally, the scientific name Crassostrea gigas was long used, but following a recent taxonomic revision it has been changed to Magallana gigas.