Denmark: Over a Ton of Oysters Down the Hatch

The winner of this year’s Danish Championship in Oyster Opening managed to open thirty oysters in 4 minutes and 31 seconds.

Henrik Surina was among 21 competitors vying for the championship title in the Danish town of Logstor, close to Limfjord, over the weekend.

The rules were simple – open 30 oysters as quickly as possible – but how the contestants opened the mollusks made a big difference in their final scores.

The judges, all former world champions, paid attention to the way the oysters were opened.

It had to be done as nicely as possible with loss of points for bad handling of the oysters.

[Per Olofsen, Competition Judge]:
„We are looking for penalties and penalties are if they have injured the oyster of there is shell or grit on the oyster or  if its turned the wrong way or blood on it or something like that. And then we judge the presentation. Because it is a bonus system, and you can get up to 30 seconds of bonus if you have a nice presentation.”

The Oyster Opening Championship was combined with the first Danish championship in opening a champagne bottle with a saber.

In the end, the audience of around 16 hundred people was left with plenty of leftover oysters and champagne to sample.

[Simon Tonsager, Chef and Chief of the Kitchen]:
„I didn’t like the first oyster. I wasn’t that fond of the first oyster, but it just keeps on getting better and as well one of the best things about the oyster is, that you get to have champagne with it.“

Next year the Oyster Opening Championship will take place in Ireland where the event first started 50 years ago.

(NTDTV)