How pearl meat became Australia’s newest luxury ingredient - Once humble divers’ fare, the meat of the pearl oyster now commands up to $200 per kilo

Atlas Obscura never disappoints

“The pearling camps stank to high heaven,” writes historian Hugh Edwards in his book, Port of Pearls. “The air was putrid with the reek of rotting shellfish, and when someone stirred his pogey tub [the pots in which they boiled the old shell to release any pearls sheltering within] even hardened locals walked delicately to windward.”

That's one hell of a description lol. I don't doubt it, I've never given the "pearl" industry much thought.

That can be as long as seven to 12 years, and only then, when the shell is discarded, can you extract the meat—and even then perhaps only 20 grams of it.

That's not much. Has anyone actually had "pearl meat"? I wonder how great the difference is between these and traditional oysters you'd find at your typical seafood restaurant.