On a small boat nosing its way through the frozen waters of the Grebbestad archipelago on Sweden's west coast, Lotta Klemming scans the mist-covered rocks for the perfect spot to find a local delicacy.
While France may spring to mind as a more obvious place to find oysters, the Swedish island group is home to wild Ostrea edulis – a variety distinct in size and flavour from those reared on farms.
The oysters, which can reach up to 11 centimetres in size, have been long admired by connoisseurs in Sweden and in the 17th century the shellfish were collected from the region for the Swedish king's table.
Ms Klemming, 31, is one of a handful of divers in Sweden who plunge into the icy waters in full scuba gear to collect the shellfish year round.
Sitting in the boat, with a heavy fur hat pulled down over her long hair, the diver puts on thick woollen gloves over her drysuit to protect against the cold.
Ms Klemming and her father Peter, who is also a diver, moor the small boat in the shallow waters by a rocky outcrop, check their air tanks and jump into the water with a plastic basket.
"They have a very intense taste – it's not like a new, beginner's oyster," Ms Klemming says.
The oysters' distinctive metallic aftertaste is best paired with a Guinness or stout, Ms Klemming says.
After filling several baskets, the pair heave themselves into the boat, speeding back to their dive house in the village of Grebbestad.
Ms Klemming unloads the oysters and takes them in a wheelbarrow to a nearby beach to clean them with a knife and package them to be sold on to restaurants in Stockholm and Gothenburg, where they retail for about €7 ($8.32) apiece.
She grew up in the village on the coast near the Norwegian border, where her father and uncle work as divers, but she never planned to join the family business.
After leaving to pursue a career in fashion in Gothenburg, she missed the archipelago and six years ago decided to return and try diving.
The career change offered more than a livelihood, she says.
"As a young woman these days, you grow up in a very judgmental world and you constantly feel – or at least for myself – I constantly felt very judged by my looks," she says.
"This is really the opposite of that, no one judges me because of it."
Ms Klemming says she is the only woman diving for oysters in Sweden.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a blow to the business because restaurants that sell her oysters place fewer orders when customers stay at home.
Standing on the small pier in Grebbestad's fog-covered harbour, Ms Klemming says she has no plans to leave.
"One thing I will always do every single week – I want to dive. You can probably compare it with people doing yoga or meditation".
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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AWARDS
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Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
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Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
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Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
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Women:
1. Rhiannan Iffland (AUS) 322.95 points
2. Lysanne Richard (CAN) 285.75
3. Ellie Smart (USA) 277.70
Men:
1. Gary Hunt (GBR) 431.55
2. Constantin Popovici (ROU) 424.65
3. Oleksiy Prygorov (UKR) 392.30
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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