A taste of the sea at home: we select and serve oysters in the best traditions of France. Where can you find oysters in France? Where are the best oysters in France?
The town of Le Vivier sur Mer specializes in growing mussels. True, May is not the season for mussels. But all the same, in restaurants near the sea you can order mussels, they have them there, they are delivered from other places, or something. And further, to Cancale. Along the coast there are farms for growing mussels, shells, and oysters. You can also eat mussels and oysters on the farms where they are grown.
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| You can see foals along the way |
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| Landscapes of the Emerald Coast |
While we are going to Cancale, let me tell you a little about the city. It was founded in the 6th century by the monk Meen. I don’t know what else the monk was famous for. Yes, this is probably not important.
Cancale owes everything in its history to oysters. The oyster fishery has fed the townspeople for centuries. The Gedenist Louis introduced the fashion for oysters in the 14th century, and in 1545 the suppliers of the royal table entered into a contract with Cancale to supply fresh oysters twice a week to Paris, and Cancale was granted the title of city.
At first, the technology for collecting oysters was simple to the point of impossibility - they were simply collected (forgive the tautology) on the bottom of the sea at low tide. Some were sent to the king, some were eaten themselves.
Judging by the monument to oyster pickers erected in the city, this work was carried out by women. Monument. By the way, I didn't take a photo.
In the 19th century, oyster stocks were depleted, and the fashion for shellfish was already very stable.
Then in France, in order to protect the population, they issued a decree allowing the collection of oysters only in those months whose names contain the letter “r”, and in no case should work be done from May to August. However, the measures were not successful. Therefore, the next decree allowed the import of Crassostrea angulata oysters from Portugal. At one time, this particular type of oyster was grown in these parts.
However, this species was not very lucky either. Already in our time, at the end of the 1960s, some kind of epidemic destroyed oyster plantations. The French had to import Crassostrea gigas oysters from Japan, which were larger and more resistant to the virus than the Portuguese ones. Today Japanese “brothers” are grown in Cancale
The funny thing is that the authentic European oyster Ostrea edulis has been preserved and grown in Croatia. That's it.
In the 19th century, France also began experiments on the artificial cultivation of oysters, although Japan already had such experience, but the Japanese did not patent it). That's why it counts. that the first to artificially grow oysters was the Frenchman Monsieur De Bona.
At first, the entire process of growing oysters was carried out in Cancale, then they began to purchase shellfish aged from 1 to 6 months from a specialized farm in Arcachon. More information about growing oysters can be found in the oyster museum, there is one in Cancale, we didn’t go there. Can you read it?
So, where and how to eat oysters in Cancale. You can order them at any restaurant on the embankment. or you can purchase and immediately consume it at the oyster market, which is located to the left of the port, if you stand facing the sea. Do not miss. Cancale itself. By the way, it is located on a high bank. Near the sea there is only a port and an embankment with restaurants. The most interesting thing about Cancale is the low tide and 400 hectares of oyster plantations along which tractors run. Well, we saw tractors at the bottom of the sea at low tide in Thailand. Therefore, we were not upset when we arrived in Cancale on a weekend and at high tide and did not see the famous plantations. We immediately look for parking (drive past the port to the very end of the embankment, there is inexpensive paid parking), leave our horse and go to the market.
At the oyster market you can buy any oysters and in any quantity. On average, a dozen costs only... about 5-6 euros. They will deftly cut them open for you with a knife, carefully place them on a plate, sell you a lemon for a couple of cents and - voila - sit down on the embankment parapet and taste the dish. Most importantly, do not forget to return the plate and knife to the saleswoman.
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| Oyster prices, gentlemen! |
What else can I tell you about Cancale?
The city is a dream for environmental lovers. The fact is that mollusks can only live in absolutely clean water. Therefore, there are no factories or livestock farms near Cancale, and sewerage basins are located far beyond the city limits.
The city's population is small, only 5,000 people, most of whom are involved in the oyster business (naturally), the rest are in the tourism business (which is also natural).
After having lunch with a view of Mont Saint Michel, barely visible on the other side of the bay, we take the long road along the sea to Saint Malo and further to Dinard (and I recommend you take it).
First we stop at Pointe du Grouin. The only place in France where I saw a bunker, very well preserved, by the way.
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We are extremely grateful to the owner of our hotel, who recommended this particular road to us. This is how we enter the resort area, park there for free and walk to the center. But about this - in.
“And the oysters squeak and crawl back into the sea” and other tales about sea reptiles.
If I am asked with passion which of the sea mollusks I love most, I will answer confidently: “Of course, mussels!” More precisely, mussels from the bay of Mont Saint-Michel, and even more specifically, moules de bouchot. Carefully grown on wooden stakes in the waves of the highest tides in Europe, these small shells are filled to the brim with fragrant, bright orange m-m-m-flesh. In restaurants and fish shops simultaneously and everywhere from the end of July to January, joyful signs appear: “We have moules de bouchot!”
When there are none, we collect (and cook) wild ones from the coastal rocks. Yourself, with these very hands! With love and great variety: in cider or sour cream, with brisket, apple and onion, with blue cheese or with vegetables, traditional moules mariniéres in white wine or with French fries... You definitely need to try all the mussels to know their perfect taste.
I love mussels so obsessively that I almost miss the start of the scallop season. He is also saint-jacques (Saint-Jacques). And it would be completely unforgivable to miss it! The scallop, I confess, is my last love (I was one of the last to meet this mollusk).
In our Breton waters, it is collected from the bottom of the sea far from the shore using heavy dredge nets, mainly in the winter months. Cheerful fishing boats unload their fresh catch at the ports of Erquy, Paimpol or Saint-Malo. Other trading people are bustling around the ships, rushing to deliver bright, radiant shells so that they arrive at your table as quickly as possible.
There is nothing more tender and weightless in the world of proteins than a fresh scallop baked in its shell with a delicate creamy sauce and shaded with risotto with black truffle... Connoisseurs debate whether to eat Saint-Jacques with its orange organ or just the white structural muscle, and lovers simply they love him. Cook and eat! My passion for the scallop is all-consuming, its sweetish aftertaste haunts me and lasts exactly until the moment when I remember the fresh, cool taste of the Breton oyster...
It’s not serious to be such a frivolous and greedy seagull, you say. And I'm not even trying. With all the richness and variety of fruits de mer in Brittany, I can only be their consistent monogamist. I’m ready to tell you in spirit about all my loves. Part one, oyster.
There is a city in Brittany called Cancale - small and thoroughly fishing-seaside, but widely known because it is the capital of oysters on a French scale and almost worldwide! It’s true, we asked the locals, and that’s exactly what they think!
Today Cancale has about five thousand people in total, and it received the status of a city a long time ago - back in 1545. The French king Francis I himself granted it. Because for a long time, oysters were collected from the seabed of Cancale Bay and regularly sent carts loaded with these same delicacies to the royal court of Francis I, Louis XIV, and Marie Antoinette. You may ask, how did oysters travel along French roads at that time? The same as now - without refrigerators and aquariums, only in barrels with sea water and longer - for two weeks. This is the period that an oyster can live without water and heat, closing its doors tightly and keeping sea water inside the shell (have you tried opening it?). And now they are transported to your table in exactly the same way, albeit without water. Or even to Paris or to my Minsk: in wooden bourriche boxes, lined with kelp, having previously undergone mandatory special training in a special “oyster school”. Don't believe me? Yes, we taught them ourselves, come and show them.
Following the Bretons and royalty, almost all of France fell in love with oysters. Although there are still people who don’t eat oysters... “How unfortunate are people’s organisms!” (M. Zoshchenko). Meanwhile, the shell population at the bottom of the sea was rapidly declining. The highest royal edict of the next oyster lover, Louis XV, from 1759 prohibited the collection and sale of oysters from April 1 to October 31, since these months coincide with the breeding season of mollusks. Echoes of this highest decree have survived to this day in the form of a recommendation NOT to eat oysters in those months that do not have the letter “r” in their names. That rare case when solidarity reigns in the Russian and French languages: the letter “r” is simultaneously absent in May, June, July and August.
Despite the decree, it was not possible to restore the oyster population on the northwestern coast; they were too tasty, and a natural aphrodisiac, to boot. Whether for a long time or for a short time, in the 19th century oysters began to be imported to France from afar - from Portugal, for example, where not all of them had been eaten yet. And then in 1858 they began to cultivate them, collecting nessans (newborn individuals) and raising them in favorable conditions. And it was the French who came up with this cunning thing (they were the first in Europe to certify it).
Now all over the world they know how to breed and grow oysters. Accordingly, they differ: a) wild oysters, those that were born and raised in the sea, and then they were collected, and b) those that were raised, creating all the conditions for this. Such as, for example, in Cancale.
This work is year-round and is far from easy. It is ruled by strange people: not fishermen or farmers. Although they also have boats - flat-bottomed barges on wheels, and they are dressed in high boots and rubberized fishing pants... Like peasants, they have tractors and farms, but their plots do not obey the rhythms of the earth, but obey the movement of water in the sea. They themselves call themselves “gardeners of the sea,” and they deserve a separate story.
There are many ways to grow oysters in the world, as well as ways to eat them. In most of France (not the world), oysters are eaten alive, that is, raw. Less often they are baked (with champagne or camembert). In China, for example, they even make sauce from oysters (the Chinese consume 75% of the world's total production of these seafood). We can talk separately about the methods of producing oysters and their types, but I suggest overlooking the bay of Mont Sainte-Michel on the Cancale embankment.
In Cancale, oysters are served in almost every restaurant; You can taste them right at the market. Flat (plate) and concave (creuse); big and small; tasty and... delicious. The price is ruble/bucket. Indeed, for a dozen concave oysters you will pay only 3-6 euros, depending on the caliber (size). The smallest for creuse is size No. 5; the largest is No. 00, the most popular are No. 2-3.
Here, at the market, they will open them for you, and whether you sprinkle them with lemon or local sauce (red vinegar and shallots) or take only nature - with the taste of the sea - is up to you. And as Useless advice from us: if you want to taste oysters at the market, keep in mind that champagne and wine are NOT served on the embankment (only in restaurants). So choose and take it with you! White Sancerre, Muscadet or Chablis... Continue the list according to your taste and color (they say that the tannins contained in red wine bring out too much the taste of iron in oysters!?).
And when the sea goes away, a sillon appears on the wet sand (sillon - a relief pattern from the running water), and 400 hectares of oyster parks open up to the eye...
Happy crabs and tractors are running along the seabed - work is in full swing on the oyster plantations! In this Brownian movement, it’s worth sitting on a warm parapet with the silhouette of the mountain-monastery Mont Saint-Michel on the horizon (and if you haven’t been there, you should even have a view of it - a monument of culture and architecture of the 13th century, after all! ). And slowly start tasting...
Let me note: even when I was not so familiar with oysters, someone told me about the quiet squeak that an oyster makes when it is poured with lemon juice and eaten alive. I’ve answered this question from clients so often at tastings that I’ll tell you again. This story came from the light hand of Anton Palych Chekhov, who wrote in his story “Oysters”:
“So that’s what oysters mean! I imagine an animal that looks like a frog. The frog sits in the shell, looks out from there with large sparkling eyes and plays with its disgusting jaws. I imagine how they bring this animal from the market in a shell, with claws, shiny eyes and slimy skin... The children all hide, and the cook, wincing with disgust, takes the animal by the claw, puts it on a plate and carries it to the dining room. Adults take it and eat it... eat it alive, with eyes, teeth, and paws! And it beeps and tries to bite his lip..."
That is, those who share this innermost secret most likely have never seen oysters, but have read Chekhov. For which they have special respect and respect.
PS: What to do with the injunction “not to eat oysters” in months without the letter “r”? It's a matter of taste, gentlemen. In Brittany they are eaten all year round, and some gourmets even love the characteristic tart aftertaste of the “milky” summer varieties.
Attaching photo. I don’t send oysters by mail, don’t ask. Better, as they say, you come to us!
Today about capitals. First
Rouen. Capital of Upper Normandy. Once the capital of the mighty Norman Duchy. In fact, it was not a duchy, but an empire. The Normans owned the entire north of Europe, Sicily, southern Italy and much more.
But my camera glitched once again, so my story will be short. And also, out of the 3 hours allotted for exploring the city, I spent one and a half hours in a cell phone store, trying to buy a SIM card for my Mamed’s 3G. During tough negotiations with salon employees, it turned out that in France there is a very strict “anti-terrorism law of 2006”, which greatly formalizes the use of the Internet. Anonymous access to the Internet is prohibited; even in a cafe with free WiFi, you will be asked for your name in exchange for a password. Accordingly, there are no prepaid tariffs for the Internet via cellular communications. That’s why it took a long time to finalize the contract. Completely, as it turned out later, in vain. There is plenty of free wi-fi everywhere.
It was also in this city that Joan of Arc was executed. The Virgin of Orleans was burned. But now she is a Saint, one of the five patron saints of France. She sat in this tower, awaiting execution.
There is a lot of interesting things in the city. But no photos - no story.
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Capital of Lower Normandy. Kan.
originally the residence of William the Conqueror. His ashes are kept in the cathedral visible in the photo. During the Second World War, heavy fighting took place here and little remained of the historical city.
Except that the ancient fortress on a hill in the center of the city has been preserved.
Inside the fortress there is an exhibition of terrible sculptures that instantly spoil your mood. Not very good in profile, but in full face this creature with hooves looks like Putin.
Let's go from here.
Cancale is the oyster capital of France.
A small town on the Emerald (Emerald) coast in Brittany. Since ancient times, oysters have been delivered to the royal table from here. "Cancale" is translated from Breton as oysters.
Oyster market, where you can enjoy the freshest shellfish right on the spot.
Four euros for a dozen of the most popular NumeroTre is more than humane. In Paris it will already cost 25-40 per dozen. In Moscow 10-15 euros per piece.
Oysters at this market are served on a plastic plate. For half a euro they will open them for you and for another half a ruble they will give you a lemon. If you take it with you, then for another one and a half they will be beautifully packaged in a plywood box. Injoy!
Here's the offer of the day. For a dozen "number 1" only 4! The lower the number, the larger the oysters. The kings ate oysters the size of a horse's leg. These were the ones that washed up on the beach at low tide, where they were collected in baskets by the fishermen’s wives.
Nowadays oysters are grown on oyster farms. Clean water, not very warm, not very cold, a slight current - ideal conditions for the growth of oysters.
I decided to feast on the largest ones, size "00" - "zero-zero". To open an oyster you need a special tool and skill.
like these ones! bigger than a human palm! I've never seen anything like this before.
It’s customary to consume them right there, on the embankment. The dishes are returned.
I mean, shells are thrown into the sea.
They brought some fresh ones! How can you resist here and not take it yet?
Oysters are the most delicate protein with a delicate aroma. Incredibly delicious. They must be eaten fresh. There are no oysters that are not fresh. After an hour and a half since the oyster died, it releases a strong poison that is undetectable by taste and smell. Theoretically, a harvested oyster can live out of the sea for up to a week. A sufficient amount of sea water remains in the tightly closed shell valves. But a little colder than she is used to, a little hotter, and the oyster dies. In Moscow, with a 99% probability, you will eat dead oysters, very chilled so that they do not go rotten and become poisonous. Of course, we can’t talk about any taste here. Snot with salty water. In general, like all seafood, they will bring true joy only when they are fresh and preferably at the place where they were caught.
for gourmets. "Wild" oysters not raised on a farm. 10 year olds. The valves are deeper and the shapes are more varied. The taste is absolutely identical to "manual"
for discerning connoisseurs. "Flat" oysters. Three times more expensive. The “carcass” of the oyster is three times smaller. It's five times harder to open. It is claimed that they have a more “subtle taste”. For me, they are almost tasteless. They are grown in less than 1% of the total volume.
What else to do in Cancale?
lie on the beach, drink cold cider
look at the fabulous and mysterious silhouette on the other side of the bay.
The embankment is full of oyster bars. For 5 euros: Half a dozen "number Three", a bottle of Muscadet (a full glass of white wine with a floral aroma), a fresh baguette and salted butter. There is heaven on earth!
On a full stomach, under the soft splash of the waves, philosophical thoughts are well thought out. But not for long. Oysters are a strong aphrodisiac. Let's run home!
I'll probably live here for three or four days. All. I kiss everyone! No, it's not like that. I don't kiss you! I just have a mouth full of oysters.
In general, I didn’t want to engage in oyster education in this blog. Oyster lovers seem to have already figured out clairs and croeses. And if people like to think that oysters are squeaky, have a jelly-like consistency, that in the summer months they are inedible because they accumulate toxins and radiation, that farmed oysters are artificial and synthetic, and also that you can only eat oysters where they grow - Well, let them think so, we will get more.
But the friends strictly said: “It’s necessary, Fedya, it’s necessary.” OK. I looked at the calendar - it’s time to talk about the notorious rule of the letter “R”.
Traditionally, the oyster season in our Northern Hemisphere is considered to be from September to April. Remember, from Remarque in “Life on Borrow”: “Lillian reached the hotel. Now she lived in the mezzanine; she only had to go up one flight of stairs. At the entrance to the cafe there was an oyster seller.“Today I have wonderful shrimp,” he said. - The oysters are almost gone. They will appear only in September."
“It’s not the season for oysters, but peaches have replaced them.”
During the summer months, anyone looking to sample bivalves will likely hear someone remind them of the R-month rule. It states that in May, June, July and August - months that do not have the letter "r" in their names - you cannot eat oysters.
Listen, it’s the 21st century, and someone is still guided by a rule that was relevant back in Ancient Rome. In the first century BC, Cicero, in his treatise De Ostreis, reflected on the dangers of oysters in the hot months and the introduction of the R-taboo.
Well, since the rule has such deep historical roots, I will explain the essence of the old prohibitions and what happens to oysters in the months without “r”, with the help of the ancient Roman god of the seas Neptune.
His symbol of power over the sea has three prongs. There are also three reasons for introducing restrictions on the consumption of oysters in the summer months, remember:
1. Nature has designed the oyster so cleverly that this mollusk can live quietly for several days on the road or in a warehouse in the water that it managed to slam shut in its shell at the time of collection. The main thing is temperature. Optimal for oysters is from +1○ to +4○. Of course, previously, during the hot months, it was almost impossible to transport a load of shells while maintaining such a temperature regime. Oysters spoiled while still in transit and became a truly hazardous product for health.
2. In the Northern Hemisphere, the breeding season begins in summer for many mollusks. Warming water is a signal for the mollusk to begin this important process. Oh, it's getting warm! At this time, the oyster produces caviar, becomes “milky” and changes its taste. Oyster milk may taste bitter, and shellfish meat becomes less elastic. Algae also begin to bloom in hot weather, changing the chemical composition of the water in which the oysters live. This also changes the taste of the shellfish, not for the better.
3. Uncontrolled harvesting of oysters led to the fact that in the 18th century, populations off the coast of France, as well as on the East Coast of America, rapidly declined. In 1762, the Council of the City of New Haven, Connecticut, in an effort to prevent the complete and irreversible destruction of oyster colonies, prohibited the collection of oysters during their breeding season - from May 1 to September 1, and established a severe penalty for violating the ban. In France, in 1771, a temporary ban on the sale of oysters from May to September was imposed by the Royal Edict on the Regulation of Fisheries in order to preserve the population.
Do you remember? Now look at. It also has three teeth. Each of these teeth is a reason to forget about those old prohibitions and calmly eat oysters in a restaurant far from the sea and at any time of the year:
1. Technical progress has advanced far enough to ensure fast, careful transportation of oysters and their storage in compliance with the required temperature conditions.
2. Restaurants offer oysters grown on farms where all processes in the life of mollusks are strictly monitored. The temperature and chemical composition of the water are under the strictest control. Oyster milk is not poisonous; you cannot be poisoned by a fresh “milk” oyster. And I even know people who like the taste of these summer oysters just as much. In addition, in the 1980s, a technology for producing all-season oysters that are never “dairy” was invented. This is a sterile oyster that tastes good at any time of the year. And as soon as ordinary oysters, once in warm water, begin to produce milk, producers send them on vacation. And only “4 seasons” oysters are supplied to restaurants and shops.
3. Seasonality is different for mollusks of the Southern and Northern Hemispheres. Most Australian and New Zealand oysters have a breeding season between November and March, with their peak season occurring during the non-r months. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the control of oysters, restaurateurs and suppliers, Australians have been unavailable to gourmets in Russia since 2014. But this summer, New Zealand shellfish will certainly delight our shellfish lovers with their excellent taste.
The only rule really worth remembering is don't even try an oyster that looks and smells bad. A fresh oyster should exude the smell of the sea, be shiny and full-bodied, and contain colorless, clear juice, which connoisseurs call “oyster liqueur.” And eat oysters in trusted places where professionals are responsible for quality.
Oyster season (the time when they are easily available and taste great) runs from September to April. Gourmets, however, have come to expect October, when exquisite and tasty varieties appear on the menu. This is due to the fact that summer is an excellent time for small clams to gain weight, and winter and autumn are less likely to cause problems with bacterial infections. The French love oysters. And the peak consumption of this delicacy occurs during the New Year and Christmas celebrations. Therefore, when traveling in the fall, be sure to try this delicious delicacy!
Size matters
Oysters are classified by size. When purchasing this delicacy, pay attention to the number from 0 to 5 for bulk oysters and from 0 to 6 for oysters with a flat shell.
And now a little more detailed.
fines- medium sized oysters
speciales- oysters are slightly larger and fresher than fines
fines de Claires- oysters fines, who spent two months in Marennes-Oléron, filtering clean water through their succulent bodies. Their density per square meter is quite high - up to 20 pieces.
Speciales de Claires- oysters that matured in Marennes-Oléron also for two months, but they had more space than fines de Claires.
Pousse en Claires- considered a low-density oyster (5 oysters per square meter). These heavyweight oysters are grown in special tanks for four months. They grow sweet and fleshy.
Let's taste the countries: read about Spain!
Oyster regions
Just like the bouquet of a wine, the taste and texture of an oyster are deeply dependent on where it is grown. After all, each body of water has its own characteristics: different mineral composition, intensity of ebb and flow, temperature, salinity. All this affects the taste of oysters, due to the fact that these animals are filter feeders. The taste will vary from season to season every year in any location due to the fact that neither the flora and fauna nor the frequency of rainfall can remain constant.
Aquitaine: Arcachon is a famous bay in the southwest near Bordeaux, where oysters live in their natural environment. Farmers place red bricks in water. During the breeding season, young oysters are captured by stones from all sides. Then people collect such a catch and place it in deeper reservoirs, where the oysters are fattened and grow to the desired size. Sometimes the flesh of shellfish becomes green due to algae.
Normandy: The northwest is famous for deep-sea oysters from the coast of the Cotenin peninsula, delicacy from Isigny and nutty oysters from Saint-Vaast. Sweet oysters can be tasted from the coast of Utah Beach.
Brittany: Here you will find flat shell oysters, which are typically grown on the local coast. Tourists are offered to try the following varieties: Cancale (specialty, salty), Paimpol (juicy and meaty, grown on deep-sea farms), Belon (famous oysters from the mouth of the same name in Southern Brittany, which mature in brackish water). Try large shellfish in Saint-Brieuc, Morlaix and Brest Bay.
West Coast: Ile de Ré, Noirmoutier, Baie de Bourgneuf, Pornic, and Beauvoir-sur-Mer are home to small but tasty oysters.
Languedoc: Bouzigue is noted for having extremely clean water, so that the delicious shellfish can be consumed on the spot.
Marennes-Oléron: Here you can taste the Ile d’Oléron oyster, as well as the Charente variety from special reservoirs. These oysters are matured in special cleaning tanks. Sometimes blue-green algae from the surrounding waters give the mollusk flesh an unusual color.
How to properly enjoy a delicacy
Oysters are almost never washed (to preserve their unique taste), they are often opened right before consumption and are always placed on ice. In France, as a rule, shellfish are served without cutting the adductor muscle, thanks to which the animal is attached to the shell. It is believed that this allows you to keep the oysters fresh longer. Take a special fork and carefully separate the pulp from the shell. Add lemon juice or oyster sauce, or skip all the seasonings, and devour this delicacy in one sitting!