Where are oysters in France? A taste of the sea at home: choosing and serving oysters in the best traditions of France
What do you mean by the aroma of a fresh breeze and the salty taste of the sea? For many fans of French cuisine, this is, of course, oysters! To try them, you don’t have to book a table at a Michelin-starred restaurant - you can cook shellfish at home. The editors of the ZagraNitsa portal found out all the details of the selection and presentation of the famous delicacy in France. Take it useful tips note and bon appétit!
Formerly a poor man's food and a gourmet delicacy today, oysters in France are one of the most popular and beloved entrées. There are numerous oyster farms scattered along the entire coast of the Hexagon, where shellfish are grown in “greenhouse” conditions to the desired size and sent to restaurants with poissonneries.
Each region in which oysters are cultivated and harvested has its own specifics, customs and technical characteristics. Together with the mineral composition of the water, they form the characteristic taste of shellfish meat. Like good French wine, oysters have a unique flavor profile in different regions. Some have a sweetish taste, others have a salty taste, others have a hint of metal due to the abundance of minerals in the water, others resemble fresh melon...
Photo: shutterstock Depending on the structure and living conditions, oysters are divided into deep and flat. The former are often also called Japanese, since initially they were not found in European seas and were actively exported from the shores of the Country rising sun(after a severe decline in the shellfish population due to the epidemic).
The most popular oyster size in France and Europe is No. 3 (corresponding to a weight of 80–100 g).
The habitat of flat oysters is all European countries with access to Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Their cost directly depends on the size, which affects the meatiness and taste of the mollusk. Deep oysters are calibrated by numbers (the higher the number, the smaller the shell), while the size of flat oysters is determined by zeros. The largest ones are marked “0000”.
Oysters are given names depending on the conditions under which they are grown. Like, for example, deep fine de claire (exquisite) and speciales de claire (special), differing in the ratio of meat and juice. And also their name depends on the region in which the farm is located: la gravettes - from the Bay of Arcachon, la belons - from Brittany and la marennes - from Oréon.
Photo: 1001dinners.blogspot.com
One of the most delicious and meaty varieties - pied de cheval (literally translated as “horse hoof”) - is not grown in posh, but is collected in natural conditions. One such oyster is equivalent to a dozen “Japanese babies”. You can try them, as an option, in Cancale.
How to choose and where to buy oysters?
The freshness of the product when buying oysters is a matter of principle. One might even say it is a matter of life and death. The mollusk must be the most alive of all living things.
Photo: shutterstock You can check this by looking at the condition of the doors: they should be tightly closed. The shell itself should be weighty (which indicates the presence of liquid inside) and not hollow. When the shells are tapped against each other, the sound should resemble the sound of stones hitting.
Please note that the smell of the oyster should be moderate, giving off the freshness of the sea. If your sinks give off an unpleasant odor, ignore this product!
If the doors are slightly open, squeeze them slightly. Close tightly - the oyster is alive and fit for consumption. Otherwise, put the questionable product aside.
How to open an oyster shell yourself?
In the natural environment, oysters are found in durable shells, which can be difficult to open without special tools and skill. But there is nothing supernatural or mega-complicated in this process.
First you need to thoroughly wash the sinks using a sponge. This will get rid of sand, algae and other contaminants.
Roman emperors paid for an oyster in pure gold according to its weight, and Louis XIV could not imagine life without them. There is even a legend that the royal chief cook Vatel committed suicide after learning that the next batch of shellfish did not arrive on time and he would not be able to serve the monarch’s favorite delicacy to the table.
The oyster is a very strong creature, and it is unlikely to be possible to open it by hand. You will need a special knife: you need to cut the muscle with which the mollusk holds the upper valve. In flat varieties it is located at the base, in deep varieties it is located on the side.
Photo: shutterstock The opening process is as follows: you need to hold the shell firmly in one hand, with the other, insert a knife between the flaps at the place where the muscle attaches, make an incision, turning the knife and slightly opening the upper flap. You need to act decisively, but extremely carefully, so as not to spill the precious liquid and get hurt.
Classics of the genre: how best to serve oysters
Photo: shutterstock The classic, easiest and perhaps best way to serve fresh oysters is to place the open shells on a deep dish with ice. The cold will help maintain the freshness of the product. Oysters should be opened no earlier than 30 minutes before serving.
Before eating, shellfish are sprinkled with lemon juice (acid improves the taste), poured over with pre-prepared sauce, the pulp is scooped out using a special fork and put into the mouth. The contents of the shell are swallowed without chewing, and, enthusiastically enjoying the aftertaste, washed down with salty water.
An excellent addition to oysters would be spicy Tabasco sauce, soy sauce, olive oil or a creamy dressing with white wine and fresh herbs. Spices that work well include freshly ground pepper, ginger, cloves, saffron, onion and red wine vinegar.
There is no need to salt oysters - they have plenty of this mineral! With spices, as well as with high-temperature processing, the main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to spoil the tender meat.
Classic oysters are served alive. But they can also be given a short heat treatment.
Photo: shutterstock Any self-respecting chef knows more than a dozen options for preparing oysters. They can be pickled, fried and baked, added to soups and sauces. In the province of Arcachon, for example, the seafood delicacy is served with hot mini-crepinet sausages, rye bread and L’Entre-Deux-Mers white wine. Speaking of drinks, dry white varieties of Riesling and Chablis are best paired with the delicate taste of oysters. Muscadet, Mercier, Montrachet and sparkling brut are also suitable.
At the end of today's conversation, we note that it is best to buy oysters in proven markets (preferably directly in the catch area). We told you where to buy fresh shellfish in Paris in a separate article.
What do the months from September to April have in common? The letter "r" in the name. This may mean nothing to some, but not to oysters. They know for sure that by September they need to be saturated with all the useful substances, reach the peak of perfection and jump out of the salty sea onto the snow-white plates of restaurants. Oyster season opens. And it continues until the “r” disappears from the name of the month, that is, until May itself. If you happen to see oysters on a restaurant menu on a warm summer day, don’t be tempted to order it, because it will almost certainly not bring you any pleasure - summer is the breeding season for oysters, and during this period their meat loses its taste.
Autumn is a different matter. With the arrival of September, any restaurant, cafe, or whatever, even the last eatery on the French coast, has an oyster menu. For coastal residents, oysters are not a delicacy - they have been caught and eaten in large quantities there since time immemorial. The French offer a win-win option for the autumn menu - a dozen of the freshest oysters on an ice plate, half a lemon, brown bread with a crispy crust and a glass of cold white wine. It is almost impossible to resist such a temptation.
We sprinkle the oysters with lemon juice, put the tender meat into our mouths, and enjoy the delicate, unique taste... We eat a piece of black bread with butter... We take a slow sip of chilled white wine... We close our eyes... And we find ourselves in heaven.. Oysters are a delight for true gourmets.
Thanks to modern storage and transportation capabilities, fresh oysters that were resting in the sea 20 hours ago can be tasted in our restaurants. One of the best sommeliers in the city, a great wine connoisseur, Alina Rapold, told us about several important points that are worth remembering before ordering oysters in a restaurant.
Firstly, there are many varieties of oysters; they differ in region of origin, method of cultivation and, accordingly, in taste characteristics. Traditionally, French oysters are considered the best. These are delivered to good restaurants in St. Petersburg twice a week by plane from France. Oysters are transported in special wooden containers, and they are transferred with seaweed soaked in sea water. In this form, oysters can be stored for two days. The restaurant's really good oysters are three varieties: Fines de Claire, Creuse and Speciales. They are regularly ordered from France. If, for example, Belon oysters are on the menu, there is no point in ordering them, because such oysters live for 12 hours and they simply cannot be delivered fresh to your table.
In St. Petersburg, oysters cannot cost less than 300 rubles per shell, taking into account all the nuances. However, now some restaurants offer unlimited oysters (for an average of 2,000 rubles). This offer is undoubtedly beneficial for visitors, but the restaurants also remain in the black - they have time to sell all the oysters before the next delivery, before they spoil.
White wine is traditionally ordered with oysters, and it is considered ideal if the origin of the wine and the oyster are from the same region. Since the most important thing in oysters is the delicate iodine taste and aroma, the wine should be high-acid to better highlight it. The classic version is Chablis or white champagne made from 100% Chardonnay. Picpoul de Pinet or Muscadet is also perfect, about which the French themselves say that if you wash down oysters with this wine, you don’t even need to sprinkle them with lemon. An interesting combination is oysters with dry, ringing, very mineral Riesling wine.
There are special devices for opening the shell, but in restaurants oysters are served already opened. The only device you will need is a small fork with two prongs, which is used to pick up the body of the mollusk, separating it from the shell. Oysters are traditionally served on a platter surrounded by ice, in portions of half a dozen or a dozen. In addition to lemon, oysters are served with wine vinegar with finely chopped onions, freshly ground pepper and bread and butter.
There are many ways to prepare oysters, but to truly appreciate the exquisite taste of this product is in its natural, raw form without unnecessary additives.
. Remote booking is also possible (including for club members) after agreement with the project curator by mail [email protected] , and with payment by card (only this tour).Important! If these tours were not sold to you in the office, write to us by email
kachestvo(dog)cheaptrip.ru, we will sell with a 3% discount!
Weather forecast*:
Paris in November during the day +10…+12°C/night +5…+7°C
*weather is approximate at the time of travel
Other dates and durations are possible - please inquire!
Special project H
Oyster season + scallop joys of Saint-Jacques continue, because, as you know, in addition to the absorption of Camembert, Livor, Pont-Leveque, cider and Calvados and (before after and instead), the population of the cool coast of France is actively engaged in oyster eating and oyster science + does not shy away from mussels, shrimp and Saint-Jacques scallops.
photo from the festival website
Having tasted the most delicious Saint-Jacques in wine, Calvados, under a cheese crust and simply baked on the grill, we keep our nose to the wind and move along the coast, looking at all the towns and villages ending in Sur-Mer, breathing the oceans, counting the tides and catching the sun of Normandy , Brittany and, if we get there, Aquitaine, read the route details
Paris: Departure 08.11 for 4 nights
Tour program: 08.11 departure and arrival in Paris (regular flight with connection 50 minutes), from 08.11 to 12.11 accommodation in Paris, during the festival, independent transfer* to Port-en-Bessin-Huppen and back, 12.11 departure from Paris (evening flight), arrival to Moscow on the night of November 12-13 (regular flight with connection 50 minutes)
*How to get there:
Hotel Premiere Classe Orly Rungis 2*, without meals, 282 euros
Hotel Balladins Gennevilliers Superior 3*, without meals, 292 euros
ibis budget Gennevilliers Asnières 2*, without meals, 296 euros
Hôtel Terminus Paris La Defense 2*, without meals, 306 euros
Le Kleber 2*, without meals, 318 euros
A.R.T Hotel Paris Est 3*, without meals, 318 euros
Kyriad Paris Est – Bois de Vincennes 3*, without meals, 321 euros
Hotel Murat 3*, breakfast, 332 euros
Hotel Faubourg 216-224 3*, without meals, 326 euros
Aparthotel Adagio Paris Montrouge 4*, without meals, 352 euros
Novotel Suites Paris Velizy 4*, without meals, 375 euros
Kyriad Prestige Paris Ouest Boulogne 4*, breakfast, 385 euros
Mercure Paris Alesia 4*, without meals, 388 euros
The Five Hotel 3*, no meals, 396 euros
, without power, 726 euros
luxurious & cheap
Best Western Premier Opera Liege 5*, without meals, 543 euros
Hôtel Paris Bastille Boutet – MGallery by Sofitel 5*, without meals, 554 euros
, without power, 572 euros
Hôtel Le 123 Sébastopol – Astotel 4*, breakfast, 619 euros
How, having bought an inexpensive tour or air ticket, organize an interesting independent holiday in Paris, read, and
Port-en-Bessin-Huppen: Departure 08.11 for 4 nights
Tour program: 08.11 departure and arrival in Paris (regular flight with connection 50 minutes), independent transfer* to Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, from 08.11 to 12.11 accommodation in Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, 12.11 independent transfer* to Paris, 12.11 departure from Paris (evening flight), arrival in Moscow on the night of November 12-13. (regular flight with connection 50 minutes)
*How to get there: Port-en-Bessin-Huppain is located 275 km from Paris, the most convenient way to get there is by car, the journey takes about 3 hours along the A13 highway. The cost of renting a Fiat 500 class car from November 10 to 13 is from 62 euros, you can find out more about the prices and book a car. You can also take a train from Paris to Bayeux - the journey takes 2 hours, ticket costs from 15 euros and then to Port-en-Bessin-Huppain by bus or taxi (about 10 km). You can view the train schedule and book tickets.
Hotel accommodation:
King Hôtel to Hotel Eisenhower 2*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, no meals, 363 euros
Ibis Bayeux Port En Bessin 3*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, no meals, 375 euros
Mercure Bayeux Omaha Beach 4*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, no meals, 438 euros
luxurious & cheap
Chateau La Cheneviere 5*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, no meals, 851 euro
Accommodation in apartments(the price is per person, the apartment must be paid in full)
Attention, apartments are on request and guaranteed!
Let’s look at what “on request” and “guaranteed” accommodation is.
Apartment for 2-8 people, near the beach, request
District:
Premises: 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms
Number of people: 2-8
Cost per person for 8-bed occupancy – 274 euros
294 euros
335 euros
459 euros
Apartment in the heart of Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, next to Omaha Beach. Restaurants and shops within walking distance. The apartment has 2 bedrooms (3 single beds and 1 double bed), 2 bathrooms. Living room with two double sofa beds, fully equipped kitchen. Fireplace, TV, heating, 2 bicycles, board games.
House for 2-6 people, in the center of Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, guaranteed
District: Port-en-Bessin-Huppai, Basse-Normandine
Premises: 3 bedrooms, living room with kitchen, bathroom
Number of people: 2-6
Cost per person for 6-bed occupancy – 290 euros
Cost per person for 4-bed occupancy – 328 euros
Cost per person for double occupancy – 444 euros
Ideally located within walking distance of the beaches and port of Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, close to shops and restaurants. The house has 3 bedrooms (2 doubles and 1 bunk bed). Spacious living room combined with kitchen, bathroom. Terrace overlooking the garden. Fully equipped kitchen, dishwasher. Wifi. Heating. TV.
House for 2-5 people, in the center of Port-en-Bessin-Huppen, request
District: Port-en-Bessin-Huppai, Basse-Normandine
Premises: 2 bedrooms, living room with kitchen, bathroom
Number of people: 2-5
Cost per person for 4-bed occupancy – 302 euros
Cost per person for double occupancy – 393 euros
Apartment in a historic house in the historical center of Port-en-Bessin-Huppen. Furnished in a rustic Norman style with antiques. The apartment has: living room with fireplace and sofa bed, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, 2 bedrooms (bunk bed and double bed).
When communicating with friends and acquaintances who come to France, sooner or later you have to answer a question about a typical French dish.
Previously, due to inexperience, I indulged in long discussions about the fact that each region has its own preferences. And this, they say, is equally true for both wines and dishes.
Now I confidently and categorically declare: “Oysters!”
And it doesn’t matter that they are eaten with pleasure in other countries: in Belgium, Spain, Italy, America or somewhere else...
In France there is a real cult of oysters!
And if you have to try them for the first time somewhere, this is the best place to do it!
At one time, I first tried this delicacy immediately upon arriving in France, at Christmas, when all French people traditionally eat oysters and goose liver.
I was invited to a French house, where the table was set “a la buffet,” which is quite common in recent years: it’s cheaper, more democratic, and less tiring for everyone.
The guests put their own food on plastic plates, poured wine into plastic cups themselves, and, stepping aside, alone or talking with someone, ate and drank, some standing, some sitting on the edge of a chair or canapé, and some sitting directly on semi...
I stood next to a Frenchman who asked me with interest whether it was true that Russians drink vodka endlessly and always break empty glasses, throwing them over their shoulders...
I tried to convince him that this was by no means a rule, but it seemed to no avail - he did not believe me.
And suddenly, as if forgetting about me, he rushed as fast as he could to the table, and the last thing I heard from him was:
- There are oysters, hurry up, soon there will be nothing left!
I followed him. The French sat in a circle at the table and ate oysters with concentration, jealously watching each other.
Signs suggested that I join. I decided to take a chance.
For five years after that, I no longer touched oysters and even avoided looking in their direction.
Five years of my life were thus wasted!
All only because there was no one next to me who would introduce me to this great sacrament: eating oysters!
And then, five years after the first bad experience, I fell in love.
My beloved loved oysters.
I invited her to a restaurant and ordered for her these, in my opinion, terrible shellfish.
She immediately explained to me that they were not terrible, but beautiful!
Then she explained how to eat them, showed them herself, and for her sake, closing my eyes, mentally saying goodbye to life, I swallowed one or two...
Now I can’t imagine life without oysters and I consider it my duty to initiate people I like into this sacrament.
In this sense, I am a preacher, I preach the good news: oysters are nice, oysters are beautiful, oysters are delicious! And oysters are a date with the sea!
Like any preacher, I already have a certain number of converts, which I am very proud of!
The fact is that I have come up with several rules for the first meeting with oysters!
And here they are:
Firstly, a meeting with oysters must be beautifully furnished: Paris, Nice, Arcachon or Deauville, good restaurant, a clean white tablecloth, the necessary, preferably silver, cutlery, a beautifully served large dish: sparkling ice, mother-of-pearl oysters, golden lemons, expensive and cold white wine in a silver bucket with ice, special grayish bread and salty butter, attentive, correct and unobtrusive waiters ...
It’s good if a knowledgeable person sits with you. Even better if you love it! Ideal: both in one person. In short, there must be someone for whom you are ready to perform a feat!..
Just as you can’t drink expensive wine from aluminum mugs, you can’t try oysters for the first time on the go, anyhow, in a random setting, with random people.
Oysters, like champagne, are always a holiday!
And don’t worry if suddenly for the first time they are “not very good” to you. Rest assured: the process has begun!
And don’t be surprised when some six months later in winter Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kharkov or Nizhny Novgorod When you remember Paris and France, you suddenly crave oysters uncontrollably.
This means that you no longer need to explain what a typically French dish is!
But the question of how, exactly, they eat oysters always confuses me, because this should not be told - it should be shown!
Oysters are a whole ceremony, like drinking tea in China or pilaf in Uzbekistan.
First you need to select them.
All oysters – “les huitres” – are divided into flat “plates” and deep “creuses”. The most common among the former are “belons”, among the latter – “fines de claires” and “speciales”, the former live in the Atlantic, the latter in the Pacific Ocean.
It’s best, in my(!) taste, to take a dozen “fines de claires”. They are not as salty and fatty as speciales claires, and much more beautiful, I would even say more romantic, than belons: both in shape and slightly turquoise color.
The size of oysters is determined by number. The lower the number, the larger the oyster. The most popular ones are No. 2 and No. 3. My favorite, like the female breast, is the third!
While your order is being processed - the oysters are opened with a special knife and beautifully laid out on a large platter with ice - you too get ready.
Spread a couple of slices of special, mostly gray bread with salted butter, and pour cold white wine into glasses. Chablis or Riesling. Champagne is even better!
Then, once the oyster platter is on the table, take your time!
Admire it, look how beautiful it is!
Turquoise or pearl-pearl oysters on sparkling white ice framed by sunny yellow lemons!
Having put a small piece of bread and butter into your mouth (precisely before, not after!..), take the oyster with your left hand so that its wide end is looking at you, sprinkle it with lemon juice! Doesn't this remind you of anything?!
And it’s no coincidence: oysters are considered one of the most effective aphrodisiacs!
You will see how the oyster shrinks slightly around the edges, as if from pleasure: this is a sign that it is ready to eat, to have intercourse with you!
Now take a knife and carefully cut the oyster leg at the very base on the side closest to you. And with the same knife, lightly separate the oyster from the shell, moving from the edges to the center. Now nothing stops her from giving herself to you!
Put down the knife, take a special fork and imagine that now you will plunge into the sea and feel its taste on your lips!..
Then feel free to put the oyster removed from the shell into your mouth and enjoy!
Don't forget to wash it down with shell juice first, and then cold white wine or dry champagne.
Now finally open your eyes and look around: You cannot help but notice that the world has somehow subtly changed! It has become better, cleaner, more fun and festive!
Bon appetit, bien sure!
Reviews
Wonderful story!
Now, if you had told this to me 10 years ago...)))))))) Hmm... The oysters and I suspiciously didn’t like each other at first sight... Maybe I wouldn’t have tasted them , and so, I would have admired it from afar, but... the Ukrainian - “if I don’t want to eat it, then I want to take a bite” has been living in me since childhood. It’s a pity... the oysters didn’t like me either, at night they decided that it was time for them to go home , into the sea-ocean, and left my body with lightning speed, it even seemed to me that they grew wings during a couple of hours of being in my body.
Thank you! It was written a long time ago, but I still decided to publish it in prose.ru, because, while preparing for the next excursion, I found a lot of “amateur”, that is, incorrect recommendations and reviews on the Internet... Even, I’m afraid to say, from Pokhlebkin !... just shhh, this is between us...)))
About your first date with them. Looks like mine! Wait! This means your time has not come yet. The main thing is not to lose hope. It’s like love here!..)))
Flat or deep? Exquisite or special? Oleron or Isigny oysters?
Origin, aging, brand, manufacturer, size...
Which mollusk should you prefer? Let's try to figure it out.
The French are big fans of oysters. They consume about 100,000 tons of them per year, which is approximately 1.75 kg per person. But not all amateurs are experts. And there are reasons for this. There are seven oyster harvesting sites in France alone. Each location, in turn, has several varieties of oysters and thousands of producers. Some of them are quite famous. And it’s not easy to navigate all this diversity the first time.
Which oyster do you prefer: flat or deep?
On the shelves you can see two types of oysters: flat (ostrea edulis) and deep (crassostrea gigas). The latter predominates, as it accounts for 90% of all oysters produced in France.
Among the flat oysters harvested in Brittany, the ones that have long been known are those aged in Riec-sur-Belon, at the mouth of the Belon River, near Pont Aven in the southern part of the Finistère department. Today, all flat oysters are called "belon". But this term is neither a trademark nor a company name.
Three zeros and a large size.
It is unknown what motivated the person who came up with the mollusk numbering system. In fact, the numbers are inversely proportional to the size of the oysters. For example, No. 5 is a small specimen (30-35 g), while the weight of deep oyster No. 1 will be in the range of 111-150 grams.
When it comes to flat oysters, things are different. You need to add zeros. The weight of No. 0 ranges between 80 and 100 grams, No. 00 - between 100 and 120 grams, No. 000 can reach 160 grams. With a weight of 300 grams, the oyster is already called “horse hoof” (“pied de cheval”). Real sea tenderloin. It reaches this size in the wild.
Seven producing regions.
Even if oysters from Ireland, Holland or Denmark begin to gain popularity, France retains the first place in the extraction and consumption of oysters in Europe.
There are no less than seven regional producers, and in each region at least as many local ones. Normandy-North Sea, northern Brittany and southern Brittany, Loire Lands, Poitou-Charente, Arcachon-Aquitaine and the Mediterranean Sea.
Corsica should also be mentioned. Oysters are bred here in the ponds of Diana (this is where the rare flat oyster “Nustrale di Diana” originates) and Urbino.
Each region has its own local “stars”.
As in the case of wines, one can talk about local “celebrities” - the breeding places, times and methods of aging oysters vary so much. It is impossible to list them all.
In Normandy alone, which in itself is a mark of quality - Normandy oysters - there are four types. Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is meaty, high in iodine and has a hazelnut flavor, Speciales d’Isigny sur mer is tender and crispy, and Pleine Mer is more coarse in taste.
Refined or special.
For their taste, we must thank the sea basin for growing oysters Marenne-Oléron, which is part of the Poitou-Charente region. Since 1972, 2 types of oysters have been grown here, which have had a great influence on oyster farming in general.
Fine de Claire is tender, not very meaty, aged for at least 28 days between November and the end of March. Hence its exquisite taste. But also Speciale de Claire, more rounded, meaty, elastic, aged for at least 4 weeks.
Manufacturers in other regions have adopted this naming principle: “fine” for delicate oysters with little meatiness and “speciale” for specimens whose taste lingers in the mouth for a long time.
The quality mark for oysters is Label Rouge.
Only two types of oysters have quality certificates. And both species come from the Marenne-Oleron region.
Fine de Claire Verte, sold exclusively between October and May, received its seal of approval in 1989. It owes its color to the blue-green algae navicula after aging in special cages - “clairs”.
Pousse en Claire - received the quality mark in 1999. Aged in “clairs” for four to 8 months. Due to the fact that the shellfish is grown in conditions of low density (no more than 5 oysters per cubic meter) and aged for three months, it has a delicate taste that remains in the mouth for a long time. But many producers, such as the famous David Herve, went beyond the protocol - 2 oysters per m? and six months of aging.
Manufacturer's name or brand?
Here the task becomes more complicated, since in each region some manufacturers create their own brands.
For example, Tsarskaya is a special oyster from Cancale (a region in northern Brittany), produced by Les Parcs Saint Kerber. High in iodine, typical for the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, but very delicate in taste. This is done in order to highlight a certain type of oyster.
Sometimes a name becomes a brand. As is the case with Gillardeau oysters. The name of this manufacturer is so well known that it has become synonymous with quality in the eyes of the consumer.
As for the Perle blanche oyster, we are talking about a well-known brand created jointly by three producers from Maren. The goal is to grow an oyster in Normandy with a delicate taste, almost melting in your mouth, and aged in “clair”.
Four Seasons Oyster.
A beautiful name that unites a variety of deep oysters called triploid. They were created twenty years ago by a French research institute for the exploitation of marine resources and have been sold for fifteen years. This oyster has three sets of chromosomes instead of two (like naturally grown oysters) and is sterile. Therefore, they are never “milk” and, therefore, can be sold in the summer...
The “four seasons” oyster is on the shelves all year round and has a certain advantage: it does not waste energy on reproduction, thus growing faster and bringing more profit. The disadvantage is that only a few laboratories have these triploid mollusks, which, due to the monopoly, negatively affects the price. In addition, the oyster packages do not indicate their variety, whether they are natural or “four seasons.”
Oysters are an environmentally friendly product.
By nature, oysters are 100% organic. They feed and grow without human intervention. And this at least ensures that they are not stuffed with chemical additives. Even during aging in “clairs” they remain in their natural habitat. On the other hand, it is impossible for them to be labeled as an “environmentally friendly product”, unless they are bred outside the marine environment and fed with plankton grown under control.
How to properly eat an oyster.
It is very important to chew the oyster well. No one will directly say about the true purpose of this action. But restaurateurs advise chewing the oyster well before swallowing, and this is not just to experience its taste and texture. The whole point is that it needs to be killed, because if you swallow a shellfish raw, it will enter the stomach alive and, in defense, will begin to secrete juice, which can cause indigestion. Obviously, it's not just stale oysters that can cause inconvenience...
