Where are the most delicious oysters in the world. Oysters. Oyster farm. Bouzigues, France. Where to look in France
Flow Weekenders by VW Polo - these are travel guides for six European countries, compiled by our compatriots. The authors will talk about how to make an exciting journey by car around Europe, visit a lot of non-trivial sights and meet it in just one weekend.
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Graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. She worked for seven years in various publications, worked for Esquire magazine for three years. A year ago, I decided to change the type of activity, quit my favorite job in the Afisha magazine and, having participated in the creation of a new film by Boris Khlebnikov, went to study as a director at the Barcelona CECC film school. She lived in Singapore, traveled almost all over Europe, is going to emigrate to South America. He does not understand how you can live your whole life in one place, when the world is big and life is small. He cannot imagine himself without constant movement and travel. |
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I love Europe terribly because after leaving one city in one country, in a few hours you can easily find yourself in another city in a completely different country, with a different culture and traditions, nature and architecture, people and language. One of the advantages of Barcelona is its location. Now I'm not talking about the climate and the Mediterranean, but the distance from the capital of Catalonia to the French border. In general, trips to the south of France are very typical for Catalans, especially for residents of Barcelona - the thing is that part of these French lands was once Catalonia and Catalan is still spoken there.
One of the reasons why I'm excited about the closeness of France is the oysters. Of course, you can eat oysters in Barcelona, but not at all for the money offered by French oyster farms. One of the closest is near Port Leucate, a small town in the south of France. You can get to it in just two and a half hours. So if your goal is only oysters (and not France), then go straight there. If you want to combine a trip for seafood delicacies with a trip to some pretty French town nearby, then I suggest going to Montpellier, called by The New York Times “the French place to go in 2012” (as every fifth poster will tell you about in the city). The drive is a little over three hours, and on the way you will just stop by the second and, as it were, the main oyster place in the south of France - the resort town of Bouzigues, which is located just 28 kilometers from Montpellier. The ideal option, in my opinion, is to combine all the trips and do the following: leave Barcelona on Friday or Saturday morning, having a good breakfast, so as not to interrupt your appetite until lunch. First, go to Bouzigues, be there around one in the afternoon, go to one of the restaurants on the coast, order a tray of oysters on ice, a bottle of ice-cold white wine and spend a full two hours behind this feast. Then walk around the town, get into the car and go to Montpellier - in order to go around the best local bars in the evening and spend the night there. And the next day, after having breakfast in one of the classic French cafes, drive towards Spain, stop on the way back to Port Leucate, buy a box of oysters and continue the oyster weekend on one of the Barcelona beaches. If you like this plan, then use this guide in its entirety, but if it all seems a little too much, then divide it up in any way you like.
Montpellier
Montpellier
Montpellier
Montpellier
Montpellier
BUZIG
The distance to Bouzig is about 324 kilometers, so it is better to leave in the morning, around ten. In a little over three hours you will find yourself in the tiny and very picturesque village of Bouzigues, which is famous throughout France for its oyster farms. Drive to the coast, leave the car and walk a little along the coast on foot to see from the piers in the lagoon long poles that go deep into the water. Special metal nets, called poches, are attached to them, in which young oysters ripen after being harvested during the breeding season. This protects them from predatory starfish and from silting up. If you haven’t had time to get hungry yet, and looking at the poles, you are interested in oyster fishing, then first go to the museum of oysters (and the inhabitants of the entire lagoon) Musée de l’étang de Thau, which is located right there on the coast. This is a small museum with a permanent exhibition, where you will learn how the culture of eating oysters began, study the anatomical structure of the mollusk, find out the differences between their species, learn about all the ways to grow oysters and how to eat them correctly (if you suddenly haven’t tried it yet and went here just for this), in general, find out everything you can about oysters.
Now the most important thing. Place for lunch. Most likely, you will have time to notice that all the restaurants and cafes on the coast offer tastings or special menus. Of course, you can choose any place you like and stay there, because the oysters in all restaurants are local and you will not feel any difference. But if your eyes run wide and you have been walking from place to place for several minutes, comparing restaurant offers and cannot decide, then go to Chez La Tchepe. Prices for a dozen here start at six euros. A bottle of homemade white costs six and a half. Even if you don't know French, feel free to approach the counter, point at the oysters you like with your finger (it's better to order several different varieties) and take a table on the terrace. In about ten minutes, a shining metal tray with open pearl shells, lemons, vinegar, oil, bread and wine will be brought to you.
If you are tasting an oyster for the first time, don't expect a miracle. I remember the first time I tried it. I won’t describe my own feelings and associations, but I’ll be honest that, most likely, you will start to really get into the taste around the fifth oyster. How to achieve this: First of all, you must be in good company, in which you can treat what is happening with irony. Actually, I mean self-irony, because if the very first desire is to spit out the oyster immediately, you should do it and laugh carelessly, and not worry all evening later. Second. This is the weather. For example, I am much more open to all sorts of dubious adventures in good sunny weather than on a gloomy rainy day when I want to sit at home with a cup of hot chocolate, wrapped in a blanket. And thirdly, a strict sequence of actions. First, sprinkle the oyster with lemon juice, then very carefully separate its leg from the shell with a fork. After making sure that nothing else holds the oyster, take the shell with one hand, and the second - a glass of wine. Don't look at the oyster. Don't think about what's going on. Just drink it straight from the sink, along with some sea water that will be there, and drink it immediately with a sip of wine. Everything, you can breathe. As I said before, don't expect a miracle right away and don't give up. Company, fine weather and wine will soon take their toll, and oysters will become easier for you, and then you will love them just like everyone who surrounds you in the cafe at that moment.
Bouzigues
Bouzigues
Bouzigues
Bouzigues
Bouzigues
Museum of oysters
Bouzigues
Chez La Tchepe
Oysters at Chez La Tchepe
Way to Montpellier
Way to Montpellier
Montpellier
Since one of the oldest universities in Europe is located here (where Nostradamus and Rabelais studied at one time), the average age of a local resident is twenty-five years. Considering student interests, there are a lot of pleasant cafes, restaurants, bars, that is, everything is in order with night life. There is also plenty to do during the day. Walking around the city, go to the Arc de Triomphe. It was built on the initiative of the Governor de Broglie in 1693 in order to replace the old city gate with something more pompous like the Saint-Denis gate in Paris. The arch was restored in 2003, and now you can see the work of Bertrand: four allegory scenes depicting the repeal of the Edict of Nantes, the construction of the Canal du Midi, the capture of Mons and Namur, as well as Louis himself in the form of Hercules, crowned by the goddess Victoria and the victorious British lion and the imperial eagle. Immediately behind it is a park where locals traditionally run, couples in love hold hands, families have picnics, and students skip classes. At the end of the park you will see a powerful aqueduct, which is very reminiscent of the ancient Roman one. In fact, it was built in 1776 by Henri Pitot in order to solve the problems of the city with water supply. If you have time before sunset - go to the famous botanical garden of Montpellier, this is the oldest botanical garden in France. Originally laid out in 1593 to grow herbs for medical students, the garden now contains more than ten monuments to prominent physicians such as Carl Linnaeus. The main square of the city is the square of the Comedy Theatre, in its center stands the fountain of the Three Graces, and around there are the opera house, the most expensive hotels and cafes. The area has recently become pedestrian, it is crossed only by the tram line, which was painted by Christian Lacroix. The rest of the city squares in the center are very tiny and the nightlife is focused on them.
Montpellier
Montpellier
Montpellier
Montpellier
Montpellier
Ma Primiere Cantine near the prefecture. The atmosphere inside is very cozy - tables, chairs, chests of drawers made of wood, flowers in pot-bellied vases and homemade food made from organic products. The service is very fast and attentive.
Skip the first glass go in
The French poet Léon-Paul Fargue once wrote: "Oysters are the kiss of the sea on the lips." So how can you resist and not try such an exquisite delicacy in Paris, and even after such a beautiful metaphor? Moreover, the oyster season in France lasts all year round.
France entered the 20th century as the largest producer of oysters in all of Europe and continues to hold an undeniable leadership to this day.How and where are oysters grown?
Shellfish farming in the country is carried out under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. The institution has many responsibilities, ranging from preserving the natural habitat of oysters to quality control and maintaining high sanitary standards in production.
Also, any owner of an oyster farm in France must complete a special two-year training program. The state teaches future businessmen not only the cultivation of shellfish, but also the basics of ecology and economics. Needless to say, this approach makes French oysters one of the highest quality in the world!
In France, two types of oysters are grown: flat (in French - huîtreplate) and rounded (huîtrecreuse). The fry are harvested by hand, and then they are placed in special nets and laid out on "tables" on the shore of the bay. Periodically, the nets are turned over, mixed, tapped with a stick - this is done so that the shell and meat inside acquire a more regular shape.
A year later, the mollusks are placed on the seabed for another two years, after which they are pulled out and sent for refining - aging in clairs, natural reservoirs with fresh water. As a result, the taste of the oyster softens and is cleared of excess salt. Before transportation, batches of delicacy are carefully packed in boxes so that they do not lose moisture and do not die on the road.
Although an old myth states that clams can only be eaten during certain months containing the letter "r" in their name, the oyster season in France lasts all year round. You can also argue with the statement of gourmets that from May to August, the delicate taste of the pulp deteriorates due to the special liquid secreted by mollusks for reproduction. In fact, the change in taste is almost impossible to notice (especially if you use lemon or lime).
The most delicious oysters in Europe are grown in the picturesque French town of Bouzigues. It is believed that the concentration of salt in the lagoon water gives the pulp its rich taste. There are many oyster restaurants and farms along the town's waterfront.
Bouzigues is the historical capital of the oyster industry, because the first farm in the Mediterranean once appeared in this village.
Those who come from Paris to Bouzigues should definitely visit the local Musée des Mollusks (Le Musee de L'etang de Thau). In it you can get acquainted with the history of oyster farming, as well as sign up for a sightseeing tour. Together with an experienced guide, tourists go by boat to special metal frames hung with oysters and mussels. Farm workers demonstrate how shellfish are laid and caught. The tour ends with an oyster tasting at a local restaurant.
Another unique oyster-growing place in France is the fishing village of Cancale in the bay of Mont Saint-Michel (only 4 hours drive from Paris). Cancale - the real oyster capital of Brittany. You should start your acquaintance with a visit to the farm-museum La Ferme Marine. Here you can watch the production process, see amazing finds from the bottom of the sea. In Cancale, an oyster festival is held several times a year, which is overseen by the same museum.
In total, there are about 3,000 oyster farms in France. The most famous areas are both banks of the English Channel: Brittany, Normandy, Kent and Essex, Arcachon, the Mediterranean coast of the country.How to open and eat an oyster
Since France is also the birthplace of etiquette, it is not surprising that there are certain rules for those who are going to try the sea delicacy. Of course, in restaurants, shells are served on a dish already opened. However, those who are going to visit the French fish market need to know how to open an oyster on their own.
First, you need to wear thick gloves on your hands. Shell fragments are very sharp and can damage the skin. Next, you need to put the oyster on the board, pry off the upper flap with a special knife and gradually cut the oyster muscle located inside, moving the blade left and right and back and forth. The knife should penetrate about 1.5 cm into the sink.
Important! You should not make stabbing movements, knock the knife on the sink and move it up and down, because this will lead to fragments falling into the tender pulp.In oyster bars on the French coast, the oyster is opened more easily by severing it with a knife at the junction of two valves in the middle of the shell. This method is less aesthetic, but it can also be adopted. The most famous oyster market is Marché aux Huîtres in Cancale. You can try a dozen here for 5-6 €. Another 1 € will be taken from you for a slice of lemon and opening the purchased shells.
The main thing is done - the oyster is open, but how to eat it correctly? In the left hand, you need to take the open shell, and in the right - a special fork. With sharp teeth, separate the pulp from the hard shell, and then pour the contents into your mouth. According to etiquette, the whole process should go silently.
What to do then?
There have been heated discussions on this topic in the country for more than one century, which boil down to one question: should I swallow right away or chew first? Those who are just getting acquainted with the delicacy can be advised to try both methods.
What do oysters eat with?
Oysters in France are usually served with slices of lemon or lime, eaten with bread and butter. Also on the table there may be a classic sauce of wine vinegar and shallots - Mignonette. Although true connoisseurs use the delicacy in a purely "pure" form.
Initially, lemon juice was not used as a sauce, but to test the freshness of oysters. Live clams shrink under the action of acid.
But the American tradition of eating oysters with hot sauce in France is categorically not welcome. Hot pepper makes it difficult to appreciate the true taste of the delicacy.
- Sauvignon Blanc: fragrant white wine perfectly complements the delicacy with onion sauce;
- Chardonnay: the perfect accompaniment to baked clams with a creamy sauce;
- Muscat: dry white wine will help bring out the taste of fresh oysters;
- Chablis: An excellent option for a delicacy if you intend to eat it with butter.
Fans of experiments can try to drink oysters. The bubbles provide a lovely textural contrast with the jelly-like meat. French sommeliers usually offer dry champagne wines such as Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut and Drappier Brut Nature with shellfish.
TOP 5 places in Paris to try oysters
Not everyone has the opportunity to arrange a tour of the farms of France. Therefore, most tourists are wondering where to eat oysters in Paris. The French capital is 100% suitable for getting to know this.
Oysters are numbered from largest to smallest. The largest number 00, the smallest - number 5. The lower the number, the larger, meatier and usually more expensive the oyster.So, let's make an express tour of the best oyster places in the French capital and find out how much oysters cost in Paris.
Pleine Mer (22 rue de Chabrol)
The establishment is more like a cafe at a retail outlet. Here you can find a wide selection of freshly caught seafood, and oysters are delivered directly from Cancale. Prices range from 10 to 20 € per dozen and depend on the size of the shell. So Pleine Mer is a good choice for those who are looking for an inexpensive place to eat oysters in Paris.
Les Maquereaux (Quai de L'Hôtel de Ville | Pont Louis Philippe)
The restaurant-boat with the unpretentious name "Mackerel" is located right on the banks of the Seine near the island of Saint-Louis. The menu is based on seafood. The staff is ready to tell you about the place of origin of each product, as well as to choose a drink for the selected dish. Despite the fact that the restaurant is located in the center of Paris, oysters are relatively cheap here: from 12 € (6 pieces) to 24 € (12 pieces).
Auberge du Moulin Vert (34 Brue des Plantes)
A cozy restaurant attracts attention with a small decorative windmill located at the entrance. Inside, visitors are welcomed by friendly staff and a cozy interior with many fresh flowers. At Auberge du Moulin Vert you can try a dozen oysters with wine and onion sauce for 35 €.
La Coupole (102 boulevard du Montparnasse)
This restaurant is ideal for those who come to Paris for haute cuisine. La Coupole is considered an iconic landmark of the Montparnasse area. The institution was opened in the center of Paris in 1927 and hosted such prominent personalities as Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Jean-Paul Sartre. The menu offers several types of oysters costing from 15 to 27 € for 6 pairs.
Brasserie Vaudeville (29 rue Vivienne)
The restaurant, located in the heart of Paris, celebrated its centenary in 2018. During this time, a small coffee house has turned into a restaurant with its own brewery. Residents and guests of Paris especially love Vaudeville for its outdoor terrace overlooking the Brongniart Palace. A dozen oysters here cost 12-29 €.
In general, I did not want to engage in oyster educational program in this blog. Oyster lovers, it seems, have already figured out the clairs and creuses. And if people like to think that oysters squeak, have a jelly-like consistency, that they are inedible during the summer months because they accumulate toxins and radiation, that farm 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 friends strictly said: "It is necessary, Fedya, it is necessary." OK. I looked at the calendar - it's time to talk about the notorious rule of the letter "R".
The traditional oyster season in our northern hemisphere is from September to April. Remember, Remarque in "Life on loan": “Lillian reached the hotel. Now she lived in the mezzanine, she had to go up only one flight. At the entrance to the cafe stood an oyster seller.“Today I have marvelous shrimps,” he said. - The oysters are almost gone. They will appear only in September.
“Oysters are out of season now, but they have been replaced by peaches”
During the summer months, anyone who wants to taste bivalve is sure to hear from someone a reminder of the R-month rule. It says that in May, June, July and August - months in which the letter "r" is not in the name - you can not eat oysters.
Listen, it’s the 21st century in the yard, and someone is still guided by the rule that was relevant even in ancient Rome. In the first century BC, Cicero, in his treatise De Ostreis, reflected on the dangers of oysters during the hot months and the introduction of the R-taboo.
Well, since the rule has such deep historical roots, I will explain what the essence of the old prohibitions is and what happens to oysters in 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 imposing restrictions on the consumption of oysters in the summer months, remember:
1. Nature so cunningly arranged the oyster that this mollusk can live quietly for several days on the road or in the warehouse in the water that it managed to slam into its shell at the time of collection. The main thing is temperature. Optimal for oysters from +1○ to +4○. Of course, earlier in the hot months it was almost impossible to transport a load of shells in such a temperature regime. Oysters spoiled on the way and became a really dangerous product for health.
2. In the Northern Hemisphere, many mollusks begin their breeding season in summer. The heated water is a signal for the mollusk to start this important process. Oh, go warm! At this time, the oyster produces caviar, becomes "milky" and changes its taste. Oyster milk can be bitter, the clam meat becomes less elastic. And algae in the heat begin to bloom, changing the chemical composition of the water in which oysters live. This also changes the taste of the mollusk, not for the better.
3. The uncontrolled collection 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, were rapidly declining. In 1762, the Council of the City of New Haven, Connecticut, in an effort to prevent the complete and irreversible destruction of oyster colonies, banned the collection of oysters during their breeding season - from May 1 to September 1, and imposed a severe fine for violating the ban. In France, in 1771, a temporary ban on the sale of oysters from May to September in order to preserve the population was imposed by the royal Edict on the regulation of fishing.
Remember? Now look at . She also has three teeth. Each of these prongs is a reason to forget about those old taboos and eat oysters in peace in a restaurant away from the sea and at any time of the year:
1. Technological advances have advanced far enough to ensure that oysters are transported quickly, safely and at the right temperature.
2. Restaurants offer oysters grown on farms, where all processes in the life of mollusks are strictly monitored. Temperature and chemical composition of water are under the most serious control. Oyster milk is not poisonous, fresh "milk" oyster cannot be poisoned. And I even know people who like the taste of these summer oysters just as much. In addition, in the 1980s, a technology was invented for the production of all-season oysters, which are never "dairy". 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, the producers send them on vacation. And only “4 seasons” oysters are supplied to restaurants and shops.
3. The seasonality of molluscs in the southern and northern hemispheres is different. Most Australian and New Zealand oysters have a breeding season between November and March, and their peak season is just in the months without the "r". Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the control of oysters, restaurateurs and suppliers, Australians have been inaccessible to gourmets in Russia since 2014. But New Zealanders this summer will surely delight our shellfish lovers with their excellent taste.
The only rule to really remember 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, contain a colorless transparent juice, which connoisseurs call "oyster liqueur". And eat oysters in trusted places where professionals are responsible for the quality.
from Monday to Friday from 11:00 to 20:00. 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 you are not sold these tours in the office, write to the mail
kachestvo(doggy)cheaptrip.ru, we will sell with a 3% discount!
Weather forecast*:
Paris in November in the afternoon +10…+12°С/night +5…+7°С
*weather is indicated approximately at the time of the trip
Other dates and times are possible - please inquire!
Special project Ch
Oyster season + scallop joys of Saint-Jacques continue, because, as you know, in addition to the absorption of camembert, livors, pon-leveques, cider and calvados and (before after and instead), the population of the cool coast of France is actively engaged in oyster-eating and oyster-farming + does not shy away from mussels, shrimp and scallops Saint-Jacques.
photo from the festival website
After tasting the delicious Saint-Jacques in wine, calvados, under a cheese crust and simply grilled, we keep our nose in the wind and move along the coast, looking into 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, and Aquitaine, read the details of the route
Paris: Departure 10.11 for 3 nights
Tour program: 10.11 departure and arrival in Paris (regular flight with a connection of 45 minutes), from 10.11 to 13.11 accommodation in Paris, during the festival days self-transfer* to Port-en-Bessin-Huppain and back, 13.11 departure from Paris (evening flight), arrival to Moscow on the night of November 13-14 (regular flight with a connection of 45 minutes)
*How to get there:
upd 04.11, the price has risen, now from 350 euros, ask for the calculation of current options in the comments!
Douglas Hotel 3*, no meals, 274 euros
Saint Georges Lafayette 2*, no meals, 296 euros
Corona Rodier 3*, breakfast, 313 euros
Glasgow Monceau 3*, breakfast, 324 euros
Villa Royale Montsouris 3*, no meals, 328 euro
Brittany 3*, no meals, 341 euros
Mondial 3*, without food, 347 euros
Libertel Montmartre Duperre 3*, no meals, 398 euro
Best Western Premier Opera Faubourg 4*, no meals, 354 euros
Hotel Les Theaters (ex. Best Western Les Theaters) 4*, no meals, 381 euros
4*, without food, 455 euro
luxury & cheap
4*, no meals, double comfort room, 438 euros
4*, without power, absolute levitation number, 477 euros
Maison Albar Hotel Paris Opera Diamond (ex. Best Western Premier Opera Diamond) 5*, no meals, 518 euros
Victoria Palace 5*, breakfast, 523 euros
How, having bought an inexpensive tour or air ticket, to organize an interesting independent vacation in Paris, read, and
Port-en-Bessin-Huppin
: Departure 10.11 for 3 nightsTour program: 10.11 departure and arrival in Paris (regular flight with a connection of 45 minutes),private transfer* to Port-en-Bessin-Huppain,from 10.11 to 13.11 accommodation inPort-en-Bessin-Huppin, 13.11 private transfer* to Paris, 13.11 departure from Paris (evening flight), arrival in Moscow on the night of November 13-14. (regular flight with 45 minutes connection)
*How to get there: Port-en-Bessin-Huppain is located at a distance of 275 km from Paris, the most convenient way to get there is by car, about 3 hours on the A13 highway. The cost of renting a Fiat 500 class car from November 10 to November 13 is from 62 euros, you can learn more about prices and book a car. You can also get by train from Paris to Bayeux - 2 hours on the way, ticket price 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.
upd 04.11, the price has risen, now from 387 euros, ask for the calculation of current options in the comments!
King Hôtel, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, no meals, 353 euro
Ibis Bayeux Port En Bessin 3*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppin, no meals, 375 euro
Mercure Omaha Beach 3*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, no meals, 386 euro
luxury & cheap
Chateau La Cheneviere 5*, Port-en-Bessin-Huppain, no meals, 748 euros
Accommodation in apartments(the price is per person, the apartment must be paid in full)
Attention, apartments on request and under warranty!
What is accommodation "on request" and "under guarantee" look.
Apartment for 2-4 people, near the beach, on request
Area:
Premises: bedroom, living room with kitchen, 2 bathrooms
Number of people: 2-4
Price per person at 4-seater accommodation - 310 euros
Price per person at 2-seater m placement - 343 euros
Small duplex apartment of 44 m2 in Port-en-Bessin-Huppai, close to the beach and fishing port. In the apartments: 1st level - kitchen (dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator), living room with sofa bed, TV, bathroom, 2nd level - bedroom with double bed and two single beds, bathroom. Free parking, free wifi.
Apartment for 2-4 people, with sea view, on request
Area: Port-en-Bessin-Huppai, Basse-Normandine
Premises: 2 bedrooms, living room with kitchenette, bathroom
Number of people: 2-4
Price per person at 4-seater accommodation - 314 euros
Price per person at 2-seater m placement - 370 euro
Apartment 75 m2 , with sea views. The apartment has 2 bedrooms, a living room with an equipped kitchenette , washing machine, TV, free wifi. Within walking distance of the promenade and the beach.
House for 4-6 people, guaranteed
Area: Port-en-Bessin-Huppai, Normandine
Premises: 3 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, board games room, 2 bathrooms
Number of people: 4-6
Price per person at 6-seater accommodation - 371 euros
Price per person at 4-seater m placement - 446 euros
+ refundable deposit 200 euros
Communicating with friends and acquaintances who come to France, sooner or later you have to answer the 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 does not matter that they are also eaten with pleasure in other countries: in Belgium, in Spain, in Italy, in America or somewhere else...
In France - a real cult of oysters!
And if somewhere you have to try them for the first time, then it is best to do it here!
At one time, I first tried this delicacy immediately upon arrival in France, at Christmas, when all the French traditionally eat oysters and goose liver.
I was invited to a French house, where the table was laid "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 themselves into plastic cups and, stepping aside, alone or talking with someone, ate and drank, some standing, some sitting on the edge of a chair or canape, and some sitting right on semi...
I stood next to a Frenchman who asked me with interest whether it was true that Russians drink vodka endlessly and at the same time they always break empty glasses, throwing them over their shoulders ...
I tried to convince him that this was by no means the rule, but it seemed to no avail - he did not believe me.
And suddenly, as if forgetting about me, he rushed with all his might to the table, and the last thing I heard from him was:
- There are oysters, quickly, soon there will be nothing left!
I followed him. The French settled down in a circle around the table and intently, jealously watching each other, they ate oysters.
I was invited by signs to join. I decided to take a chance.
Five years after that I never touched the oysters again and avoided even looking in their direction.
Five years of my life have thus been wasted!
All just 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 love loved oysters.
I invited her to a restaurant and ordered for her these, in my opinion, terrible clams.
She immediately explained to me that they are not terrible, but beautiful!
Then she explained how to eat them, showed herself, and for her sake, closing my eyes, I mentally said goodbye to life and 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 amount of converts by me, which I am very proud of!
The fact is that I have deduced several rules for the first meeting with oysters!
And here they are:
Firstly, a meeting with oysters must be arranged beautifully: Paris, Nice, Arcachon or Deauville, a good restaurant, a clean white tablecloth, 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 ice bucket, special greyish bread and salty butter, attentive, correct and unobtrusive waiters...
It is good if a knowledgeable person sits with you. Even better if loved! Ideal: both the one and the other - in one person. In short, there must be someone for whom you are ready for a feat! ..
Just as one cannot drink expensive wine from aluminum mugs, one cannot taste oysters for the first time on the go, anyhow, in a casual setting, with random people.
Oysters, like champagne, are always a holiday!
And do not worry if suddenly for the first time they are “not very good” for you. Rest assured: the process has started!
And don't be surprised when, some six months later, in wintery Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kharkov or Nizhny Novgorod, remembering Paris and France, you suddenly crave oysters.
This means that you no longer need to explain what a typical French dish is!
But the question of how, after all, specifically, they eat oysters, always confuses me, because this should not be told - it must be shown!
Oysters are a whole ceremony, like tea drinking in China or plov 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.
Best of all, for my (!) taste, take a dozen "fines de claires". They are not as salty and greasy as speciales claires, and much more beautiful, I would even say more romantic than belons: both in shape and in slightly turquoise color.
Oysters are sized by number. The smaller the number, the larger the oyster. The most running #2 and #3. My favorite, like the female breast, the third!
While your order is being processed - oysters are opened with a special knife and beautifully laid out on a large dish with ice - get ready too.
Spread brackish butter on a couple of slices of special, mostly gray bread, pour cold white wine into glasses. Chablis or Riesling. Even better champagne!
Then, when the oyster dish is on the table, take your time!
Admire it, look how beautiful it is!
Turquoise or mother-of-pearl oysters on sparkling white ice framed by sunny yellow lemons!
Having sent a small piece of bread and butter into your mouth (just before, not after! ..), take the oyster with your left hand so that it looks at you with its wide end, sprinkle it with lemon juice! Doesn't this remind you of anything?
And it is no coincidence: oysters are considered one of the most effective aphrodisiacs!
You will see how the oyster will shrink a little along the edges, as if from pleasure: this is a sign that it is ready to eat, to copulate with you!
Now take a knife and carefully cut the leg of the oyster at the very base on the side closest to you. And with the same knife, lightly separate the oyster from the shell in the direction from the edges to the center. Now she has nothing to stop her from surrendering 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 send the oyster extracted from the shell into your mouth and enjoy!
Do not forget to drink it first with juice from the sink, and then with white cold wine or dry champagne.
Now finally open your eyes and look around: You can't help but notice that the world has somehow subtly changed! Became better, cleaner, more fun and festive!
Bon appetit, bien sure!
Reviews
Great story!
Now, if you had told me this 10 years ago...)))))))) Hmm... The oysters and I suspiciously didn't like each other at first sight... Maybe I wouldn't have tasted them , otherwise, I would have admired it from afar, but ... Ukrainian - "if you don't want it, then I'll bite it", 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 their wings grew in a couple of hours in my body.
Thank you! It was written a long time ago, but I still decided to publish it in prose.ru, because, preparing for the next excursion, I found a lot of “amateur”, that is, incorrect recommendations and reviews on the Internet ... I’m even afraid to say, from Pokhlebkin !... only chshsh, this is between us...)))
About your first date with them. Looks like mine! Wait! So your time has not yet come. Most importantly, don't lose hope. Here, as in love! ..)))
