Oyster lovers, are you here? I want to tell you about an incredible place in the North of France - small town Cancale. It’s a real paradise for oyster lovers like me.
Every year with my husband and children we’re going to our summer family road trip around Europe. We began it in 2012 when the children were very small - 4 and 6 years old. And it became our tradition. Last three years we don’t plan our trip. Of course, we decide what will be the direction of our travel. This year’s direction was North of France. I decided - whatever happens - I’ll visit Cancale - small town in French region Brittany (Bretagne - in French language) - between Mont Saint-Michel and Saint-Malo.
Cancale is known as Brittany’s oysters capital (someone call it “French oysters capital”).
A little bit Cancale’s oysters history
The oysters in Brittany were popular 2000 years ago when the Romans invaded France. But French people began to cultivate oysters for selling only in the 1920s.
Long time it was only one type of shells - the flat oyster (“huître plate” in French or “Ostrea edulis”). But they were infected with a parasite in the 1970s. It was a real catastrophe. A very small amount has survived.
The most popular type of oysters in Cancale is the hollow oyster (“huître creuse” in French or “Ostrea creuse”). They were imported from Japan and other regions of France. And now it’s the most popular type of oysters. They are grown on many farms in Cancale.
Where to eat oysters in Cancale?
Everywhere! You can go to the restaurants. There are many good oysteries. But the best way to try fresh the mollusks is on the Cancale Oysters Market (Marché aux Huîtres in French).
The Cancale Oysters Market is small. But you can try different shells there - the flat oysters and the hollow oysters. Do you know that oysters can be different sizes? The biggest is 00. The smallest is 5. French people prefer number 3, our family - 2.
What should you do on the Cancale Oysters Market? First of all, select the vendor. He or she prepares for you a fresh plate of oysters. They are served with a special small fork. Dozen costs around 5-7 EUR - it depends on the size of shells. And you should pay 50 cents for oysters’s opening and 50 cents for lemon.
Interesting fact: dozen hollow oysters cost 5-7 EUR, but one flat oyster - around 1-2 EUR. I’m sure - you should try both!
They have a tradition in Cancale. You eat your oysters on the steps to the beach. What can be better - amazing view and delicious mollusks.
One more: you don’t need to take out the trash - you can throw out the oysters’s waste on the beach. But you can do it only near the Cancale Oysters Market!
You can find a wine truck near market and buy one (or two) glass.
As real oyster lovers we ate oysters in Cancale and bought for takeaway. It’s the cheapest oysters in my life. We paid only 5,80 EUR for dozen shells №2. As real oyster lovers we can open them. We have two special knives. My husband opens oysters very quickly.
And we made “very small” present for us - 50 shells instead magnets from Brittany. Don’t worry about oysters freshness - we ate them in Italy where we went in one day after France.
Some facts about oysters
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The oysters are ready for commercialization only after 2 to 3 years of growing. Young shells - 6 months of age - replace in special ponds. And oysters grow there. You buy only adult mollusks.
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Do you hear about “R” rule? Right when you eat oysters in months with letter R in their names. May, June, July and August are not so good for tasting mollusks. Mmmm, I don’t know who came up with this :-))))) In Cancale you can eat oysters every time!
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“Healthy” fact. Oysters contain zinc, calcium, magnesium, protein, selenium, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B12, iron etc. If you eat 6 oysters per day you’ll receive the daily norm of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, manganese.
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Oysters are natural filter. Mollusks can filters 190 litres per day.
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And last fact about the Guinness World Record. Norwegian Rune Naeri in 2013 ate 187 oysters during 3 minutes and he became the most oysters eaten :-)))))
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