French oyster farming basins
France is renowned for its oysters and oyster farming basins. Let's take a brief look at oyster farming in France.
Normandy
Normandy oysters, quite plump and very iodized, are generally highly appreciated by enthusiasts. Among the most famous are the "Special Isigny" oysters, tasty and pulpy, as well as the Saint-Vaast oysters, esteemed for their hazelnut flavor.
Oysters raised on the West coast of Cotentin are called "open sea oysters" as they benefit from a pure sea offering finesse and an iodized taste.
North and South Brittany
The Brittany coasts are renowned for breeding hollow or flat oysters. Flat oysters are mainly raised in Brittany.
The Cancale oyster has both firm and supple flesh with a pronounced iodine scent. Raised in parks opposite Mont-Saint-Michel, it benefits from some of the world's strongest tides.
The Belon, a renowned flat oyster, is known for its particularly delicate flavor and refers to the three Breton estuaries in which it is matured.
Loire-Atlantique, Vendée
Without the successive determination of several generations that strived to master very delicate conditions, the oyster history in the Bourgneuf Bay wouldn’t have been possible.
The Vendée-Atlantic oyster is produced in the Bourgneuf Bay, at Bouin, on the island of Noirmoutier, in the Aiguillon Bay, and at Pornic.
Revealing a balanced taste and benefiting from firm and crunchy flesh, the Vendée-Atlantic oyster is appreciated by enthusiasts.
Charente-Maritime
Maturing is the hallmark of the Charente-Maritime basin. This maturation gives the Marennes-Oléron oysters (main appellation of oysters in this basin) a flavor of "marine lands," and a rich taste that lingers in the mouth.
The "Fines de Claires" are distinguished by the green color of their flesh. The "Pousses en Claires" are noticeable for their crunchy firmness and pronounced terroir taste. The island oysters (Ile de Ré and Ile d'Oléron) offer an oceanic freshness.
Arcachon (Aquitaine)
The Arcachon Basin is the leading breeding basin in France, providing most of the French oyster farming basins with natural spat.
Arcachon oysters have a strong personality. At Cap-Ferret, you'll savor oysters with delicate and refreshing scents of vegetables and citrus. While on the Bird Island, you'll taste products rich in history with vegetal and mineral aromas. The taste of Arcachon oysters is owed to the quality of their diet.
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean oyster is firm and melting. It benefits from a slight hazelnut flavor and has fine and delicate flesh. In the open sea, Gruissan oysters have the good taste of the sea.
Benefiting from more space to grow, these oysters have more food. As a result, they have a higher flesh ratio than other oysters.
The collaging technique is widely used in the Thau Basin. Since there are no tidal systems in the Mediterranean, this technique involves individually gluing small oysters to ropes with cement, allowing them to grow immersed. Oysters are exposed from one to several times a week to harden the shell.
