The World is My Oyster

“The world is your oyster” has been one of my favourite mantras for my entire life. Funny though, I hated the idea of eating them and now I cannot eat them enough. I love oysters and mussels.  One only need read any of my French restaurant reviews to see how many times I order oysters. To me, they are the perfect start and indicator of a delicious French meal. Of course, here in France, they are eaten all year long, especially at Holiday meals, like Christmas and Easter. They are always on the menu at any high-end brasserie as well. Paired with champagne they are a gastronomical delight and a foodie must.  Mussels in France can be found everywhere, especially close to the sea. From Brittany restaurants serving fresh mussels of the day to canapés and hors d’oeuvres in the chicest restaurants, they are everywhere. I’ve even got my own special favourite place to eat them near my home on a dock overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, but more on that later. 

But let’s first talk about the history and how shellfish are farmed in France. The first recorded organized mussel farming in Europe was mussel production, back in 1235, here along the Mediterranean. Since then, mussel farming developed throughout the area and then the entire European coastal area. Starting with the Atlantic coast with the blue mussel, followed by the Spanish Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean with the Mediterranean mussel, which is farmed as far as the Black Sea. To read more ...