Parcs A Huitres Cancale Smbmsm 2241
Travail Dans Les ParcsParcs A Huitres Cancale Smbmsm 2241We tested it for you ...Visit the oyster bedsin Cancale
Le Groupe Dans Les ParcsIn the heart of the oyster bedsAn afternoon in the heart of the Cancale foreshore
Parcs A Huitres Cancale Smbmsm 2241Travail Dans Les ParcsThe meeting point is set at the foot of the Marché aux Huîtres on the Port de Cancale.
We’re waiting for our guide Inga, equipped with our boots, for this visit to the heart of the oyster beds.
The group is already there: couples who love iodised gastronomy, families with children eager to wade through the mud and even a charming trio of travellers straight from Hong Kong.
We’re the only Cancalais in the bunch!”
The visit begins under a sunny sky with autumnal colours at this time of year in late October.
A preserved ecosystem
Explications Historiques Et TechniquesInga brings out a large marine map of the bay. A few explanations about the geography of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel are in order: the location of the oyster beds and bouchots; a few explanations about the tides; the richness and diversity of the marine flora and fauna …
This whole ecosystem plays a crucial role in oyster farming in the Bay of Cancale.
We quietly descend into the beds. Inga begins by recounting the fabulous history of the oyster, and we learn that the famous “Creuses Cancalaises” are in fact “Japanese”!
In fact, the oyster spat is bought from the Japanese country to be placed “in a nursery” in the bay, where they will grow for 3 years to the rhythm of the tides.
As for the “Plate”, for which Cancale is famous, they originate from Morbihan, from the Ria d’Etel to be precise.
Photographer
Parcs A Huitres Cancale Loic Lagarde 670 1200pxHollow oysters are bred in bags placed on tables, while flat oysters are sown in concessions that never uncover, even at the height of the spring tides. They are meticulously dredged to recover and market them.
This explains the selling price: nearly €6 a piece, whereas hollow oysters are sold for around €6 a dozen!
Sometimes, oyster farmers bring back an oyster 10 to 15 years old at the end of their dredge: the “Pied d’Cheval”, so called because of its particular shape. Opening this unusual oyster is quite a feat: you need to arm yourself with a knife and some courage to be able to taste it, but it’s well worth the effort!
It’s reassuring to know that hollow oysters are easier to eat. However, if you don’t want to take any chances, the Oyster Market, right next to the parks, welcomes you every day, and opens a few oysters live, facing the sea…
As we stroll along, we pass oyster farmers at work on their concessions. The oyster reveals all its secrets, from shucking to soaking tanks.
At the end of the tour, a stopover is a must! it’s inconceivable to leave without having tasted a few fine, iodised “precious” ones. The pearls of Cancale keep all their promises!
In passing, a little focus on the work in the workshops where Inga, our guide, worked for a year.
