Cancale: Oysters and Racing Tides

This sculpture of women hauling baskets of oysters sits in the center of Cancale, a town on the rugged coast of Brittany, where oysters are everything.

Here, the bivalves are simply called Cancale Oysters - that's their name; there are no varietals.  They come in two shapes: flat and humpbacked; and they come from one place: the oyster beds built in the Bay of Mont Saint Michel

When the tide goes out, the oystermen drive their trucks between the beds to harvest the bivalves, the way vignerons go through their rows of grapevines.  And, when the tide comes in, so do the workers - the Bay's tides are among the fastest in the world and no one who knows the sea would be foolish enough not to respect them. 

As the tide turns, the trucks, piled high with sacks of oysters, bump and rumble their way along the main street.  By the time the water is almost in, only a truck or two remains on the "farm" and, for sure, it stays close to the seawall.

I guess it goes without saying that the oysters we ate just a few yards from the beds were among the freshest imaginable.  But they were also some of the best I've ever had.  Their flavor was clean and pure, their texture full and smooth and they could have defined brininess. 

If all Cancale had was oysters, it would deserve its status as a Site of Remarkable Taste

But Cancale is home to Olivier Roellinger as well, about whom I have much to tell - I just don't have time now.   

Comments

[Dorie]

Rona, I'm so glad you looked at the Roellinger website -- I think it is one of the most beautiful around.

[Rona]

We are so lucky to be on this incredible adventure with you! I am intrigued by this process of oyster harvesting. How much time do the oystermen actually have to harvest these gems and is there a difference in taste between the flat and humpbacked oysters? Oh, how I wish I could be there to observe and of course taste the oysters. I hope this is research and will be included in your new book. Thank you for the link to Olivier and Jane Roellinger's website. I am speechless, although, I will say it looks beautiful there and delicious as well. I can't wait to hear more from you about your experiences there.