How to eat oysters
Oysters are almost never rinsed which is to help preserve the flavour. In shops, at markets and in restaurants they are kept and served on ice to keep them fresh. To eat them, simply take an especially small fork, gently pry the oyster, squeeze lemon or mignonette sauce, made of chopped shallots and red wine vinegar in the shell, or go au naturel and slurp it back in one gulp.
French for oyster is huître - pronounced wee-tra (without the h).
Oyster bars are known as huiteries and you’ll find them in all major towns.
You generally order a “demi-douzaine”- a half dozen or a “douzaine”- a dozen.
Normandy
Known for its highly iodised and fleshy oysters. Fans may have their favourites such as the special oysters of Isigny, tasty and pulpy, and those of Saint-Vaast, which are known for their nutty flavour. Utah Beach is said to produce sweet oysters.
Brittany
Cancale, Saint-Brieuc, Morlaix and the Bay of Brest are all well-known for cupped and flat oysters; the majority of the small amount farmed are from Brittany. The Cancale oyster is farmed in the shadow of the Mont Saint-Michel and has a firm and salty flesh.
The Paimpol deep-sea oyster, raised in farms far out in the bay, is deliciously juicy and plump.
Another Brittany celebrity is "the Belon", whose appellation designates three Brittany estuaries on the south coast of Finistere where the coastal seawater mixes with fresh water from rivers and springs.
The oysters farmed around Quiberon and in the Gulf of Morbihan in southern Brittany grow in richly fed tidal streams and have a distinctive and energising flavour.
See our Postcard from Brittany feature for more on this lovely region...
Central West Coast
Ile de Re, Noirmoutier. Oysters farmed off the Vendée coast are highly reputed.
Oyster regions of France