It has been almost a year since oysters became “Internet celebrities” in China. Remember how it caught fire on social media? It was because of a “God’s text” at this time last year-“Oysters are on the coast, but the Danes are not happy at all.” This article was posted on the official Weibo of the Danish Embassy in China. As a result, it quickly aroused the excitement of China’s “food group”, saying that they “found a new continent”. Many people applied for visas and flew to Denmark Had a “Oyster Journey”.
Worrying about too many oysters not only made the Chinese feel incredible, but even the French were confused: Isn’t this a good thing? What else can I do? Eat!
You know, oysters were eaten by the French as rare animals in the 18th century.
In the West, oysters (also known as oysters) are known as “milk in the sea” and are highly sought after for their rich nutrition. The coast of France has been producing good flat oysters since ancient times. Because the shell edge of this oyster resembles a human eyelid, it was called “beautiful eyelid” by the ancient Romans.
In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the French ate all natural oysters. By the 17th century, they started using oyster farming in salt marshes along the Atlantic coast. At the beginning of the 18th century, due to a shortage of oysters, the French government stipulated that the end of April to the end of October was a blackout period. In 1766, the town of Cancal, the oyster-producing area most favored by the French court, caused an oyster shortage, which could not provide enough products for the banquet of the Palace of Versailles. The royal family immediately introduced an oyster law, which stipulated that the fishermen of Kangal could only catch in the specified area, resulting in the local oysters becoming more scarce.
In this way, the royal family of France’s number one “food group” can no longer sit still. With the support of Napoleon III, a biologist named Victor Coster set up a farm on the French coast to cultivate oysters, which made France the first European oyster breeder on a large scale. In the 20th century, its oyster breeding technology was almost unparalleled in the world, and even a cumbersome breeding method created a unique shell shape for people to eat.
Whether it’s raw oysters or health oysters, France is the undisputed global leader. It is the largest producer of oysters in Europe, producing more than 90% of Europe’s total production. There are seven oyster producing regions from north to south in France, and the quality is very good.
Although oysters are produced in batches, the French never treat them in batches. They value the taste of each oyster when cooking and tasting. For food lovers in particular, the moment the oysters slide in the entrance, they seem to be able to see the beautiful coastline in the distance, as if they can feel the cool Atlantic sea breeze. They will mobilize all the taste buds in the mouth and taste the nuances of each oyster.
Many Chinese are curious: Why do oysters have to be eaten raw in the West? In fact, this tradition has a long history. Top European foodies have always advocated the way of eating raw, thinking that taste and nutrition are better. In France, few people get sick from eating oysters, which is related to strict food hygiene management. After the oysters are salvaged, they must be cleaned in a seawater culture pond for about a week to allow them to spit up the mud, and then remove the dirty attachments on the surface before the grade certification can be performed. According to size, oysters are divided into 6 levels, from 0 to 5, the smaller the number, the larger the size. In order to improve the taste of oysters, the French also added an “intensive culture” link when cultivating oysters that reached the market size and put them in old salt field ponds in the shallow sea for several weeks or months. This kind of pond is rich in plankton that oysters like, and the salinity is lighter than that of the open sea, and the sweetness of oysters will be more obvious. In addition, the density of the breeding space here is very low. It is like living in a “resort” from a “cage house”. The taste, color and texture of oysters will be further optimized.
In such a country of oysters, it is not surprising that any “food deeds” related to oysters are circulated: Napoleon is said to eat 100 oysters a day, and Henry IV once ate more than 300 in one meal; General De Gaulle tried to eat oysters , Often left the chef of the presidential palace to eat at a nearby seafood restaurant; President Mitterrand temporarily called a parking team while inspecting Brittany, the main oyster production area, and ate oysters in a small fishing village. The speech was forced to be postponed for two hours; the whole country did not have the habit of eating supper, but had a 24-hour oyster vending machine; it was common for tons of oysters in farms to be stolen and stolen, so that police had to patrol on motorcycles … All these anecdotes about oysters are “normal” in France.
