La 24ème Foire aux Huîtres

This Sunday we had time out to visit the nearby village of Bouzigues. The village is one of many dotted along the Étang de Thau or Bassin de Thau, a huge inland lake (the second largest in France) that opens onto the Mediterranean. It is famous for its shellfish - 18 different varieties! As an example, over 3,000 tonnes of mussels are farmed here each year.

However, the most important shellfish from the étang are oysters. Up to 800 local producers farm the 3,000 oyster tables that are strung out in the étang.

Oysters are suspended from the 3,000 tables in the étang whilst they grow

These produce just over 13,000 tonnes of oysters each year - almost 10% of France's consumption. The oysters are marketed under the name "Huîtres de Bouzigues", a mark of quality.
Every year, in August, the village organise a "Foire aux Huîtres", an Oyster Festival to celebrate the queen of shell fish. Thousands of visitors descend on the village to participate in this important event. This was the 24th annual Foire aux Huîtres, and it was a wonderful experience - obviously made all the better for people who love the taste of oysters - as I do.

There are many, many stalls along the quayside with local producers selling their oysters for people to either eat there and then, or to take home. These are really fresh! The waters of the Étang de Thau are graded 'A', which means oysters pulled from the tables can be eaten immediately.

As we knew they would be, all the restaurants along the quayside were full to overflowing. A clear blue sky and sunshine had brought many more visitors this year - last year there was over 20,000 visitors.

The famous Pink Flamingos fishing in the étang

Most of the restaurants are owned and run by the family of a producer. In fact many of the buildings started life as the boat house for the producers generations ago. Now they are delightful and unique restaurants specialising only in fish courses, including locally caught Dorada, in English I think this is Bream.

And of course, each of the restaurants offer a choice of the very best oysters. A normal dish is 12 oysters, a slice of lemon, bread (of course) with, unusually for a French restaurant, a square of butter, together with a bottle of appropriate wine - locally produced Picpoul de Pinet, the perfect wine for most fish dishes.

There are many events taking place over this festival weekend, starting with the official opening on Saturday by the mayor, and followed this year by a parade featuring Nana Brazil, a Brazilian troupe of dancers and singers. There was a further parade on Sunday, again with Nana Brazil, plus a group of dancers from Tahiti, as well as other events during the day.

Unfortunately we didn't stay for the firework display as we had an early start at work the next day - Monday is a normal working day, but we enjoyed our day out in the Mediterranean sunshine. And don't forget this festival when youn arrange your holiday next year - normally it's the first weekend in August.