Description
The Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI are oysters of the Crassostrea gigas species.
Production Area
The production of the Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI is in the area of Bassin de Marennes Oléron, in the province Charente-Maritime of the region Poitou-Charentes.
Production Method
The oysters are raised in oyster beds, called claires, dug in clayey watertight shallow soils, naturally communicating with the sea. The claires have a rich in minerals and nutrients environment which favor the formation of phytoplankton, the only feed of the oysters. Depending on the degree of transformation after it has been placed on the claire, which is measured using the filling power index (the percentage of flesh without the shell with respect to the total weight before opening), the oyster of Marennes Oléron is distinguished in: oyster fine de claire (index from 7 to 10,5), oyster spéciale de claire (index above or equal to 10,5) and oyster spéciale pousse en Claire (index above or equal to 12). Within 24 hours of the fishing, the oyster bed worker has to monitor the sanitary conditions of the oysters. Quality is also guaranteed by means of a final check before packaging, carried out by qualified or managerial staff, in order to eliminate empty, soiled or badly formed oysters. The Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI are marketed only alive and not processed.
Appearance and Flavour
The appearance and flavour of the Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI changes according to the type: the fine de claire oyster is rich in water content, and balanced with a fine flesh flavour; the oyster spéciale de claire is round, voluminous in the mouth, and has a noticeably softer sweet taste; the oyster spéciale pousse en claire is fleshy, firm and crispy, ivory in colour, and has a pronounced, long-lasting taste in the mouth. The walls of the claires can naturally become covered by diatom algae (navicule bleue), which produce a blue pigment. The blue pigment of the algae together with the colour of the gills, make the latter become green.
History
The history of the Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI goes back to the Roman Period. Writings of scholars of that time like Juvenal, Horace and Petronius testify that important Roman families received from the Santonum Sea, currently the basin of Marennes Oléron big quantities of oysters. Moreover, in 1868, a Portuguese ship was forced to unload its oysters in the Gironde estuary. From this moment on, the Crassotrea angolata, known as Portuguese oyster was introduced. Just in 1971 the scientists proposed to introduce a new variety, the Crassotrea gigas, which since then is grown in the estuary and in the claires of the Marennes Oléron Basin.
Gastronomy
The Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI should be kept in cold environments, with an external temperature of no lower than -2°C. The ideal places are: a fresh and well-aired cellar, a window or balcony not exposed to the sun. If the oysters are bought closed, they should be conserved at a temperature between 2°C and 8°C, to guarantee that they last 8-10 days. It is advisable to keep them in a moist cloth, with the cupped valve on the bottom and to open them shortly before consumption. The Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI are generally eaten raw, after opening and putting them on an ice and salt bed, seasoned with a few drops of lemon.
Marketing
The product is sold as Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI. It is packaged flat, with the cupped valve on the bottom in wood baskets called bourriches, secured tightly and filled in such a way to prevent the oysters from moving. On no account the product can be transported loose or presented for sale out of its original packaging.
Distinctive Features
The Huîtres Marennes Oléron PGI are matured or bred on claires. This special environment gives them a more refined taste (less bitter and iodized) than that of open sea oysters, better resistance and natural purification.
