From the oyster capital of Brittany
Les creuses de Cancale
For centuries oyster lovers, including French royalty and intellectuals--François I, Louis XIV, Marie-Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, Voltaire, Rousseau, to name a few-- have had a preference for oysters from Cancale, a small but bustling fishing port on the western end of the Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel.
"Life is good" is what the septuagenarian from Massachusetts sitting at the next table said as we sat outdoors bay-side in the delectable Indian summer sun savoring these creuses de Cancale. And, less is indeed more; a dozen fresh oysters on the half shell, bread, butter, and a free glass of white wine make a memorable one-course meal.
Expression
moins est plus: less is more
Vocabulary
une huitre: an oyster
l'ostréiculture: oyster farming
une demi-coquille: a half shell
Photo courtesy of Thomas W. Byrd
©2014 P.B. Lecron
