FRENCH JOURNEY - PROGRAMME 1

SÈTE - OYSTERS

Take the road south of Montpellier towards the sea and the landscape flattens out to long  beaches and tourist developments.  One town that stands out is Sète, a fishing port with an ancient maritime tradition. People come from all around just for its fabulous fish.

Wendy:  How was it today?

Fisherman 1:   It was a small catch today.  Because of the weather, there were heavy currents.

Fisherman 2:  Not much today. It wasn't a good day

Fisherman 3:  It was bad. 

Wendy:  Why?

Fisherman 3:  Not many fish.

Even if there's no longer much money to be made in fish, shellfish are a very different story.

On the other side of Sète, in the sheltered waters of this lagoon lies a hidden treasure trove - acre upon acre of oysters and mussels.  

Wendy joined Jean-Claude Archimbeau - one of France’s top oyster producers - on a guided tour of his oyster beds. The French eat a massive 130,000 tons a year - and a good proportion come from these very beds in the Bassin de Thau.

Tiny oysters are brought from the Atlantic and cemented onto lines, where they take up to 16 months to mature.

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:    Be careful, it cuts like glass.  They grow very quickly.  Because it's rained, there's plankton here.  These oysters grow very quickly.

Well, he did warn Wendy!

Oyster and mussel farming has been going on in this part of the Mediterranean for over a century. Jean-Claude picked up the skills from his father and it’s still very much a family business.  His factory processes some 180 tons of oysters and 450 tons of mussels a year.

Jean-Claude Archimbeau owes his success to sheer dedication.  Everyone knows how important freshness and hygiene are when it comes to shellfish. And Jean-Claude leaves nothing to chance.

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:   Toujours dans les huîtres, hein?

Most of the factory’s produce goes to other parts of the country - but he does keep some for his restaurant next door. Here you know that every oyster has come directly from the sea to your plate.

Wendy:  Here we go.

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:  Bon appetit

Wendy:  Thank you.  It's the first time for me.

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:   Take a little lemon

Wendy:  Lemon,  OK.  Like that?

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:  Take some bread.  Lift the oyster with a knife to cut the tendon and then take it with your fork.  

Wendy:  Wait, wait.  Like that?

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:   You cut the tendon.  Because the tendon is the best bit.  Then the fork.  Then try it with lemon.

Wendy:  Tell me - is it alive?

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:   Yes.  Take a piece of bread.  Try it.  It's very good.

Wendy:  It's different.  Well, as it's my first time.  Good health!

Jean-Claude Archimbeau:  And friendship.

Copyright BBC 2000.