 The
fishing port of Sète
The
town of Sète, to the south of Montpellier, has long supplied
the tasty seafood, les fruits de mer, so commonly seen in the
restaurants of the region. The fishing port is the biggest in
the Mediterranean and the boats catch a wide variety of fish.
Whilst local fishermen complain that there are fewer and fewer
fish, the shellfish, les coquillages, are plentiful. Oysters
and mussels are farmed in the calm waters of the nearby lagoon,
the Bassin de Thau. The French eat 130,000 tonnes of oysters
a year and many of them are cultivated around Sète. Acre
upon acre of these oyster farms cover the Bassin de Thau. They
can be a good source of income but the whole process takes as
long as 16 months.
The tiny oysters are first brought from the Atlantic, then attached
to lines on the banks of oyster beds before being left to mature.
The many small seafood restaurants in the town will give you
the ideal excuse to sample the catch of the day. The town is
not only famous for its quality fish and seafood, though: Georges
Brassens, one of France's most popular musicians, was born in
Sète.
Links
In both French and English, this contains supplementary information
on the town of Sète.
An account in English of the town's history, places of interest
and produce.
These links do not constitute
an endorsement by the 麻豆社 of the companies, their services or
products. The 麻豆社 is not responsible for the content of external
sites. |
