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PDO — TSG — Brittany
On wooden poles driven into the sea, the moule de bouchot becomes the fruit of an alliance between man and ocean: reared without artifice, it carries within it the salt and purity of the Atlantic.
Seafood from Brittany, PDO (AOP) since 2011.
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Contrary to popular belief, mussel farming on bouchots did not originate in the baie du Mont-Saint-Michel: the technique — longstanding along the French Atlantic coast — was introduced there only in the late 1950s, by a group of mussel farmers from the baie de l'Aiguillon, on the borders of Vendée and Charente-Maritime. The establishment of mussel-farming workshops at the port of Le Vivier-sur-Mer, whose historic commercial activity had ceased in 1952, enabled the creation of an initial mussel-farming hub as early as the 1960s.
The baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, with one of the greatest tidal ranges in Europe — an exceptional range reaching up to 16 metres —, offered ideal conditions for this practice. Alternately submerged and exposed by the tide, the mussels develop dense, flavourful meat, enriched by abundant plankton.
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The appellation's rearing area extends over the part of the baie du Mont-Saint-Michel foreshore situated south of the line between the Carolles church tower and the pointe de la Chaîne, and west of the departmental boundary between Ille-et-Vilaine and Manche. This area offers the mussels an abundant and varied food supply, thanks to the distinctive character of the bay: a vast intertidal foreshore, sediments favourable to the development of microscopic benthic algae, and the interaction between the powerful tidal current and the flow of rivers emptying into the bay.
The harvested mussels are packaged in the coastal communes bordering the rearing area: Cancale, Cherrueix, Dol-de-Bretagne, Hirel, Le Vivier-sur-Mer, Mont-Dol, Saint-Benoît-des-Ondes and Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, all located in Ille-et-Vilaine.
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The moule de bouchot de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel gained European PDO protection in late May 2011, succeeding the French AOC. The bay was a pioneer among French shellfish-farming basins: the first area to freeze new concession allocations, the first to limit the number of poles per line, and the first to establish a maximum seeding rate. Each year, the bay's mussel farmers harvest around 10,000 tonnes of mussels, generating a turnover of over 20 million euros — representing nearly 25% of French sales of moules de bouchot and 13% of French mussel consumption —, produced by some sixty enterprises, mostly clustered around the port of Le Vivier-sur-Mer.
Appearance
Smooth, dark-coloured shell of regular shape, with an average length equal to or greater than 4 cm. Little encrusted with sand, with an orange-coloured hinge on the inside.
Aroma
Delicate sea scent, iodised without harshness, with slightly sweet notes.
Taste
Predominantly sweet flavour, with a balanced iodised note.
Texture
Yellow to orange-coloured meat, entirely free from crabs or grains of sand, with a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
The moule de bouchot de la baie du Mont-Saint-Michel belongs to a single species, Mytilus edulis. The PDO specifications lay down strict quality criteria prior to any marketing: an average length equal to or greater than 4 cm, a meat content greater than or equal to 120 according to the Lawrence and Scott index, and a carbohydrate content exceeding 4% of the cooked meat. These thresholds, verified by the INAO on representative samples before the opening of each harvesting season, guarantee a plump mussel throughout the campaign.
The ropes of spat are wound around and attached to the poles by 31 October at the latest, producing the young mussels.
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Moules de bouchot are traditionally prepared à la marinière — steamed in dry white wine (cider or Norman Muscadet), salted butter, finely chopped shallots and fresh parsley. In Normandy, adding a dash of farmhouse cider is customary. Accompanied by golden chips, buttered toast, and a tangy green salad. Pairings: crisp white wine (Muscadet, Sancerre), Breton or Norman cider, light blonde beer, brut champagne. Cooked mussels are best savoured immediately after cooking, still steaming hot.
Since: 2011
Area covered: Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, foreshore of Ille-et-Vilaine (35)
Key requirements: Rearing exclusively on poles (bouchots) within the demarcated area; poles with a maximum height of 5.5 m; 11 to 24 months of rearing on bouchots; length ≥ 4 cm, meat content ≥ 120 (Lawrence and Scott index), carbohydrates > 4% of cooked meat; max. yield 60 kg/pole/year; full traceability
Since: 2013
Area covered: Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel, foreshore of Ille-et-Vilaine (35)
Key requirements: Rearing on vertical wooden poles or natural fibres, without chemical treatment — traditional method recognised at European level, not restricted to a geographical area
Defence and management organisation
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