Du Golfe du Lion à l'étang de Thau Tribulations d'une huître indigène (1° partie)

Among the Greeks and Romans, "the extraordinary gastronomic reputation" of oysters was brought to light by many authors (1). It was also the case among the Gallo-Roman people among whom the consumption of molluscs was widespread since it extended to regions quite far from the areas of production. The problem of transporting while keeping them properly preserved seems to have been resolved by original processes, the complete ingenuity of which we have yet to discover. If some authors, such as Professor Locard, speculate that the oysters were transported in containers of seawater kept at a low temperature by means of ice, others, such as Mr Clouet, lean towards the use of relay station holding tanks built into the ground. One way or another, it is certain that Brittany's oysters reached Rome to be consumed there (2).