Oyster "Pied de cheval" (horse's foot)
The “Pied-de-cheval” (horse’s foot) is a wild and ancient variety of flat oyster. Each oyster weights in average 300gr and is 3-4 years old, but it can achieve up to 3 kilos and live up to 20 years. With a much stronger- iodized - taste than common oysters, it is served as a delicacy for connoisseurs either raw or cooked in low temperature (60 °C) with light sauces.
This variety is harvested by dredging. In France, the dredging is controlled and happens only three weeks per year, every November. The name comes from its shape and the way it leaves a horse-hoof shaped trace in the sand.
You can find these oysters in the French regions of Brittany and Normandy, sometimes even in stalls by the sea - for example, in Cancale. Nevertheless, there is also production of Pied de Cheval oysters in Spain and Great Britain.