The Bassin d'Arcachon is not just about its beaches, its Tchanqués huts and its Pyla dune; the greediest will find something to tickle their taste buds and discover local flavors.

Oysters, the emblem of our Bay

For several centuries, the Bassin d'Arcachon has been known and recognized for its oysters. The oyster farming activity has been deployed there over time, gradually transforming this territory into oyster farming territory. In the heart of this tidal lagoon, the oyster beds grow this shellfish within a generous nature, offering it everything it needs for its growth. It takes three to five years of patience and know-how for the oyster farmer to transform the spat into oysters ready to be tasted.

If the Arcachon basin is renowned for its oyster farming, it is also renowned for its "spats". It must be said that it is a paradise for this shell. This small "inland sea" offers him optimal conditions of temperature, salinity and food. It is the river called the “Leyre” which brings it fresh water, so beneficial to the proliferation of phytoplankton, which the oysters feed on. The basin is therefore well suited to the reproduction of the oyster.

You can taste it, accompanied by a glass of white wine, in the many tastings present in the various oyster ports.

Aquitaine caviar, the black gold of the Arcachon Bay

And yes, we find two sturgeon farms in the Bassin d'Arcachon : one is in Teich and the other in Biganos.

In the 19th century, the species of migratory sturgeon Ascipenser Sturio abounded in the Garonne and the Dordogne to reproduce. It was fished for its flesh, but its caviar was not exploited. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russians arrived in the region and taught the art of caviar harvesting to local fishermen.

The aquaculture farm located at Moulin de la Cassadote, in Biganos, on the edge of the Bassin d'Arcachon was the first site chosen in the mid-1980s to continue the caviar adventure in Gironde.

Hidden in the middle of the Landes forest, the aquaculture farm of L'Esturgeonnière, in Teich, which produces Caviar Perlita has existed since the beginning of the 1990s. Being one of the three pioneer companies in this sector, it is the only one in France having been built from scratch for sturgeon farming. The activity was then turned towards the production of sturgeon flesh and not caviar.

Book your guided tours of these two places to discover and taste the famous Girondin caviar.

The Sturgeon Farm Route de Mios - Le Teich

Caviar from France Route du Moulin de la Cassadote - Biganos

The white dunes at Pascal

For the greediest, discover these crunchy puffs filled with a light and airy cream.

One summer evening in 2007 the Dune Blanche was born. Around 5 a.m., on returning from the evening, Brice Lucas, the son of Pascal, a famous baker from Grand Piquey in Lège-Cap-Ferret, combined the sweet and light cream, of which Pascal holds the secret, with a golden chouquette. Pleasure for the taste buds, the idea appealed to Pascal, who, on the initiative of Brice, put some dunes on display that very morning.

Little tip from the locals: remember to turn the Dune over before putting it in your mouth, this will avoid cream accidents;)

Chez Pascal Piquey / Canon / Ferret market

Fumette, smoked fish from the Arcachon Bay

First artisanal fish smokehouse in the Arcachon Bay. It was born at the end of 2019 in Lège-Cap Ferret at the creation of Bénédicte Baggio and Julien Marcotte.

Fumette only offers fish from Cap Ferret at the door of the boat or from New Aquitaine. On the menu: mullet, sea bass, sea bream, white tuna, mackerel, .... They only offer quality smoked fish, only from local fishing on small boats with sustainable fishing, a selection of abundant species, a local supply as well as craftsmanship around ancestral conservation techniques. A short circuit to defend their values.

Fumette 13 avenue du Grand Crohot - Lège-Cap-Ferret