Châtaigne de Mer
Châtaigne de Mer the French word which literally translated "chestnut of the sea" actually refers to sea urchin in Southern France. Its exterior part if thorny, and has to be opened like mussels or oyster to see the edible part which is the orange colored meat or roe inside the thorny shell. It is a must to eat Châtaigne de Mer while alive and fresh from the sea.
Châtaigne is pronounced "shah-tah-nyuh".
In my mother's home province (Marinduque) in the Philippines which is basically a small island in Luzon surrounded by the sea, sea urchins are rampant, especially during low tides, but I have never seen anyone pick them or fish them for eating. People pick up seashells, but never this thorny sea urchin. Now I am wondering if the locals ever eat them. On my next vacation, perhaps, I can ask the old people if ever they have these sea urchins as food.
châtaigne de mer
Sea urchins, with thanks to Carballeira, a Galician restaurant in Barcelona
Latin: Paracentrotus lividus
Gender: f
Language: French
Ethnicity: French
Most frequent country: France
Most frequent region: Southern France
Better known as: oursin
See places: French food and cuisine
Related Articles | |
Châtaignes | ■■■■■■ |
Châtaignes is the French for "sweet chestnuts" made into various desserts (Marron Glace) and even to . . . Read More | |
Châtaigne d'Eau | ■■■■■■ |
Châtaigne d'Eau is the French for "Water chestnut ", thefruit or corn of a type of a water grass or . . . Read More | |
Châtaigne | ■■■■■ |
Châtaigne: In the food context, "châtaigne" is the French word for "chestnut". Chestnuts are a type . . . Read More | |
Flocons de mais | ■■■■■ |
Flocons de mais is the French term meaning "cornflakes". . . . Read More | |
Cassata siciliana | ■■■■■ |
Cassata siciliana also known as Cassata alla Siciliana refers to a traditional sweet from the province . . . Read More | |
Goyave | ■■■■■ |
Goyave is the French word for "Guava" . Guava is eaten as a fruit, in the Philippines, it is dipped in . . . Read More | |
Limpet | ■■■■■ |
Limpet (Patella caerulea Linnaeus) refers to a mollusk usually found around rocky coasts. Limpets are . . . Read More | |
Food and Drink/Cuisine of Chad, Africa | ■■■■■ |
Food and Drink/Cuisine of Chad, AfricaThe cuisine of Chad varies according to region and ethnic group. . . . Read More | |
Honghap | ■■■■■ |
Honghap is the Korean word for "Mussels". In Korea, mussels are made into soups together with other ingredients . . . Read More | |
Crème de Châtaigne | ■■■■ |
Crème de Châtaigne is a French distinctive, sweet apéritif made from sweet chestnuts. Crème de Châtaigne . . . Read More |