Christmas Oysters 🦪Our Family’s French-Style Tradition 🇫🇷

One of the things we can’t imagine Christmas without in our family is oysters.
The reason is simple—they are my husband’s absolute favorite 😄

I’ve written about oysters before in another post about La Rochelle.
If you live in a coastal town like that, oysters may be something you can enjoy anytime.
But when you live in Berlin, it’s not quite that easy 😄

🦪Oysters at My Husband’s Family Table

At my husband’s parents’ home, oysters were also a Christmas tradition.
In France, it seems that many families enjoy oysters during the holiday season.
Opening the shells was my father-in-law’s role, and watching him do it was part of our annual Christmas ritual.

Now, that role has naturally passed on to my husband.
Opening oysters requires both strength and technique—using leverage to pry them open—and since I’m not very strong, I happily leave this task to him 😊

🇩🇪Finding Oysters in Berlin

When we were living in Berlin, we happened to find a seafood shop near our home.
Every year before Christmas, we would stop by to reserve oysters.
The shop owner was from Algeria, and being able to speak French with him was incredibly reassuring.

He was always cheerful and friendly, switching effortlessly between German, English, French, and Italian depending on the customer.
I was genuinely impressed by his ability to communicate so smoothly in multiple languages 🤩it was truly remarkable.
That multilingual, multicultural atmosphere felt very Berlin to me, and it left a strong impression.

🇫🇷How We Enjoy Oysters at Home, the French Way

As for how we enjoy oysters at home:
First, we rinse the shells. Then, using an oyster knife with a short, flat blade, we slide it into the gap of the shell and open them one by one.
Finally, we arrange them on a plate and add some neatly cut lemon wedges.

 

In French restaurants, oysters are often served with a vinegar sauce, but at home we keep things simple.
We squeeze a little lemon over them and enjoy them with a glass of Sancerre.
It’s a crisp, easy-to-drink white wine that really brings out the flavor of the oysters.
Chablis or Muscadet also pair beautifully.

We usually enjoy them with baguette and butter.That’s our family’s French-style way of eating oysters.In a way, it reminds me of how raw oysters are often enjoyed with ponzu sauce in Japan.

🍷A Favorite Oyster Lunch in Kreuzberg

There are several places in Berlin where you can eat oysters, but our favorite is a French spot inside a market hall in Kreuzberg.
The staff are French and very welcoming, and it’s a lovely place to enjoy oysters in a relaxed atmosphere.

When we first arrived in Berlin in December, we happened to live nearby and visited once with our family. Then last year, my husband and I went back for lunch after a long time.
As soon as we tasted the oysters, memories from those early days in Berlin came rushing back.

By the way, there are many types of oysters, but my husband’s favorite is Fine de Claire. They have a clean, delicate flavor and are wonderfully easy to enjoy. It’s an unpretentious place, yet the lunch felt just a little stylish and pleasantly elegant ✨

🌟The Same Taste, Wherever We Are

Even as places and generations change, the same dishes can still appear on the table in the same season, and be enjoyed in many different ways.
I haven’t had oysters in Dubai yet, but if I ever get the chance, it’s a taste I would love to enjoy again❤️