Mussels only in months with an "r"?

You will no doubt be familiar with the saying that mussels should only be eaten in months with an "r" in their name. This statement also used to be justified, but dates back to around the same time when red wine was still drunk at room temperature. Both statements have little or no relevance today.

In the past, rooms were simply not as cosy and warm. Nowadays, if you drink red wines at room temperatures of over 20 °C, they can have an alcoholic effect. 17 or 18 °C is perfect for a typical red wine.

With mussels , they often have to be transported from their place of origin through several countries. In the past, this was very time-consuming or even impossible without refrigeration systems. So in summer, mussels were only eaten locally - just as they are still eaten today in Zeeland, Denmark, Brittany or Normandy.

Nevertheless, the months with an "r" are the real mussel season, because mussels like the cool water. In summer, it is becoming increasingly common for the seas and especially the coasts to become too warm and algae carpets spread.

Although mussels feed on algae, too much is not good for them either. Fishmongers can (still) switch to mussels from cooler waters in summer, but this also makes it more expensive.

The extent to which climate change is now affecting mussel farming can be seen in Italy. The mussel beds there are being plundered by the invasive and voracious blue crab from the western Atlantic, leaving hardly anything left for the farmers. In the meantime, they are increasingly turning to promoting the tasty blue crab as a speciality.

BIO

Family winery Tement Morillon Muschelkalk 2019

Vineyard Tement

Südsteiermark, Austria, White wine, Morillon
0.75 l

16.90 €

22.53 € / liter

in stock

Despite everything, now is an excellent time to enjoy a wide variety of shellfish such as clams, mussels, razor clams and, of course, oysters. Together with crisp, fresh white wines.