THE COURSE CAMARGUAISE (CAMARGUE BULLFIGHTING)
From spring through to autumn, on the golden sand of Arles’ arena and in each Camargue village, an impassioned and knowledgeable crowd is gathered. Razeteurs (Camargue bullfighters) come head-to-head with Camargue bulls in this chivalrous game that requires such values as loyalty and valour from both Man and beast.

Skill and agility, along with a mutual re-spect, are key to the Camargue bullfight.

Unlike with corridas (Spanish bullfights) which show the matador’s name in big letters, post-ers publicising the course Camarguaise puts the bull’s name before that of the razeteur.

The name of the manade (farm) from which the bull comes is also given. The true star of the show is really the bull! From fight to fight, his qualities bring him glory and make him a sought-after animal, guaranteeing some very action-packed afternoons!

As for the razeteurs, they are just support acts, their fame being based on the reputation of the bull that they are facing. No blood is spilled in the Camargue bullfight; the Camargue bull does not come to kill, unlike his Spanish cousin! When this bull kills, which unfortunately can happen, his name is scratched from all lists!

It is around the age of three that a bull is at the peak of his “training” and knows his “profession” well. This is the one that that breeder saves for the end of the show, allowing the younger and less experienced bulls to go first so as to learn how to avoid the traps set by the razeteurs. It is this which gives the fight its crescendo intensity and helps to recognise future “hopefuls”, be they bulls or razeteurs.

The clash of Man and beast in the ring requires much cunning from both parties. The organis-ers coordinate six bulls for one afternoon. The bulls take turns to enter the ring for a few minutes; just enough time to contend with several skilled and energetic razeteurs.

The razeteurs compete against one another to remove, as quickly as possible, the objects placed between the bull’s horns. These are strings, tassels and a cockade which each earn the razeteur a cash prize upon removing it.

But, before cutting and removing each of the objects with his four-bladed hook, he must first tire the bull, which, with good strong legs, often chases the razeteurs right up to the barrier. This results in the razeteurs throwing themselves several feet in the air over the barriers in order to escape the sharp and powerful horns. Sometimes, the particularly agile bulls will also jump over the barriers, making the event even more dramatic and emotional, especially for those lucky specta-tors in the first row!

At the end of each round to signify the end of combat, the famous aria from the opera Car-men is played.

Every year, the “golden rosette” in the Arles arena gathers the elite of the course Camar-guaise. At the end of this prestigious after-noon, the highly coveted rosette is awarded, honouring the work of the breeder and recog-nising the bravery of the best razeteur of the year. This razeteur, in addition to receiving the praise of the tradition’s professionals and the people of Arles, is allowed to kiss the always beautiful Queen of Arles.

 
Great scallop (Coquille Saint-Jacques) or Pecten maximus, common names the great scallop, king scallop, St James shell or escallop, is a northeast Atlantic species of scallop, an edible saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae. This is the type species of the genus. This species may be conspecific with Pecten jacobaeus, the pilgrim’s scallop, which has a much more restricted distribution.

Saint-Jacques Shells (last letters “t” and “s” are not pronounced), or the great scallop, is a first choice dish in France. It is nutritionally interesting (proteins, vitamins, trace elements) without a lot of calories: only 50 Kcal/100g (not counting any sauce you might add).

Tips for Eating Saint-Jacques Shells:

Here are the main tips you should utilise to choose and cook the right Saint-Jacques and enjoy the taste!
All scallops are not real Saint-Jacques! To enjoy the real Saint-Jacques Shells or great scallops, you have to choose them carefully.
– Firstly, the period of the year if you want to buy them fresh is from October to mid-May.
– Secondly, the species: the real one is Pecten maximus caught mostly in Normandy (Protected Geographical Indication: Coquille Saint-Jacques des Côtes d’Armor) and Brittany in France. You’ll find also Pecten jacobaeus in the Mediterranean area and Pecten fumatus in Australia.
– Be careful! The label of Saint-Jacques can be also be given to other products of the pectinidae family from Canada, Chili, Chine, etc. But it is not the same seafood: the shells are different and they don’t belong to the same genus.
-It’s common to say that the tastier is the Pecten maximus and I agree more than never!

How to choose them fresh? Take care of the aspect and the smell (iodine only). The shell should be closed or should close itself quickly if you touch it. Sometimes the fishmonger will sell them already without the shell. The white part should be pearly, the coral should be shiny and bulging. No part should touch the ice, it spoils the flesh.

It’s just question of presentation. In France one of the best recipes with great scallops is Saint-Jacques gratinées: great scallop with other seafood or mushroom, a sauce, and breadcrumbs presented in their shells after a quick moment in the oven.

Raw or cooked? It can easily be eaten raw: tartare, carpaccio are very simple to do and flavourful. Scallops should be very fresh and not served to pregnant women. If you cook them, the cooking of the scallop has to be short. Otherwise you will lose consistency and taste.

With or without coral? The coral is the orange part of the scallop, it’s the female sexual organ and gets bigger with the development of the eggs. You can cook it with the white part of the scallop and present them together which gives the best visual effect to your dish. Some people doesn’t find any interest in the coral, they don’t like the consistency and the taste is less strong than the white part of the scallop. So they separate them and use the coral to make a tasty orange sauce or chantilly.
And what to drink? As with other seafood, it is recommended to choose a mineral white wine. But you can also enjoy champagne when preparing them raw or a fruity dry white wine for rich sauces, and a light red wine for seafood/meat combinations.

Recognisable at first glance: meaty, pearly white, almost translucent, with lovely orange coral the ideal size and above all the unique glow of vitality.

The presence of the roe or “coral” is guaranteed  and enhances the dish with a lovely touch of orange. Its taste is also highly prized.

Pecten maximus frequently creates a slight hollow in the substrate for its shell to lie in by opening and closing the valve to eject water from the mantle cavity, which raises the shell at an angle to the substrate so that subsequent water jets into the sediment and create a recess. Once settled, sand, mud, gravel or living organisms coat the upper valve, and the margin of the shell, with the tentacles and eyes, is all that is visible. They are filter feeders which extract particles from the surrounding water via a feeding current which is drawn by cilia across the gills where the food particles are trapped, then taken to the mouth in a stream of mucous.

Pecten maximus swims but this is generally limited to escape reactions. The main predators which cause this reaction when detected are the mollusc eating starfish Asterias rubens and Astropecten irregularis, although starfish which do not feed on molluscs can cause limited jumping or valve-closing reactions. The swimming action is performed by rapidly clapping the valves and expelling jets of water from each side of the hinge so that it moves with the curved edge of the shell at the front. The scallop jumps forwards by gradually relaxing the adductor muscle and then rapidly opening and closing the valves.

The oil company Shell plc derives its highly recognizable logo from this species.[17]

Yes, you can eat scallops raw to enjoy the natural flavors of the sea. However, you should only eat raw scallops at specialty restaurants or if you manage to buy fresh, dry scallops that aren’t harvested in contaminated water. NOW THEY TELL ME.