The mussel season is starting on Aruba; the delicacy will be flown in for the first time this week. The mussels are extra tasty this year and mussel lovers almost swoon when they taste them after a long draught! Fleshy and plump, they are seductively making one want more. The mussels arrive on Aruba with the fresh, salty smell of one of Holland’s and Belgium’s best export products still clinging to them. July and August are the months when the mussels are cut, mainly at `de Zeeuwse kust’. Taste of Belgium’s mussel feast will cost US $ 50.--; they are served with French fries and salad.
The mussels can be ordered in two ways: the traditional and the local way. The classic, traditional way is with all the trimmings: boiled and steeped in French white wine with a garnish of fresh vegetables like finely cut onions, celery, parsley and black, freshly ground pepper and thyme. The traditional mussels are served with French bread, French fries and mayonnaise. The other way is the `manera local’: stewed in Aruba’s locally brewed Balashi beer and served with funchi instead of French bread. Funchi is a local staple food.
Mussels are fantastically healthy: they contain hardly any cholesterol at all, are rich in vitamins and good fatty acids. The ‘Zeeuwse Mosselen’ are world famous: they are tasty and chewy. Every Thursday the mussels are delivered straight from the airplane; on Thursday evenings the mussels are already available.
