The seaweed ‘graves’

Any unsuspecting tourist out walking near the port of Pors Poulhan might well wonder why on earth there are deep-dug holes lurking near the water’s edge or even in the middle of fields.

In his book Cheval d’orgueil, PJ Hélias says, "You might think that these were old burial places, graves that we’ve ransacked to get at the ancestral skeletons!" Yet the older generations speak about these great holes with immense fondness and nostalgia. "These are in fact hand-made ovens, ovens where we used to burn seaweed when we were young!"

Generally, whoever wanted to gather and burn seaweed could do so. The practice is now a thing of the past but the history remains very much in evidence.

From 1855 to 1872, all the families living near the coast would have built their own ovens for burning the seaweed that they collected. In 1860 there were a thousand families living in the Cap-Sizun area with 300 of these in Plouhinec itself, meaning that between 1200 and 1500 individuals would have gained from this unusual activity.

Gathering the seaweed began in earnest after the storms of April. The harvest required no special equipment but it did call for a great deal of energy. They would place their gathered seaweed on the banks and spread it out so that it would dry – this was not particularly difficult but it needed constant attention.

Once the seaweed was dry it would then be burned in the ‘ovens’ at very high temperatures, thrown in a handful at a time over several days. Eventually, a sort of lava collected at the bottom of the hole and men armed with a big stick would mix it all around to make sure that the seaweed burned evenly.

After leaving it to cool down, they would then use the stick again to create the famous ‘bread of the sea’ (soda breads) that were taken to the factories and used in the production of medical items and for photography.

Twelve of the twenty-one remaining seaweed ovens can be found in Plouhinec and they have been cleaned and preserved for everyone to appreciate. You can find them along the coastal paths near
Pors Poulhan – the start of the coastal route known as the ‘Route du Vent Solaire’.