7.8 Food and Wine: Les moules marinières

Les moules marinières -. translation was Mussels in white wine

Are mussels always cooked in wine in France, hence it is understood and therefore left out "in white wine".

No they are not.  Three years ago I was in France, and while travelling through Brittany, I had some mussels; they were delicious and not cooked in any kind wine.

That said, I did two Google searchs and found:
. . . "marinières"  translated as "moules marinière, mussels in white wine."
. . . "moules marinières" on recipe websites, have white wine in the recipe.

So, it seems that in France one can have plain old mussels cooked however, and without wine.  Or one can have les moules marinières, in which the mussels are cooked with white wine.  In the latter case, the white wine would be understood as it's part of the recipee.

Thanks Diana-S1,

I had mussels in France a long time ago and they weren't in wine, red or white although I would assume if used it should be white. That's why I was confused. 

I too did some googling and found this, "In French Provincial Cooking Elizabeth David includes double cream in her recipe for "a grander version of moules marinières...", no mention of wine, no recipe given either.  

I like mussels regardless; had some at Mussel Boy in NZ cooked 4 ways :-), no wine involved.