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Picardy
In the Picard of the ponds, it is known as the "cacheux" — the eel caught at night in a large wooden trap, before being hung over a beechwood fire.
Seafood from Picardy.
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The ponds of the Haute-Somme are not of natural origin: they are the result of peat extraction, practised from the Middle Ages onwards and industrialised from the 18th century, which carved out a multitude of geometric bodies of water in the valley. It is in these ponds, between the communes of Béthencourt-sur-Somme and Bray-sur-Somme, that the eel finds a favourable habitat: it overwinters in the mud before heading, years later, to the Sargasso Sea to breed.
Traditionally, fishing is carried out using an anguillère, a large wooden trap in which the fish are caught at night. In Picard, the eels caught between Béthencourt-sur-Somme and Bray-sur-Somme even have their own name: the "cacheux". Nine anguillères still survived recently in the Haute-Somme valley. Once caught, the eel is smoked over a wood fire, with beech sawdust placed on the embers to yield the finest result in flavour and colouration — a method still practised today in the smokehouses set in the heart of the ponds, such as at Saint-Christ-Briost.
Appearance
Sold whole, just as it comes out of the smokehouse, without being cut or filleted.
Taste
A subtle, woody, smoky flavour, imparted by the beech sawdust, which highlights the eel's own taste.
Texture
Slightly fatty, tender, subtly salted flesh that melts in the mouth.
a wood fire is lit and the eels are hung above the embers.
beech sawdust is placed on the embers, the wood chosen for the best result in flavour and colouration.
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Anguille fumée de la Somme is traditionally enjoyed cold, served with potatoes and a squeeze of lemon; it can also be warmed for a few minutes in the oven, placed on a slice of bread. Its flesh also lends itself to more elaborate dishes: Nordic platters, canapés spiced with horseradish, soups en croûte, or salads combining potato and black radish.
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