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Nord-Pas-de-Calais
In the marais audomarois, where crops are still cultivated standing up in flat-bottomed boats, summer cauliflower grows in millions of white heads between the canals — the vegetable that gave Saint-Omer its market-gardening reputation.
Vegetable from Nord-Pas-de-Calais.
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The marais audomarois, a vast wetland of nearly 3,700 hectares surrounding Saint-Omer, is the result of drainage and polderisation begun as early as the 13th century: over the generations, canals — known as watergangs, totalling more than 700 kilometres — were dug to drain and cultivate peaty land. This painstaking work turned the marsh into one of Europe's last great market-gardening areas still cultivated from flat-bottomed boats, the bacôve and the escute, to travel between plots.
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It was from the 19th century onwards, and more particularly after 1850, that cauliflower cultivation took on a truly commercial scale in the marsh: the arrival of the railway made it possible to transport harvests swiftly to Paris, opening up an outlet that transformed the scale of production. Today, the marais audomarois is France's leading production region for summer cauliflower: each season, the marsh's market gardeners sell several million heads through local cooperatives such as Sipema.
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Today, Chou-fleur de Saint-Omer is championed by the regional collective brand « Saveurs en Or », which promotes food products made in Hauts-de-France, and by a brotherhood dedicated to it: every year in October, the brotherhood organises a festival celebrating the product in Saint-Omer, providing an opportunity to introduce the marsh market gardeners' work to the general public.
Appearance
Compact and pure white head, not split, surrounded by deep green foliage.
Taste
Flavour described as lighter on the palate than that of Breton cauliflower.
from early March, in the peaty soils of the marsh.
favoured by direct irrigation with water from the marsh and mild springs.
from May to November depending on the plots, with a production peak in summer.
the heads are sorted into categories according to their quality before marketing.
clock auction, a daily descending auction system, via the local cooperative.
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In the Audomarois, cauliflower is traditionally prepared as a winter gratin, paired with potatoes and coated in a cheese béchamel.
Chou-fleur de Saint-Omer holds no official quality mark (PDO (AOP), AOC, PGI (IGP), TSG (STG), Label Rouge). It is approved under the regional collective brand « Saveurs en Or », which promotes food products from Hauts-de-France without constituting an official sign. A brotherhood is dedicated to it in Saint-Omer.
No producer is listed for this product yet.