The Somme is an extraordinary vegetable garden. Vegetables from the hortillons cultivated in the fertile soils of the hortillonnages market gardens, taste our radishes, cauliflowers, turnips, lettuces and artichokes... bake a leek flamiche (quiche) or make some hortillon-style soup!

Vegetables from the Hortillons
© CDTSomme/ Justine Labesse

© CDTSomme/Com des images.com

Samphire, here nicknamed haricot des mers [green beans of the sea] or passe-pierre[stone-dodger]: is a “wild” plant. Salicorne grows in the salt marshes, covered by sea-water during very high tides. It is harvested from the end of May to the end of September, between Le Hourdel and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. The tradition of harvesting samphire goes back for decades : it forms an integral part of the “foot-fi shermen’s” business, in the same way as harvesting cockles or mussels from the pilings on which they are farmed. It is pickled in vinegar and packed in jars for use as a condiment. It is very rich in mineral salts, and is also sold to be eaten raw in salads, or cooked as a side vegetable to serve with meat or fi sh. Also worth getting to know are puccinelle [saltmarsh-grass], oreilles de cochon [sea aster], and lilas de mer
[sea-lavender].

Moules de bouchot
cultivated on large pilings (“bouchots”) made of exotic wood, these mussels open and close with the rhythm of the tides, helping their muscles develop, so that they grow fat. The mytiliculteurs [mussel farmers] harvest them by hand.

Ficelle picarde

Macaron
© CRTPicardie/ Peter Winfield

Some local specialities :

• duck and andouillette (traditional offal sausage) pâté from Amiens
• la ficelle picarde (ham and mushroom pancake);
• la flamique à porions or flamiche aux poireaux (leek quiche);
• the gâteau battu (whipped cake) : do try this brioche, high in butter and egg content, with an airy soft moist crumb. The crust is dark brown and the crumb golden yellow. It's delicious with rhubarb jam !
• Amiens macarons : enjoy this delicious cakes with their tender soft, fresh heart and the delicate flavours of almond and honey! The macaron d'Amiens, a speciality of the City of Amiens since the 16th century, was introduced by Catherine de Medicis. It still enjoys prestigious renown. It should not be confused with the English macaroon, which is quite different.
• smoked eel
• salt-meadow lamb terrine...

Taste the excellent and undeniably local, hearty country cooking, based on soups and fricassees (vegetable stews) such as Bisteu, also known as Bigalan, a traditional dish from Picardy (potatoes, onions, lightly salted pork belly, double cream and flaky pastry made with butter). The scope of the cuisine is all the richer for the local produce from the sea, the rivers and livestock farming.