Sea Lampreys: Great Lakes Catch Fit for an English Queen

By ⋅ May 2, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment
Gloucester's Lamprey Pie (photo: BBC)

Gloucester's Lamprey Pie (photo: BBC)

The English city of Gloucester likes to present a gift to the British monarch on special occasions.

Next month’s Diamond Jubilee, the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s ascent to the throne, is such an occasion.

Ever since the Middle Ages, Gloucester’s gift has been a ceremonial pie made with slippery, eel like creatures called sea lampreys.

“I actually almost thought it was joke I said you gotta be kidding, you want lampreys for a pie that you’re going to present to the Queen and you think that’s a nice gesture?” said Marc Gaden who is with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission on Detroit.

Thing is, sea lampreys aren’t so easy to find in England’s Thames and Severn Rivers anymore. But they’re incredibly plentiful in the lake we’d like you to name.

Lake Huron (Photo: NASA)

Lake Huron (Photo: NASA)

This lake is shared by two North American countries, and has the largest freshwater island in the world.

Let’s get to the pie! The English city of Gloucester is preparing to bake a ceremonial pie for Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of Diamond Jubilee, or 60th anniversary of her reign. It’s a tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages. The recipe calls for sea lampreys which come from Lake Huron, the answer to the Geo Quiz.

Marc Gaden is in charge of getting two pounds of frozen sea lampreys to chefs in Gloucester, England.

Sorry we don’t have recipe for the Queen’s lamprey pie. But if you have a good one, share it in the comments below.

Discussion

6 comments for “Sea Lampreys: Great Lakes Catch Fit for an English Queen”

  • http://menwholooklikedoncherry.com/ Claude Balloune

     I WANT THE RECIPE!
    Someone, even if they are from Gloucester, please, PLEASE post it here.
    (Well, I suppose only a Gloucesterwegian would posses such a recipe)

    I think lampreys could be the next big culinary hit in Canada!  As a  smalI child, I ate eel that my father caught on the St_lawrence, (and my mother dutifully if distastefully prepared).
    I’ve long since forgotten what eel tastes like, but a taste for lamprey developed in North America may help to eliminate this scourge of the Great Lakes.

    I started this comment with the intent to correct PRI- that Manitoulin Island was in Lake Superior. I had believed this all my life- and now I discover that it’s really in Lake Huron! Oh the shame!
    You’re never too old to learn

  • Tony_Q_King

    I WANT THE RECIPE!
    Someone, even if they are from Gloucester, please, PLEASE post it here.
    (Well, I suppose only a Gloucesterwegian would posses such a recipe)

    I think lampreys could be the next big culinary hit in Canada!  As a 
    smalI child, I ate eel that my father caught on the St_lawrence, (and
    my mother dutifully if distastefully prepared).I’ve long since
    forgotten what eel tastes like, but a taste for lamprey developed in
    North America may help to eliminate this scourge of the Great Lakes.

    I started this comment with the intent to correct PRI- that
    Manitoulin Island, the largest freshwater island in the world, was in Lake Superior – I had believed this all my life!
    Upon consulting a map (just to be sure) 
    I discovered, NO! that it IS REALLY in Lake Huron! Oh the shame! Ah well, you’re never too old to learn. Thank you for  educating me.
    Like Reply
     

  • http://www.facebook.com/bryanklevinson Bryan K Levinson

    You all need to know what a lamprey looks like and how destructive they are to the Great Lakes.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamprey

  • http://www.facebook.com/psuzman Paul Suzman

    my son Max suggests those responsible for the ecology of Lake Huron import a couple of boatloads of Gloucestermen as the natural predator to combat the spread of lampreys.Paul Suzman

    • http://aqk.ca/ Tony Q. King

       Why not develop a taste for it ourselves?  North Americans seem to be totally unimaginative- “God spake to us, and said that we should only eat trout and salmon”.

  • Gillsing

    So they make a pie that kind of look like a castle, and is filled with bloodsuckers. And it’s NOT a veiled accusation of the monarch being a bloodsucker who taxes the people too hard? :-)