Feldbach, dans la revue anglaise FRANCE MAGAZINE
(Britain's bestselling magazine on France)

LIKE FISH, LIKE FISHING ?

Yvonne Michie Horn discovers the delights of La Route de la Carpe Frite in Alsace and finds there is more to it than fried carp.

REFLEXTIVE MOOD:
Discover the quiet beauty of the Sundgau

IN THE SOUTHERNMOST CORNER of Alsace, wandering its way through the Sundgau, la Route de la Carpe Frite (the fried carp route) is a little-known but enchanting trail to follow.
As those touring France can hardly help but notice, there are nearly as many Routes des Vins through the country's wineproducing regions as grape varieties. Nor is there a shortage of Routes des Fromages. But a route dedicated to carp? That had to be a one-off, not only in France but in the entire world. I couldn't resist taking a closer look. So my next trip to France found me in the Sundgau, equipped with a brochure providing directions to 33 restaurants specialising in fried carp. With that, I was prepared to eat my way along the route in search of the ultimate in fried carp preparation, although I had no idea what that might be.
 

FIHERMAN'S HEAVEN:
There are more than 800 ponds to fish along the carp route, most found in the Vallée de la Largue.

 What I found was much, much more-a place steeped in history where agriculture reigns supreme in fertile fields of wheat and corn interspersed with squares of brightyellow rape. Cows and sheep graze close to orchards that promise a bounty of summer fruit. Picturesque villages of half-timbered houses announce their presence with church spires rising like exclamation points from surrounding trees. Numerous streams run through, including the Ill that begins as a trickle near the hamlet of Winkel and goes on to become the great river that flows through Strasbourg.
All is sheltered by the Jura mountains, an ancient east-west range along the French-Swiss border, its pine-forested slopes inhabited with lookout points, caves, and rocky gorges. With most tourists stopping short of the region, it remains an untapped area of France.
 

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE:
Architecture in southern Alsace is typified by colourful, half-timbered houses with steep sloping roofs.

The route wends its way in a relay of restaurants and fishponds indicated by roadside signs depicting a fish. It is not a single roadway, but instead invites at-will meandering through villages and countryside, past pond after pond. A signpost here and there reassures that one is still within the realm of the carp.
The recipe for Sundgau's dish of honour could not be simpler-an Alsatian version offish and chips. The carp is cut crosswise into wishbone-shaped slices, steeped in beer or white wine, dunked in a salt-andpepper seasoned egg and semolina batter and fried in oil. A green salad, a pile of pommes frites, and a small dish of mayonnaise are served alongside. The result is a happy, hearty, messy, eat-with-your-fingers dining experience. Wash it all down with Carpe d'Or-a light, dry, agreeably tart pinot blanc from Eguisheim, a notable wine village along Alsace's Route des Vins.
If legend is to be believed, carpe frite made its debut in Ferrette, a village tumbled into a narrow valley and overseen by the ruins of a castle from which, for 200 years, the great and noble dynasty of the Counts of Ferrette ruled. (Nobles of Ferrette still exist today, with the Prince of Monaco claiming among his many titles that of the comte de Ferrette.) The story goes that the son of the count, in spite of his father's disapproval, fell in love with a beautiful shepherdess. In an effort to come up with something so extraordinary that the count would overlook his objections to their marriage, the shepherdess sizzled up some carp in oil. The count loved it and the son got his lady.

FLOWERS, FLOWERS EVERYWHERE:
La route de la Carpe Frite could just as easily be renamed La Route des Fleurs.

Ferrette, the historic capital of the Jura, presents a delightful maze of medieval streets to meander, but other villages along the route are equally beckoning: Hirtzbach, a village acclaimed as one of the most beautifully gardened in France; Friesen, on the left flank of the Vallée de la Largue, with its collection of ancient half-timbered houses, the earliest dated 1497. At Altkirch, the Sundgau's administrative capital, I spent a happy hour in a 16th-century mansion turned museum immersing myself in the area's past via exhibits that ranged from art to archaeology. In an equally old but more humble home in Oltingue, now the Musée paysan, I came face to face with the rural life of yesteryear.

FERRETTE:
Difficult to believe that this small village was one the capital of sundgau, ruling over vast wathes of Haute-Alsace.

FELDBACH:
The 12th-century Romanesque church once doubled as a place of workship for a community of monks.

So much to see, so much more to do than munch on fried carp. Avid cyclists take on the challenge of hilly, winding roads, while those just out for a pedal can follow miles of dedicated paths. A young German woman staying at my inn, had set aside five days to go hiking-some 300 kilometres of marked trails head off through the countryside and into the Jura. At the inn, too, was a fisherman choosing to fly-fish trout-filled streams instead of dangling a pole over an idyllic pond waiting for a carp to swim by.
It was, however, a search for the ultimate in carpe frite that had brought me here. In doing so, I found that all fried carp is not equal. Ironically, the best was that sampled first, emerging from the restaurant kitchen at Le Petit Kohlberg piping hot, a light-as air crusty exterior enfolding the delicately sweet and musky carp. Chips arrived crisp on the outside and meltingly tender within. A fine mix of chilled greens made up the salad; a dash of mustard gave character to the little dish of mayonnaise; wedges of lemon were offered to squeeze over all. It was a dish to wow the Count of Ferrette. The shepherdess's rendition could not have been better.

GETTING THERE:
Euro Airport Basel-Mulhouse is a short drive fro, the Vallée de la Largue. A car is a must; several rental agencies, among them NAtional and Hertz, are located at the airport.

WHERE TO STAY:
Le Moulin-Bas, Ligsdorf. Tél: +333 89 40 31 25
www.le-moulin-bas.fr/

Le Petit Kohlberg, Lucelle. Tél: +333 89 40 85 30
www.petitkohlberg.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Office de tourisme du Jura Alsacien, Ferrette. Tél: +333 89 08 23 88
/www.jura-alsacien.net/

10 THINGS NOT TO MISS:

Article publié avec l'aimable autorisation de France Magazine et de l'auteur de l'article.