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seiche

cuttlefish

Cuttlefish at Nausicaä Centre National de la Mer, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France

Seiche (cuttlefish) with their ten tentacles are prized for their black ink, encre noir or encre de seiche, used to flavour seafood dishes, pasta and rice.

Another name for seiche is sepia, which is also the name of the color in a print or photograph resembling the colour of cuttlefish ink.

Yet another name for seiche is supion or margate; little ones are sépioles. They are most popular in southwest France, stuffed and baked.

Oval-shaped cuttlefish bones (os de seiche, or sépion) are full of calcium, and are often ground up to add to pet food, toothpaste etc.

Fish and seafood

Text © Dana Facaros

Image by Hans Hillewaert