Spanish Word for Eel

The Spanish word "anguilla" means eel in English.

As rare as this may sound, Spanish do in fact eat baby eels. I know that we have all heard of jellied eels, but baby eels have been compared to short spaghetti strands with eyes, among other far less appetizing descriptions. However, Spaniards find these a great delicacy.

Angulas (baby eels) became popular in Spain at the turn of the century when the Basques, always at the forefront of Spanish cooking, made angulas part of their cuisine and elevated them to culinary stardom. The word angula was in fact invented by the Basques and entered the Castilian language approximately one century ago as a way to distinguish baby eels from adult eels, or anguillas. The Basques were without a doubt aware that the authentic Basque word for elver, txitxardin (which literally means worm) would not be an asset in their quest to popularize angulas.

It only takes a minute or two to cook agulas. Olive oil is heated with sliced garlic and a piece of dried red chili pepper in an individual earthenware pot until the garlic turns golden. It is then that the angulas are plunged into the oil and the dish immediately removed from the heat. The dish is covered with a plate and taken sizzling to the table. Special angulas forks are provided by restaurants, which are made of wood to avoid the metallic taste of conventional forks and also to get a better grip on the smooth-skinned angulas.