Bleak

bleak Alburnus alburnus, a small European freshwater fish which is not widely eaten but is used in one famous speciality of Burgundy, friture de Saône. Its French name is ablette.

Fritures, mixed fried dishes, date back to the Middle Ages, and the emphasis was always on fish. Medieval household accounts in Burgundy contain mentions of petits poissons, a term which evidently included not only bleak but also small loach and barbs.