"The only true Turtle Soup is made from live turtles killed for the purpose. The turtles which die on their way to England and are kept in cold storage are known in the trade as 'angels' and are no good at all for soup or anything else. The turtle fins, and again from live turtles only, can be very good grilled and served with a sauce Madere."
Eye-opening culinary history from Andre L Simon's Guide to Good Food and Wines (1956).
Frozen, white, dead turtles with their flippers spread like angels' wings ... it's enough to put you off eating turtle for life.
But if it does, M Simon offers plenty of alternatives. His book also has pointers on the best ways to eat porpoises, elephant seal's tongue, cow's udder, and rats.
What it lacks in detail it certainly makes up for in breadth. Nigel Slater, you're on notice.
Cow's udder - if only I ate dairy products.
ReplyDelete