Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-05-26


nesh we think strong and oily but we have
already taken the Greenlander's opinion on it
The black skin of the whale, too, we have often
tasted, and found its eoony cubes with the co.
coanut flavor simply delicious, but its coarse
RED flesh like inferior meat. Porpoisc, or sea
pig is not to be despised by British sailors suf
terlng from salt junk and scurvy but it is not
much sought after now, though in the days
when pea-cocks in their pride, swans and herons
were at English tables, porpoises, or sea- pigs,
had their place of honor there as well. All sea
things have the recommendable quality Of being
highly iodized. This is one of the virtues of
cod-liver oil one of the reasons why sea side
mir is so good for the scrotiaps and eonsump-
tive and almost the sole benefit to be found in
the Iceland moss, once so famous as specific
against consumption. Isinglass has also fshy
origin. The court plaster Of tho chemists
shops is singlass and balsam spread on silk
Caviare is the dried roe or salted spawn of fish :;
the black, which is the best, comes from the
sturgeon, the red is from the gray mullet and
the carp. Botargo is a kind of caviare made
from the spawn of the red mullet, and of great
csteem..in Sicily the roe of the pollock makes
commendable bread, and the roe of the methy
(Eotha maculosa) can be baked into biscuits,
which are used in the fur countries as tea
bread
In Beloochstan the cattle are fed on q COM
pound of dates and dried fish tho inhabitants
living almost entirely on fish; and we here, in
England, fling hundreds of pounds of sprats
and other fish upon our fields to fertllize the
land, poison the air, and deprive some hungry
thousands of dinner. The Atlantic funny is
like veal, but drier and firmer; and the stur-
geon, SO priced by Greece and Rome, is also of
the veal type, that is, like flesh without blood.
The sharp-nosed sturgeon is like beef, very
coarse, rank and unsavory. The shark is dry
and acid. Havana is the only place where
shark is openly sold in the market, and the
Chinese are the only people who ascribc any
specially nvigorating virtues to the fins and tail.
The Gold Coast negroes are fond of sharks,
as they are of hppoptami and aligators, and
the Polynesians surfeit themselves to indiges-
tion and disease by their love Of sharks flesh
quite raw.
Scotland, and some other northern countries,
eat the picked shad and the dog-6sh The
conger-eel, dried and grated, thickens soup in
Catholic countries, and is Jersey dainty tast-
ing like veal. In Cornwall, they make conger-
cells, as they do everything else, into pies. The
Chinooks dry little fish-something like q
sardine--then burn it as candle; and the
scales of the delicious and delicate callipevi
make exceedingly beautiful ornaments.
Other people beside the Gold Coast negroes
feed on, and take pleasure in reptiles. We our
selves eat one of the tribe when we devour cal
ipash and calipce. But, though we revel in
turtle, we keep an adverse countenance to tor
toise yet, half the soup eaten by travellers in
Italy and Sicily is made of land tortoise, boiled
down to its essence. In Trinidad, and other of
the West India islands, land tortoises are in
much repute; the eggs of the close tortoise
(testudo clausa) are held a supreme delicacy in
North America and Sir Walter Raleigh fed his
fainting men on " tortuggas eggs" while sail :
ing up the Orinoco.
In both North and South America the salt
water terrapin is fat and luscious luxury, if
taken at the close of Summer; and its eggs, in
their parchment-lke skin--they have no true
shell-are always valued. The hiccatee, New
Holland curious snake-necked version of tor.
tose, has liver which would send the pate du
foie gras of Strasbourg out of the field altogcth-
err while of turtle the world of gourmands is
never tired, under any form of presentation it
may please the chef to serve him. The hideous,
scaly demoniacal-looking iguana is better in
the trial than in the PROMISE cooked skillfully,
it is like chicken in fcsh and like turtle in
flavor, but. it one of its paws should happen
to stick up in the dish, it is so frightfully sag
gestive Of pigmy alligator that many stout
European, afraid of nothing else under the sun,
would be afraid of that. 1t is excellent eating
being omnigustatory; it is like chicken, like
rabbit stewed or curricd; like turtle, if dressed
as turtle should be; like haze, when turned
into soup, and a good dish of imitation minced
veal might be made Of it, with lemon-crean
and strcaky bacon supepadded. 1t is of tn
range of white meats, and its small, soft-shelled
delicate eggs arc equal to itself in purity ant
dantiness of flavor Indeed, the eggs Of mos
reptiles are wonderfully appetising; but non
more so than thost which bring forth the harm
less, hideons. and delicate guana, unless it b
the eggs OF the contemned land tortoise.
Caymans and crocodiles, lizards and frogs
are all eaten and enjoyed by certain people,
The typical crocodile is like veal; but som
species have strong flavor Of musk, which
nauseatng enough; and some are like julie
young pork, while others resemble lobster =
Others again have powerful fshy taste, yer
disagreeabe. On the whole, therefore, crocodil
q is uncertain eating, and not to be venturod o
, with undue rashness. Alligator is supposed |
i be invigorating and restorative; and at Manil
. is sold ut high prices, tho Chinese clutchtng
!, the dried skin, which they Use in their awf
g messes of gelatinous soup. Alligator is likenC
to sucking pig, but alligator's eggs have
> musky flavor.
f The Australians doyour even the most venom
n GUS snakes; and, those who have tried say 81
j, favor is like collared eel, though the gener
= likeness is to veal In olden times viper bro
h was, to benighted world, what turtle soup
Q to US and viper jelly is still considered re
Y torative in Italy The hunters of the Mississip
g have, at this day, dish called musical jack,
IL which they are nightly fond, though it is on