New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-25
Il FRESH WATER DELIC4CY.

oi'A"fiSH IN THE MARKET-A GROWING DEMAND
FOR THEM AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD.
Iernaps 1t does not occur to the polished tourist
WHEN ne orders his ecreusse at Partisan cafe that
ne Is about to devour the manged limbs of the ugly
little crawiish with which he once baited his hook
Ior pumpkin Seeds" and of whose forled claws he
STOOD IN such abect terror when he waded barefoot
III the shadows near the paternal farm. The craw-
lsp' though / has been eaten for a long time in
europe Is comparatively new luxury in America.
commissioner Blackford, at bis office in Fulton
Market, told reporter of THE TRIBUNE recently
That the crawfsh had been in the New York market
ior less THAN ten years 1t is however fast growing
III laVor and not less than 5000 of the unfortunate
crustaceans are converted into soup or ragouts
every week IN this c y. The large fish dealers keen
them constantly on hand. At this season of the
year the supply comes from Canada. In mid
summer the markets provided with
crawhSh from the Western States. particu-
larry wisconsin and Minnesota while the early
spring trade depends principally upon the
fotomac. The crawlish of the Potomac are the
ilhest growing sometimes to the length of five or
SIX inch S, while those from Canada seldom exceed
.nree ihches The fishes are shipped alive in small
boxes punctured with aIr-holcs where they are
packed as closely as sardlnes. Each box contains
one or TWO Thousand crawishes. Arrived at the
V'N'''''o III tic Guy, VI Y are At once released
from their uncom ortable quarters and given the
freedom of large tank filed with fresh water.
where their predatory instincts are mitigated by a
generous supply of food. From this repository they
are retailed
The rivers and brooks in New-York and the neigh
BORING states are too sparsely tenanted with craw-
,sn 10 make the industry OF gathering them pro-
htable one. Some sug yestions have been made re-
Gently that they might be cultivated artifcially
ana shipped to France, which has for a long time
imported crawlish from Germany. Mr. Blackfo
does not think. however that there is any cause for
their artificial propagation so long as the
spontaneous supply continues undated. He is not
prepared TO say that il ould be profitable TO shin
thell 10 Euiopc, II vessel were arranged with n
tank TO carry them alive. Paris alone consumes
more than 5,oOO,0o0 nj crawiish yearly for which
She pays 100000 francs The rivers of France failed
long ago tn supply the demand which is now met by
artificial cultivation and by importa ion from Ger
many. Brandrnburg has long heen a famous breed
ing ground. Here the peasants formerly always
chose the night time for driving their carts TILED
with crawtishes from place to place surprising bv
"a curious snpersti ION that if pig Glanced TO run
underneath the cart the crawshes would instantly
The name" said Mr.. Blackford, ais generally
written crayhsh ana pronounced 'crawtiSh on
the same principle, no doubt, that leads marketmen
To write whortlcbeIry aud say huckleberry' The
name, by the way, Is curiousy deceitful. Nothing
conid sound more like good Saxon English than the
word crawish. and even purist might be cheated
into using it before he discovered that the word
craytsh Is mere corruption of the French ecre
WISE. Wherever the name comes FROM the craw-
ish Is funny creature, and the speed
with which one of the inhabitants of Mr. BIlck-
fords tanks will dart backwarl when approached
by hostile finger is amusing. If. however the
creature is driven 20 corner, shrewd min npon
he hnger is apt to turn the laugh Ia his native
element the crawtish turks under stones or burrows
in the hanks of the stream. Whether those hollow
|cylindrica little hceps of mud resembling in size
and shape corn-cob, which are often seen at the
mouth of certain little burrows in dred-up marsh
lands are the work OF genuine crawfish Mr. Black
ford was unable Ia say. such, AT least, il their
tain that crawish burrow for some distance in the
banks of rivers and that they live for a time on
dry land.
The flavor of the crawfish depends largely Ilpon
the tood he eats and certainly he is almost as inis
criunatc feeder as the shark. He cannot II is
true. digest ale bottle but he Will eat any ami
mai mat err alive or dead. He is particularly fond
of snails, which lie dcvours with the she'll and he
has no scruple whatsoever against turning cannibal
Even water rats are sad sometimes TO fall
his prey His gait IN unique, for while on every I'M
portant occasion he walks backward like a courtier
ms httni starts ana stops SAVIOR more OF the stage
walk. IL IL only when lie feels perfectly ease thai
he goes forward like an honest man, and then. it
must be owned, he is tar from graceful.
Crawish generally caught IN this country by
the use OF the scinc though IN shallow waters they
can easily be taken by hand. In some places they
are captured at night. large bonfire is kindled
upon the bank of he river by the light of which fine
crawiish gather all their clans and are easily
scoOpcd up in hoop-netS or by hand.
The demand Tor crawtsh is on the increase in this
city. The trade comes chiefly from the hotels
though crawllsh are sometimes used a garnish 10
other viands II purpose winch, IN MIR. III cktord's
judgment they serve very handsomely. Generally
they are plunged alive INTO boiling water, and after
they cooked the claws and the front part of the
BODY detached 10 form the main ingredient of
soup, while the RESI- OF the animal is ground up with
a peste and put through colandcr to serve for
dressing
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