The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-09-01
THE TERRAPIN.
AN EDIBLE REPTILE BELOVED
BY THE EPICURE.
A Maryland Member Of Congress the
First Tcrrapin Eatcr-How
the Tcrrapin is Turned
Into Food.

+ The turtles immediate relatives are the
land tortoise and the terrapin. The tor
toise was highly respected by the an
clients, and is mentioned by Pliny the
younger as reptile ''of ca m and i'm
posing demcanor, and wise, lnasmuch as
he avoideth haste"
The identity of q man who first ate an
oyster is buried in obscurity. Attempts
have been made by many learned anti
quarians to discover that daring indlvi-
dual, but in vain. At one time, about
the beginning of this century, q musty
old searcher into the records OF the past
declared that Celtic knight, Sir Morn
Mora Gan, who was the pos:cssor of
massive stronghold on the western shores,
was the first oyster cater, but he failed
dismally in the presenc of delegates
from seventeen learned societies to estab-
lish his claim to the alleged discovery,
/ But the names of those who took the
initial plunge in the terrapin business arc
we'll known and honorcd in Maryland,
where the tcrrapin is, of all things in
animated nature, most honored and
loved. Daniel st. George Tcnifer, mem.
Der of Congress from Maryland, and
aftcrward Minister to Austria, and
John B. Norris, President of the Me-
chanics' Bank of Baltimore, were the
heroes who ate the first tcrrapin that civ
ilized man ever ate. Morris cd in 1875, at
the age of ninety, and Tenifer was almost
as old when called away from this world,
the good things of which, chiefly terra
pin, be had heartily enjoyed. Mr.. Teni-
fer argued that if the turtle, whose
habits so closely resembled the terrapin,
was edible, there was no reason why the
{ terrapin should not be equally good. So
soon as this valuable culinary dis, overy
was announced, all the epicures of Bait
more cIamored for terrapin. From 1915
to 1850 terrapin sold in Baltimore at
from So to SO per dozen. In 1860 they
! commanded $50 dozen, and aft.r the
war the d: alers asked $50 and $40 a
dozen, and 60: it, too.
The best terrap pin are the dirmond
back. These come from the ea'tern
shores of Chesapeake Bay, and are aaec-
tionately known as eastern shore pull
let's" A full-grown specimen is from
nine to ten inches ir length. The best
season for eating them is in November,
when they are taken by drags from the
mud in which they hibernate. The ex-
cellent quality of these terrapin, which
are much finer than any in this State, i!
attributed to the fact that they lie at the
edge of tide water, and are alternately
washed by the fresh and salt water dur
ing the twenty.four hous.
The female terrapin, when carrying
eggs, as she does in the winter season, is
the most highly esteemed. The male
terrapin is set down as a tough fellow,
and no true epicure will have him in his
stew. In the cooking, the intestine',
which, as the reptile is alternating, arc
empty, are cut up with the other po:-
tions and are said to impart very supe-
rior flavor. The Baltimoreans differ
from the Californians in preparing this
delicious dish. They cook their terra
pin altogether without spice, except
pepper ard salt, using only butter rolled
in flour to thicken 1t, and favor it with
old Madeira instead OF sherry. The
gourmcts of the old days kept what they
called the terlapin bottle. Into this,
when the Madeira was decanted, the
lees were poured, which are considered
better for the terrapin stew than the
clear wine. 1t was only after the failure
of the Madeira wine crop that Baltimore
gentleman used sherry in their tcrrapin.
In preparing terrapin &or the stew pot
care is taken that the gall is extracted,
else the dish becomes Il nauseating fail
ure. They are plunged alive into boil
ing water, and when the claws pull out
easily, they are done and ready to be
picked for the stewpan. The cultiva
tion o. terrapin is quite an important in
dustry IN this portion Of the South, and
one gentleman last year c'eLred over
81, 600 from his terrapin farm.
Terrapin arc very numerous in this
State, but their consumption is not at all
as general as in the Eastern and South.
ern sections of the country. A few cpl
cures enjoy them, but it is not easy to
find cook who thoroughly understands
their preparation. They make the stt VS.
too thin, and so smother them with spice
that the true, delicate flavor of the terra
pin is completely sacrificed. Indeed, a
cook of ordinary skill can make all imi-
tation of tcrrapin with soup meat very
ClOsc W VIC Icil tulLS no lhooSnteu - u@iS,
being spiced beyond recognition: In
those large ponds aud sloughs made by
the overflow of the Sacramento River
terrapin abound. They are taken with
drag and scoop nets st all seasons, ard
sell in tie markets flom $3.50 to $3
dozen. In marketing, the tcrrapin
dealer will always try to palm off the
male tcrrapin on the ignorant eater,
while the females are reserved for their
customers who know what they a-c
about, and would not have the gentleman
reptile for a gift. Along the Southern
shore, in the neighborhood of Point San
Pablo, are several large tcrrapin ponds,
where they are bred for the market Here
the female is allowed to deposit her eggs
undi>turbed in the sandy margin Of
these ponds, and never rakcd out during
the alternating 'e.son.
4 jar of tcrrapin is favoritc hrist-
mas present from the Baltimore aristoc-
racy to their English friends, and the
great American dclicacy is most thor
oughly appreciated on the other side of
the water.-Sdn Francisco Chronicle.