The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-07-23
RHODE ISLAND cLAMBAKEs.
What They Are, How Prepared and How
Consumed.
Especial Correspondence

oulJ AehO"S SN
clambakes are renowned the country
over, but there is scarcely any one out
side the state who is at all acquainted
with the process of preparing a clam
dinner. All individuals not thus in.
formed Rhode Islanders regard a.
hopelessly benighted; and SO, for the eli
lightenment of such unfortunates,
have thought it well to give a descrip
ton OF the modus operandi of a genuine
old fashioned Rhode Island clambake
together with such observations as MAJ
suggest themselves as | proceed.
1t is, really now an interesting proc.
ess. The requisite materials for = small
bake are as follows: A few sticks of
cordwOod, a number of stones about the
size of a mans head-and the smoother
and the more nearly round the better
q lot OF wet seaweed, a big piece of can.
vas, and last, but not least, the clans
themselves.
The man upon whom devolves the tire.
mendous responsibility of conducting
the bake--and he always has u deep
sense of the dignity of his position-hav-
ing collected the material, first piles uE
the cordwood in '.corncob" fashion. He
then sets fire to it.. and after the fire
has gotten well under way throws the
stones in, around and above the blazing,
cracking sticks. AS the wood burns
away and the ''cOrncob" structure grad
ually settles the stones settle with it,
until finally nothing remains but a pile
OF stones so hot that it burns ones face
to stand within three feet of them.
Our hero" as the story books saw,
now cover the hot stones with seaweed.
pours the clans over the seaweed. dis.
tributing them evenly, puts on more
seaweed and over the whole thing throws
the piece of canvas, SO arranging it that
as little steam us possible will escape;
for the stones being Kissing hot and the
seaweed dripping wet, there is steam in
abundance, and it is the steam thus pro-
duced that cooks the CLAIMS; so that it is
not strictly accurate to speak of baked
clans. Steamed CLANS is the correct
term.
1t takes about three-quarters of an
hour for the clans to cook thoroughly.
At the expiration of that time the canvas
is removed, the upper layer of seaweed
raked away, and the CLANS, steam.
ing hot, removed and placed upon the
table ready for the diners when they
shall have finished their clam chowder
and fish, which are always the first and
second courses of a genuine ashore din
ner." This chOwder is a grand con.
glomeration of clam, potato, onion and
cracker all boiled up together, with a
few pieces of salt pork to give charac-
ter to the mixture. Strange as it may
seem, Rhode islanders really like it, or
at least imagine that they do.
Following is the menu of q typical
clam dinner:
Chowder. Fish.
Sweet Potato. Corn.
Brown Bread. Ice Water.
The fish and corr are cooked with
the clans. The fish, rolled up in wet
cloth. and the corn in its husk are tucked
in among the seaweed about twenty
minutes before the time Of '~'opening the
bake and left there with the CLANS to
be steamed into a condition of edibility.
Bluefish, mackerel, swordfish, cod ard
other kinds OF ''sea fruit are cooked il
this way.
The eating of clans is an art in itself. |
A quart dish Of the bivalves, shell an!
all, is placed before you, and with Il
pitcher Of hot, melted butter, or some
thing supposed to be that. Anyway it |
is hot, yellow and greasy. You poul
out a little on your plate. Then you
pick up a clam in the shell with your
left hand-your left hand. remember
separate the shells and remove the ugly
looking skin enveloping the head and
neck, remove the clam with your other
hand, holding the head and neck be-
tween the thumb and the forefinger, dip
clam in the hot yellow grease float
ing around on your plate and then gen
thy insert it in your mouth-that is. all
but the head and neck.
When you get as far as the neck You
must bring your teeth together with
energy. This leaves the
c'Ny - thO u ~ youi hioutI, Nv tlIt |
neck and head outside, still between the
thumb and the forefinger. A swallow
most people regard mastication in such
cases as supertluous-and the deed is
done. Down your throat has glided a
hot, dead clam-lungs, stomach, liver.
entrails and all. except the organs of the
head and neck, that go to make up q
class. well regulated clam. Ugh!
As might be anticipated, it takes time
to master this art, and nothing anuses
a Rhode Islander more than to watch a
novice eat CLANS. But sometimes the
novice is so ignorant as to eat the CLAIMS
neck and head, and then the veteran
eater is quite disgusted. The lat
ter can swallow a CLAIMS entrails with
a shudder, but is scandalized at the
spectacle of ones swallowing a CLAIMS
head.
If n wishes a genuine clam dinner
must come to Rhode Island, take a