The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-30
HUMBUG ABOUT TERRiPIy.
Preparing the Dish Not Difficult Art
According TO Caterer.
From the New York sun.

FROM the New York sun.
There is a good deal of polite humbus
about terrapin stew" said a caterer. The
Maryland style is generally accented az
the best way in which the dish should ba
eaten, but, as a matter of fact, there is 50
little difference between that style and the
Philadelphia style that no one can tell the
difference by taste of it, and, further,
the Virginia style of preparing terrapln. as
followed by the Incompatible negro MANI
my cooks of the old dominion, is the only
true way to cook it. and by far the sim
plest. The cooking of terrapin seems to be
natural gift with the Virginia negress.
1t is an art that the professional cook
has to acquire.
THE preparing for the table Of ter
rapin in the approved Maryland style is
quite tedious proceeding. and the person
who does it never fails to impress you with
the fact that he believes, or thinks he be-
lieves, that he is, and of necessity must be,
being of exceptional accomplishments as
culinary artist; but if you are not sus-
ceDuble to the glamOr which tradition has
cast around the terrapin cook, you can do
the business just exactly as well yourself.
You viii never be able to get receipt for
cooking terrapin from any of these
glorided concoctors of a stew. They will
always give you q wise shake of the head
and declare that such a thing would be-
impossible, save as to the mode in a gem
eral way. because they have certain arts-
tic secrets about making terrapin stew
which they cannot impart to any one, the
same. of course. being a very excellent
quality of rot. The preparing of terra
pin depends more upon the knowledge Of
how to treat it anatOmically than on any
artistic touch.
"a terrapin that has been caught after it
has gone into its winter quarters does not
need to be cleaned before it is cooked.
There is no food in its stomach and its
Interior is as clean as can be made. In
the Maryland or Philadelphia way of pre-
pairing terapin it is thrown alive into a
pot of hot water. This is cruel enough, but
it is humanity compared with the way the
terrapin is treated in the old Virginia
style In beginning its preparation in this
style the unfortunate reptile is thrust alive
among hot Goals or shut in very hot
oven, and left there until it is cooked
When this result is reached the under
shell of the terrapin is easily removed
with a knife, exposing the meat resting
in the natural dish formed by the upper
shell. Nothing but the gall sack Is re-
moved, and, with the addition of butter
seasoning and a glass Of sherry or Ma
deira wine, the terrapin is eaten from the
shell. But it is not terrapin stew.
after the terrapin is cast into the ket.
Philadelphia styles, It is left there until
is dead. 1t is then taken out, and the up
per shell removed. The terapin is return
ed to the hot water, left a short time, re-
moved, and its under she'll taken of. Now
comes a very delivate operation, ana me
one on which failure or success depends
This is the removal of the liver and the
gan sack If so much of the gall as would
coverthe point Of pin should remain u
would faint the entire stew, and make the
eating of it an impossibility. This neces-
sary dissection done, the meat is put oagA
into the kettle and stewed until it is reaay
for the final touch. This is the addition "
the very finest butter the yolks OF raw
eggs, the whites of hard-boiled eggs, thiCA
cream and spices. The addition of sherry
or Madeira must be made only a Veiy
short time before the stew is served oE
the effect of that flavor will be lost 'n9
wine evaporating quickly"