Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-01-08
ABOUT TERRAPlN.
Their Price Varies According to the I'll,


OF Day.
The diamond backed terrapin is
an aristocratic denizen Of Chesa-
peake bay and worth almost its
weight in gold to the epicure of the
fashionable cafe.
The diamond backed terrapin is
only another name for small spe-
cies Of turtle. and time was when
the colored people Of Maryland ate
them after roasting them in their
shells and never dreamed Of their
value as food for a royal menu.
Now terrapin farm Is a mine OF
wealth to its possessor.
A true story is told Of poor ne.
gro fisherman who CHANGED upon a
nest of diamond backs near Tangier
island in 1898. In four hours he
took out 200 worth and stopped
only when too exhausted to work.
Terrapins in pound present an
interesting but by no means an ap.
petizing appearance. The pound is
a place where the fishermen keep
the turtles until they are shipped tc
some city to the markets. The farms
where they are cultivated are flood
ed with sea water, so that the little
object preserves it's delicatessen
qualities unimpaired.
There are certain rules understood
by those who purchase terrapin
They are careful TO observe that the
extreme tip or muzzle is not injured
that the bottoms of the feet are moi
worn off, that the head is prettily
small, thin and pointed
and the eyes brilliant. The feet
should be small and slender.
Cooking terrapin properly is such
an art that only chef or Mary
lander should be permitted to give
instructions. To begin with, the first
rule is a challenge to the humane
society, Plunge the terrapin alive
into boiling water" Then 'boil I'M
til the skin and toe nails come off.
When the rudimentaries and vi
tails are disposed of, the rich, sweet
meat, which is better than chicken
or canvasback duck or frogs legs,
is stewed and prepared with an af-
finitive sauce and dash of ma
deira" or little good sherry, " and
in one recipe "a pint of pale bran
DIV. to which a match shall be set
when it is turned over the terra
pin" are added to make the delica-
cy complete.
The only people who can cook the
terrapin as it demands are the Ma
ryland cooks, who learned from the
colored people, and their secret OF
success is to handle it as little as
possible and to serve it from the
dish In which it was cooked, thus
preserving its native juices and arc
mas. The dash of wine is an limo
walton Of art.
On the terrapin farms of the Ches-
apeake peculiar sport is INDUCED
in by the men, called terrapin
racing" The turtles are let loose in
a large room where at one end a
hot fire is blazing, protected by a
guard. They all begin a scramble
for the light and warmth, the men
betting on particular ones. They
have no continuity of purpose and
are likely to branch off in dozen
devious routes, but the terrapin that
first puts its nose against the fire
wins the race.
Terrapin are rated according to
their value with family pedigree,
which simply gives the name of the
state whence they come. First on
the list for it's terrapin is Chesa-
peake bay; next comes Long Island;
then Virginia, Charleston and Sa-
vannah, Florida, Mobile and the
gulf follow. Mississippi and North
Carolina and other points south fur
nish excellent terrapin.
Now for prices Eighty dollars
dozen is not considered high for
choice terrapin at certain seasons
and on special occasions. A modest
housekeeper saw one crawling over
some Holsters in fish market and
out of curiosity inquired the price.
What time is it2" asked the mar
ketman, looking at his watch. You
may have it for So, but if it was 6
o'clock tonight, and only had that
one, 1 should have to charge you
more. I expect some in at any mo-
ment. Detroit Free Press.
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The BEST SALvE in the world for
Cuts, Bruises, Sores, Ulcers, Salt Rheum,