The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-01
FINE EATING
IN TERRAPlN
DIAMOND BACKS SELLING FOR
500 A DOZEN.
Forty Years Ago They Were Fed
Only to Slaves and Hogs But Now
They Command $500 Barrel and
Only Few Are to Be Had at That
How to Distinguish and How to
Cook the Terrapin.
From the Philadelphia North American.

| for $l.00 barrel. and laborers. when
hiring out specified that they must
not be compelled to eat terrapin more
| than twice week; today u barrel is
| cheap at $500, and milllonaires travel
| hundreds OF miles for chance to feast
on this most delicious of all meats.
or course, this means genuine dia-
mond backs. There are many imita-
tions. Every flrst-class restaurant in
the country features "Terrapin a la
Maryland on its MENU but in not one
case out of a hundred is the real terra
pin served. The diner regales himself
on what he believes to be Maryland's
choicest dish; instead he is merely eat
ing fresh water turtles, "sliders,' or
North Carolina goldens."
The reason is simple Restaurant
eurs don't serve real diamond backs
because they can't get them. The worlds
total population does not exceed $4,000
of legal size, and these are confined to
the shores of the Chesapeake bay, the
only place that produces them. Balti-'
more, Philadelphia and New York en-
joy monopoly. These three cities get
practically the entire output; but few
ever find their way across the Blue
Ridge. The epicure unfortunate enough
to be born in Chicago or st. Louis must
either come east or forego the joys of
terrapin.
SEASON NOW OPEN.
The terrapin season has just opened
in Maryland, and all along the Chesa-
pealic hunters are seeking the ugly
reptile with as much eagernesS as
prospectorS follow Il vein of gold. So
warm has been the weather that not
until the last few weeks have there
been reported many catches. But now
the majority of the diamond backs
have begun their long sleep in the mud
q foot below the surface of the marsh.
From Chrisfield and along the Little
Choptank a fairly satisfactory number
are being received in the local markets.
Those measuring from seven to eight
inches are greedily snapped up by club
stewards at $100 per dozen.
| Philadelphia and New York men are
| securing the eastern shore, purchasing
| the terrapin in as large quantities as
| their liberal offers can command. These
buyers already begun to raise the
| price, and Samuel Fl. LESSONS. the
| heaviest dealer in Baltimore, says that
he looks to see $125 per dozen a stand
ard price before long.
| These figures are decidedly interest
ing to those who know the history of
| the famous "bird of the Chesapeake. :"
| 1t was not forty years ago when the
| diamond backs We're fed to hogs in
Maryland and Delaware; scarcely less
that number ofyears since slave owners
| renting" out their negroes demanded
| a written contract that the slaves
| should not be asked to eat terrapin
oftener than twice week, lest they re-
volt and commit murder or run away.
! When the Pennsylvania railroad was
building it's lines through the eastern
peninsula of Maryland like contracts
We're demanded by the Italian and
negro laborers, and thousands Of these
| documentary evidences of the hatred
and scorn in which the reptile was held
are to be seen at the various county
seats.
The terrapin, less than eighty years
ago, was found in vast numbers all
along the Atlantic coast from Maine to
Florida. But they have nearly all dis
appeared, except in the salt marshes
| that fringe the Chesapeake.
Stringent laws, rigidly enforced--a
| law that provides heavy penalty for
| taking a terrapin under five inches
across the under shell-is still too lib
eral to prevent gradual decimation.
| ALL efforts to raise" the diamond
back in captivity have failed. No mat
ter how strong the ''pound," they es-
cape and leave their captors poorer in
pocket than before. Six years ago one
pound" at Crisfield, contained several
| thousand of the terrapins, but nearly
all have gradually made off.
A FINAL GASTRONOMIC DECISION
There is only one way to prepare ter
rapin 1t is recipe with official sane
ton, for it was awarded the verdict at
Il contest held January II, 1893, between
the most famous of Baltimore and
Philadelphia amateur cooks.
The contest was the outcome of dis
cussion between Arthur Paddleford, of
Baltimore, and a well-known Philadei-
phian as to the relative merits OF the
two styles of preparing terrapin. On
the day named party of Baltimoreans
met number of Philadelphians at II
local country seat, Maryland's cham
pion, Frank Hambleton, banker club
man and epicure, was chosen to demon
strate the beauties of "terraDin a la
Maryland" while William Struthers
/
phia style. The result was an almost
unanimous decision that "a la Mary
land" was far superior to "a la Phila-
delphia." Mr. Hambletons recipe Is ac-
cepted as the true and only one, Here
| it is:
Boil the terrapin until the skin ON the
claws is sufficiently soft to rub off at
the slightest touch. Take from the shell
and remove every particle of entrails
and lungs. Place the meat IN a chaflng
| dish. Add butter, pepper and salt the
quantity of each depending on the
quantity of flesh. Let 1t simmer until
the essence and butter reaches the con-
sstency of light gravy. Serve hot. II
desired, add a little good sherry While
eating, but not while cooking. Use no
spices or other ingredients that can de-
tract from the flavor.
Mr.. Struthers prepared u dish that
might have been lobster salad. chicken
salad or sweet breads. so far as APP
pearance went" "IIe added" says the
Maryland historian, spices. cream,
flour and wine, and destroyed the nat
ural flavor When served 1t was COW
| cred with thick Newburg dressing"
A return banquet was given at the
| Baltimore Club on February 4, 1898. A
| corps of Maryland's best amateur cooks
supplied the feast. President Grover
| Cleveland and the late Thomas y.
| Bayard, of Delaware, were recognized
in Maryland as two of the best judges
of the dish i'm the country. Both
favored the simple cookery championeI
by Mr.. Hambleton.