Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-21
Terrapin and Canvasback.

I have enjoyed terrapin in the greatest
perfection at Baltimore, but / believe 1t Is
heresy to admit this, and Philadelphia pre-
tends that only Philadelphia can stew a
diamondback in a thoroughly BETTING man.
ner The inquiring epcure should be care
full that he gets the real thing. An inferior
and larger tortoise the slider, or red-bellied
terrapin, is often oished up instead Oh the
diamondback, Or used as an adulterant.
II YOU see the shell you cannot mistake
the two reptiles, one for the other. The
dfamondback has regular hexagonal marx
ings of line within line down the oroad OF
its back, while the slder's shell has no APP
proach to a regular geohelFicai pa''ei"
on IT.
Scarcely less to be desired than the terra
pin is the canvas-backed duck, announcer re IRE.
quenter of the eastern shores OF the Ofiiteo
States The name comes from the peculiar
canvas-like appearance of the feathers on
the birds back. The head Is of a duli RED,
dish brown, and the extremity or the DIN
has downward curve. The body is nueh
larger than that of that other excellent duck
the pochard, an allied species.
The canvas-back breeds in the norlh anu
winters In the south, but he ranks as dell
cacy only at certain seasons, and only when
he has been able to get the particular klno
of food which gives him the flavor by when
he has won his reputation rms 1000 Is the
plant called vallisneria spiralis. water cell
ery or wild celery, the spring plant or AUS
tralia and the tape grass or eel grass Oh
other places. 1t Aourishes in many ffesh-
water streams, and is extraordinarily plen-
tiful in the streams when Ieeo chesapeake
bay. -
American waters contain no soles, but
they produce many other fishes. especially
some varieties of bass, the denclouS DIue-
fish and the American shad. The last diff
fers entirely from either OF the TWO species
of shad known to British waters Ihough
a sea fish, 1t ascends rivers to spawn: IT
NAV be cooked in various ways, but 1t ID at
its best when 'planked,' or fastened TO
pine board and so toasted and basted be-
fore hot fire.
1t Is certainly very good done In that
way but II may be that the circumstances
In which one usually eats planked shad
have much to do with the grarefulnes5 o1
the dish l have had 1t only wnen camp
ing out or picnicking. With healthy open
air appetite ones palate Is neither exactihs
nor very sensitive.
The Real Blue Point.
There can be no doubt. however, as to the
Astounding merits OF the American oyster
Britons who have not crossed the Atlantic
and who have tasted so-called American
oysters only in London, will probably jeer
at me for saying this. Nevertheless, know
many an epicure of judgment who main
tains that one cannot understand what
first-rate oyster is until one has made the
acquaintance OF the best American kinds.
1t must not be supposed that the best
blue points sold in good New York
restaurants, bear much more than a nom1-
inal resemblance to the coarse oysters
which are commonly advertised as blue
points in England.
L recollect once asking a London oyster
man whether he ever had any real Ameri-
can blue points. Plenty" he replied. pick
Ing up an oyster and opening it. Here's
one. Do you see the blue point? And he
showed me the well-known blush eye on
the inside of the shell. Unfortunately, the
rtra hIa 81
promontory near Great South bay, Long
Island, and not from any real or supposed
blueness of the shell or its contents
Excellent oysters of similar type are
STILL / believe, dredged from Oyster Bay
Long Island, where President Roosevelt has
q country house; and another good small
American oyster is the New Haven dragon
OF the larger oysters, which are used for
cooking. the best is the saddlerock. One of
these, cooked shell and all in an iron re-
ceptacle, which prevents 1t from opening
to the heat, and which consequently allows
the fish to simmer In its own Juice. is most
delicious. -
The concoction used to be known In New
York as a box-stew; and I dare say that
there are still old-fashioned restaurants
which can provide it in perfection. The ex-
perimenter must not be deferred by the
size of the fish. 1t is big. but 1t Is neither
coarse nor tough. In fact, the saddlerock
can be cooked to advantage in score or
more Of ways, and, when cooked Is always
good.
Clam Bakes and Clam Chowder.
The clam Is another American bivalve
which offers opportunities to the dexterous
cook. There is more than one variety, but
each is different from what is known as the
clam In the London market. The best Is
Mya Arenaria. which provides the material
for the famous New England clam bake
CLAIMS baked on hot stones below sea
T. r~-I- a.. .