The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-10-03
Green Lizards, Crocodiles and Ele-
plants Foot are Some of the
Deiicacies That are
Enjoyed.
FROGS AND TIGERS, ALSO
II the Mixtures Were All Put To-
oether a Man Would Have All
Kinds Of Nightmares and
Dreams.

| Every nation has its staple dishes,
but the odds and ends are the more
interesting and in their way more
indicative of the general status of
1.-THE civilization of those partaking of
them
Mankind on the whole has an IN
tstinctive dislike to reptiles of every
kind and degree; yet OF the four
! ia miles into which the older natural
lists divided them-the saurin, orphi-
dan, batrachian and chelonian--each
affords suStenance to man, civilized
/ or savage. So in some parts of the
world IL is "cut from the alligator"
not from the point and a darby
waiter may bawl his order OF boiled
snake-one!"
| A peculiar dainty and nourishing
dish is made with the lguana, the
| flesh of which is as white as that of
! a chicken and just as palatable;
/ though the appearance Of the reptile
| with its scaly. black-spotted green
coat, is more repulsive than either
crocodile or alligator. TO the inha5i-
| tants of the West Indies and the Pa
hamas the iguana is a much valued
source OF food, and is hunted down
! by means of dogs, which are muzzled
! to prevent them using their teeth and
damag ing the iguanas which are said
alive or killed, sailed and barreled
; for home consumption, according 10 a
writer in the New York Herald. The
! flesh of the reptile is usually served
up boiled or steamed, together with
| dish of clarified iguana rat, some
times seasoned, into which the very
savory meat is dipped as It is eaten.
/ The eggs OF the iguana are also much
| reIished and are like hens eggs in
taste, but wholly filled with yolk and
1 do not become hard in boiling. The
horrid iguana of San Domingo is
much appreciated by the bons WV
ants in the West Indies, the flesh
4 tasting just like roebuck's although
/ infinitely more delicate.
Green Lizards and Crocodiles.
| The common green lizard is eaten
! with much gusto by many tribes in
/ Africa, and in the south of Portugal
tho gray lizard is eaten, both baked
and fried, the dish in both instances
tasting rather like chicken. In Brazil
green and yellow snake is con-
sumed by all classes, while among
the Sardinians the adder is frequently
added to broths and soups.
Crocodile flesh is publicly sold in
the meat markets OF Senaar, in
AFRICA, and in Siam one sees the car
casses hung up for sale like sheep in
the butchers shops. The flesh of
this great equatic lizard tastes some
what like veal, although to occident-
ais 1t has a faint fishy smell. In
South America the cayman. or alli-
gator, affords a dish, when boiled or
fried, which is said to be just as tasty
as rabbit. Both crocodile and alliga
tor eggs arc much priced by certain
nations. The natives OF Madagascar
are particularly fond Of the first ana
the SiameSe prize the second as a
great dainty. In flavor the eggs are
said to resemble those OF duck that
feeds mostly among tho sea garbage
of a foreign shore, plus, very faint
seasoning OF musk. 1t is the common
sea turtle, though, which has won the
highest communication as an edible
reptile 1t is species used in the
preparation of the hereditary fish at
most of the city banqueIs throughout
England, the supply being sent from
Jamaica and the Antilles, the favoTte
resort of these much priced reptiles.
which travel hundreds o. miles in
order to deposit their eggs.
A single turtle of the Amazon is
a heavy load for strong man; but
though much larger than the Carib
bean species, it is coarser in flesh.
At Ega every house has it's turtle
pond. which is stocked for the win
ter when the Amazon runs low. There
are several excellent methods of pre-
pairing turtle for the table. The Bra
zilians cut steaks from the breast
and roast them; the lean parts are
also roasted; sausages are made of
the stomach, and the entrails are
used in preparing stock for soup.
The usual way is just the simple one
of boiling the turtle in it's own shell.
Newly Matched turtle, with the re
mains of the yolk still inside it, is
particularly dainty anG nourishing,
we arc told.
On the continent the tortoise
takes the place of the turtle, where
tho reptiles are fattened on bread
and lettuce leaves, that is to say, in
normal times. The mud tortoise is
preferred in Provence and Langue-
doc, where, as in Italy and Greece its
blood is drunk, and its eggs and
flesh are cooked to satisfy the Lenten
being considered by the clergy as q
fish.
Frogs in Franco and Elsewhere.
OF the batrachians used as food,
the frogs is the most popular and
most historical the French. Ger
mans, Italians and Belgians all being
noted throughout the centuries for
their frog eating procliyities. The
frog is in best condition for the toOle
in the autumn, just before it takes
tc tho water for the winter; bu. is
most popular as food during the
spring, for il is then easier to each.
The French usually eat only the hind
quarters, dressed in wine or served
with a white sauce, when it is an ex-
ceedingly dainty and nourishing dish,