Turtle soup is soup or stews made from the flesh of the turtle. The dish exists in some cultures and is viewed as a luxury or delicacy. The soft-shelled turtle was commonly used for turtle soup in Singapore while the snapping turtle, found mainly in the United States, was typically used there; and is still found in certain regional cuisines, particularly in Philadelphia cuisine and some Southern United States cuisines. Chinese and other East Asian cuisines use primarily soft-shelled turtles for turtle soup. An alternative form of this dish without actual turtle meat is the mock turtle soup.
Video Turtle soup
Cultural
Singapore
In countries such as Singapore with large Chinese populations, turtle soup is a Chinese delicacy. The meat, skin and innards of the turtle are used in the soup. Soft-shelled turtles (?) such as Pelodiscus sinensis are commonly consumed in this manner in Chinese cuisine, while consumption of hard-shelled turtles (?) is often avoided due to their mythical connotations. However, the hard shells of certain turtles are used in the preparation of so-called "turtle jelly", or Guilinggao.
United States
19th-century American cookbooks advised homemakers that for the best turtle soup one should choose a turtle about 120 pounds (54 kg) in weight, as a smaller one would not have enough fat, and a bigger one would have too strong a flavor.
In many jurisdictions, turtle soup is illegal because many species of turtle are listed as threatened or endangered, and cannot legally be captured, let alone killed. Generally speaking, turtle populations cannot quickly recover from the loss of a breeding adult; thus, killing these turtles to make soup can depress populations below sustainable levels.
The common snapping turtle has also long been used in the United States, especially in the South. In this case the soup is commonly referred to as snapper turtle soup, or simply snapper soup (not to be confused with red snapper soup, which is made from the fish called a red snapper).
In Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, snapper soup is available at many area diners and is an established part of Philadelphia cuisine. It is a heavy, brown soup that tastes a little like thick gravy. The Philadelphia restaurant Old Original Bookbinder's served Snapper Soup which can also be purchased in cans at supermarkets.
As of 2016, turtle soup (and other dishes from turtle meat) are still served by a few restaurants in Minnesota, mostly on Fridays during Lent. It is said that it is primarily older customers who order the turtle; younger diners are less interested.
Among Creole communities, Turtle soup is known as Caouane. In New Orleans, it is a specialty of several neighborhood and classic Creole restaurants such as Commander's Palace, Brennan's, and Galatoire's.
Turtle soup was U.S. President William Howard Taft's favorite food. He brought a special chef into the White House for the specific purpose of preparing this dish.
Maps Turtle soup
Poisoning
Eating the flesh of some marine turtles can cause a type of food poisoning called chelonitoxism.
See also
- Mock turtle soup
- Shark fin soup
References
External links
- Asian Turtle Crisis
Source of article : Wikipedia
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