So I was reading this article on treehugger.com entitled 'US Turtles Being Unsustainably Harvested for Asian Cuisine' Some people's reactions might me 'ewwww' Indeed after a sharp pang in my chest (in this instance guilt rather than heart- burn caused by the high fat content of turtle flesh) my reaction was 'Oops' I found that turtle (or in this case Suppon 鼈, or Japanese soft shell turtle ) tasted a lot like a particularly calorific tuna steak with an astronomic fat content.
Origionaly a treasured nibble of the Imperial court, Suppon cuisine has its roots in Chinese medicine and continues to be eaten by Japanese cancer patients for its miraculous properties. While fashionable ladies eat this for its skin -rejeuvinating collagen some say Suppon is 'special food for men; 男性が食べたらもと元気になるよ'
Aside from quasi-medicinal purposes Suppon has crawled into the kitchens of humble folk which is why I can write this post. While not being one of the handomest bites the Japanese have seem to do a decent job in making it look presentable. Here's some holiday photos of a multi-course turtle supper;
第一血酒 Blood sake, actually didn't taste bloody, just boozey.
第二おつまみ－ひらめとふぐ Nothing goes better with blood sake more than aquatic nibbles; Fugu, flounder and Cod.
第三内臓刺身On our third course of sashimi of internal organs. The severed head-garnish added a 4 dimensional touch as it continued to twitch; clearly the master chef did a better a job than the guy in zombie holocaust.
第四鼈だしのゾウシ、写真無い Next course was zousi also called Congee in China. After the flesh was picked out the chef boiled rice in the remaining stock. This created a porridge which was served with takuan pickles. There were no pics so here's me with the leftovers; I used the shell as an ashtray for a while before it got too smelly...
Well now you know where non sustainably sourced turtles end up when they're not beating up villains and eating pizza...
Origionaly a treasured nibble of the Imperial court, Suppon cuisine has its roots in Chinese medicine and continues to be eaten by Japanese cancer patients for its miraculous properties. While fashionable ladies eat this for its skin -rejeuvinating collagen some say Suppon is 'special food for men; 男性が食べたらもと元気になるよ'
Aside from quasi-medicinal purposes Suppon has crawled into the kitchens of humble folk which is why I can write this post. While not being one of the handomest bites the Japanese have seem to do a decent job in making it look presentable. Here's some holiday photos of a multi-course turtle supper;
第一血酒 Blood sake, actually didn't taste bloody, just boozey.
第二おつまみ－ひらめとふぐ Nothing goes better with blood sake more than aquatic nibbles; Fugu, flounder and Cod.
第三内臓刺身On our third course of sashimi of internal organs. The severed head-garnish added a 4 dimensional touch as it continued to twitch; clearly the master chef did a better a job than the guy in zombie holocaust.
Nothing makes a heartier meal more than a heart!
第四--鍋 Fourth course of stew ( nabe is sometimes translated as hotpot) cooked on a table- top brazier. This contains turtle flesh with leeks and Tofu, quite rich. At this point a feel the need to efface my face in case turtle lovers hunt me down. I've already had one slap in the face as a result if this meal...well a boys got to eat.
Close up! neck or maybe a paw? note the high fat content.
第四鼈だしのゾウシ、写真無い Next course was zousi also called Congee in China. After the flesh was picked out the chef boiled rice in the remaining stock. This created a porridge which was served with takuan pickles. There were no pics so here's me with the leftovers; I used the shell as an ashtray for a while before it got too smelly...
Well now you know where non sustainably sourced turtles end up when they're not beating up villains and eating pizza...
