Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/345

Rh good of its kind, is always very much to be preferred to an expensive fish of inferior quality.

Fresh-water fish vary according to the nature of the water in which they have lived. When taken from a muddy stream, or in any stagnant water, they are often scarcely eatable; while those of the same species from deep, clear streams with a gravelly bottom have an excellent flavour. This is especially true of eels. All such fish are greatly improved by being kept in fresh water, and carefully fed for a few days before they come to table.

Preserved Fish.—Various methods are resorted to for preserving fish. It is dried, smoked, salted, put up in oil; or a combination of these methods is used, the object being to remove moisture or to exclude air. Of tinned fish we have spoken in another chapter. The fish that are most easily preserved are those rich in oil and of firm fibre. All fish lose nourishing power by being salted, and salt cod is said to be the least nourishing of foods commonly eaten.

Shell-fish are as a rule difficult of digestion, owing to the toughness and hardness of the flesh. The crustacea commonly eaten are the lobster, crab, crayfish, shrimp, and prawn. Of these, shrimps are the least esteemed, and are sold at a low price. Prawns are sought after for garnishing, and, generally speaking, are the dearest of all fish. The crayfish is less common in this country than in France, where it is employed to make the celebrated Bisque soup, and also largely for garnish.

Of the bivalve shell-fish, oysters have the best reputation, both for flavour and digestibility, and are for that reason given to invalids. Cooking, especially at a great heat, hardens them, and so renders them less digestible. The old saying is that oysters are in season when there is an "r" in the month, i.e., from September to April, but so many foreign oysters are now in the market that they are sold all the year round. Mussels have been known to produce poisonous effects, but the cause is not clearly known; possibly it is due to the nature of their food. Scallops are a comparatively cheap and not unpalatable food. Whelks, periwinkles, cockles and limpets are eaten in enormous numbers by the poorer classes, but are seldom cooked except by boiling.

Reptiles as food.—The green turtle is the only reptile that we appreciate as a food, though many reptiles are eaten in different parts of the world. Turtles sometimes weigh six or seven hundred lb., and are imported into, and kept, in this country alive. Sun-dried turtle, sold in pieces, is much cheaper than, and is a good substitute for, fresh turtle. Tinned turtle is also sold, and extract of turtle is recommended for invalids. These preparations can be bought in small quantities, and are within the reach of many who could not procure fresh turtle soup.

The edible frog (rana esculenta) is esteemed in many parts of Europe, but has never been appreciated by English people. Only the hind legs are eaten.