Ethical Eating, 1841.

Yesterday I gave you some extracts from a recent Google Books find - Popular Errors Explained and Illustrated (John Timbs) published in London in 1841. It reminded me that subjects such as sensible, seasonal eating are not new issues. In fact, these were not new issues in 1841 when Timbs wrote his quirky, opinionated book, they had already been fodder for food writers for several centuries.
Timbs’ book also proves that ethical eating is not a twenty-first century (or even twentieth century) idea. Here is his exposé of those who would do harm to shellfish, and his refutation of the argument that a cruel death results in tastier meat.

CRUELTY TO SHELL FISH.

It has been satisfactorily proved, by the experience of Mr Saunders, a respectable London fishmonger, that driving pegs into the claws of Lobsters, instead of tying them, is an act of unnecessary cruelty. The custom of boiling Lobsters alive to improve their flavour, is also found to be as erroneous as it is cruel. The best method is, before boiling, to deprive the Lobster of life by putting it into fresh water - the hardest pump-water answers best - in which the fish will live but a short time. Lobsters thus dressed have been declared to be improved rather than deteriorated in their quality: the tail will be found to lose much of its hardness and indigestibility; the watery taste is equally common to those dressed in the usual way, which arises from the fish having been sickly and diseased. The preceding observations apply to Crabs, Shrimps, Prawns, &c. The horrible cruelty of dressing Shell-fish alive is the same as if another fish, which does not possess their amphibious property, but soon dies when taken out of the water, were to be instantly conveyed out of its native water either into the frying pan or the saucepan.

Fish may be crimped* nearly as well a few days after death as when alive. A question, however, occurs why the epicure should give the preference to Fish after it has parted with a considerable portion of its rich and soluble parts in boiling water, as in dressing crimped fish?

*Crimping is “to cause (the flesh of fish) to contract and become firm by gashing or cutting it before rigor mortis sets in.”

From John Timbs’ contemporary, and yesterday’s recipe source, I give you an idea for your humanely-killed lobster. Recipe fashions come and go – surely this one is due for revival? Although on second thoughts, anything with ‘butter’ in the title or the ingredient list might have a hard time of it today in any shape or form – more’s the pity, I say.

Lobster Butter.
Pound to the smoothest paste the coral of one or two fine lobsters, mix with it about a third of its volume of fresh butter, and the same proportion of spices as are given in the preceding receipt**. Let the whole be thoroughly blended; set it by for a while in a cool place and pot it, or make it up into small pats and serve them with curled parsley round the dish or with any light foliage that will contrast well with their brilliant colour. The flesh of the lobster may be cut fine with a very sharp knife and pounded with the coral.
A New System Of Domestic Cookery, Formed Upon Principles Of Economy by Maria Rundell (1840)

** ‘a high seasoning of mace and cayenne, and a small quantity of finely-grated nutmeg.’

Quotation for the Day.

A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only truly feminine and becoming viands.

Lord Byron.

Much Depends on Dinner.

January 22

The English poet Lord George Gordon Byron was born on this day in 1788. He is best known to foodies as the source of the quotation that inspired the title of the wonderful book by Margaret Visser, Much Depends on Dinner.

The quotation is from The Island, and the full stanza reads:

“All human history attests That happiness for man, - the hungry sinner! - Since Eve ate apples, much depends on dinner.”

The sub-title of Margaret Visser’s book is The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos of an Ordinary Meal, which is ironic, given that Byron found negotiating the meal table to be full of perils , having a troubled relationship with food – perhaps even so far as having what we would call an eating disorder.

His journals and letters certainly suggest an unhealthy attitude to eating. He is known to have struggled with his weight, loving good food but occasionally adopting severe weight loss regimes involving crash diets (becoming ‘a leguminous-eating Ascetic’), intense exercise regimes, purging and sweating.

His sister Augusta commented in a letter to another that “his way is to fast till he is famished & then devour more than his stomach in that weak state can bear - & so on”

A couple of his own letters will also illustrate:

“Sunday, I dined with the Lord Holland in St. James's Square. Large party …. Stuffed myself with sturgeon, and exceeded in champagne and wine in general, but not to confusion of head. When I do dine, I gorge like an Arab or a Boa snake, on fish and vegetables, but no meat. I am always better, however, on my tea and biscuit than any other regimen, and even that sparingly.”

And:

“To-day I have boxed one hour - written an ode to Napoleon Buonaparte - copied it - eaten six biscuits - drunk four bottles of soda water.”

Byron did not like to be seen eating, and his romantic views of women preferred that they be seen in an ethereal light, not doing something so gross as eating. He refused to eat with his wife when she was obviously pregnant, and had his meals sent to another room.

“A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only true feminine & becoming viands.”

Presumably, if it was OK for women to eat lobsters, a very delicate way to eat them would be to avoid the pesky shells altogether and have them potted. This recipe is from a domestic medical text.

To Pot Lobsters.
Take out the meat as whole as you can; split the tail, and remove the gut: if the inside be not watery, add that. Season with mace, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, and a clove or two, in the finest powder. Lay a little fine butter at the bottom of the pan, and the lobster smooth over I; cover it with butter, and bake it gently. When done, pour the whole on the bottom of a sieve; and with a fork lay the pieces into potting pots, some of each sort, with the seasoning about it. When cold, pour clarified butter over it, but not hot. It will be good next day; or highly seasoned, and thick covered with butter, it will keep some time.
[Thomas Cooper, M.D. A Treatise of Domestic Medicine, intended for families, in which the treatment of common disorders are alphabetically enumerated. To which is added, a Practical System of Domestic Cookery, …also The Art of Preserving. 1824] {American}

Tomorrow’s Story …

Odds and Ends for Dinner.

Quotation for the Day …

Man is a carnivorous production,
And must have meals, at least one meal a day;
He cannot live, like woodcocks, upon suction,
But, like the shark and tiger, must have prey;
Although his anatomical construction
Bears vegetables, in a grumbling way,
Your laboring people think beyond all question,
Beef, veal, and mutton better for digestion.”
Lord Byron (1788-1824.) Don Juan

Lobster, two cents apiece.

Today, July 5th

Sometimes, to read old journals is to weep. Henry D. Thoreau made a small aside in his diary on this day in 1855 to the effect that “The fishermen sell lobsters fresh for two cents apiece.”
The OED says that lobster is “a large marine stalk-eyed ten-footed long-tailed crustacean of the genus Homarus, much used for food; it is greenish or bluish when raw, and of a brilliant red when boiled: the first pair of feet are very large and form the characteristic 'claws'.”

I dont know how often definitions in the OED are updated, but “much used for food” hardly seems to be true today when they cost significantly more than two cents each. At two cents apiece they were spectacularly good value when you consider that they seem to have been a whole lot larger 150 years ago. When was the last time you even heard of a 28 pound lobster?

A book written by a butcher called Thomas F. De Voe called 'The Market Assistant, Containing a Brief Description of Every Article of Human Food Sold in the Public Markets of the Cities of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn' in 1867 has this to say about those ho-hum, almost too-well known, almost too-common hefty crustaceans:

Lobsters. These shell-fish are too well known to need description, as they are usually found in great plenty in our markets in all months of the year, except December, January, and February. They are, however, better in some of the months than others; that is, the female or hen lobster is generally preferred through the summer months -- especially June and July -- and the male, or "ram" lobster in the winter months, when found. The latter is distinguished from the hen not only for its want of eggs under the flap, or tail, but by the longer and narrower back, running quite to the tail and including the fan or fins. When the eggs, or berries, of the female are large and quite brown, the lobster will be found exhausted, watery, and quite poor. The largest are not always the best, but those ranging from four to six pounds in weight, when fat, are the choice and most delicate.
A very fine variety called blue-backs, with quite thin shells, brought from the coast about Cape Cod, in the months of May and June, are sought after by the lobster epicure. The average weight is usually from two to four pounds, although I have heard of their weighing above twenty. I am told that one was sold in Fulton Market, several years ago, of twenty-eight pounds!! The female seldom weighs above eight pounds. When fresh they are always lively, and the tail will spring strongly back under them when lifted from the stands. Many are found cooked in some of the markets, more particularly the Fulton, of New York, and Faneuil Hall, of Boston, who send them all over the country. The whole lobster is good to eat, except the shell and craw, or stomach, which lies between the eyes.

Professor Kalm, in his travels here in 1748, speaks of lobsters as being "plentifully caught hereabouts," and further says: "I was told of a very remarkable circumstance about these lobsters, and I have afterwards frequently heard it mentioned. The coast of New York had already European inhabitants, for a considerable time, yet no lobsters being in this part of the sea, they were therefore continually brought in great well-boats from New England, where they are plentiful; but it happened that one of these well-boats broke in pieces near Hell-gate, about ten English miles from New York, and all the lobsters in it got off. Since that time they have so multiplied in this part of the sea that they are now caught in the greatest abundance." The Gazette, etc., September 11th, 1766, says: "A live lobster, which weighed thirteen pounds and a quarter, was sold (in the previous month of July) at Billingsgate Market Garden (London) for twenty-four shillings (at New York, in 1765, one of eighteen pounds sold for two shillings and sixpence)." Some considerable difference in the weight and price.

Small wonder that lobster recipes were so abundant in cookbooks of Thoreau's time. Lobster leftovers were all likelihood a real problem. If you happen to be faced with that problem yourself, you could use it in this recipe:

Lobster Patties:
Make some puff-paste, and spread it on very deep patty pans. Bake it empty. Having boiled well two or three fine lobsters, extract all their meta, and mince it very small, mixing it with the coral smoothly mashed, and some yolk of hard-boiled egg, grated, add a little yellow lemon rind, grated. Moisten the mixture well with cream, or fresh butter, or salad oil. Put it into a stew-pan; add very little water, and let it stew till it just comes to a boil. Take it off the fire, and the patties being baked, remove them from the tin pans, place them on a large dish, and fill them up to the top with the mixture.
Similar patties may be made of prawns, or crabs.
[The Lady's Receipt Book .... Miss Leslie; 1847]

Tomorrow's Story ...

The Many Uses of Malt.

Quotation for the Day ...

In the light of what Proust wrote with so mild a stimulus, it is the world's loss that he did not have a heartier appetite. On a dozen Gardiner's Island oysters, a bowl of clam chowder, a peck of steamers, some bay scallops, three sauteed soft-shelled crabs, a few ears of freshly picked corn, a thin swordfish steak of generous area, a pair of lobsters, and a Long Island Duck, he might have written a masterpiece. A.J. Liebling.