' NECESSITY knows no law,' says the proverb, and starvation
will cause people to eat anything, but nothing short of that
would induce the average English man or woman, to partake
of some of the dishes which foreigners relish. There are,
however, some who are ready to experiment upon anything
and everything presented to them in the shape of food. The
late Dr. Buckland made soup of the bones of extinct animals,
and his son, Mr. Frank Buckland, tasted every animal he
could get at from the Zoo, and induced some of the members
of the Zoological Society to join him in his * feast of reason,'
although it is doubtful whether the * flow of soul ' was quite
up to that which would have followed a feast of turtle,
oysters, etc., followed by mutton, beef, and game. And
yet there seems no reason why turtle should occupy the
proud position it enjoys, whilst we reject the land tortoise
its near relation, and why oysters should be prized and
snails rejected.
In eating and drinking there is a great deal of fashion
and prejudice. We know that during the siege of Paris the
Parisians were reduced to the necessity of eating all the
animals in the Jardin des Plantes, as well as * rats and mice
and such small deer,' and since then they have retained a
fondness for horseflesh, to which we have never yet attained,
144
UNAPPRECIATED TRIFLES 145
although, as we know, it has been eaten from time imme-
morial by the Tartars ; whilst hunters in Africa, as well as
natives, highly appreciate the meat of the zebra or quagga,
and that of the donkey is said to be superior to both ; but,
if placed upon the London market, in all probability all
three of these kindred meats would be allowed to rot
unpurchased. In like manner the porcupine is esteemed a
delicacy in South Africa, but its next-of-kin here, the
hedgehog, is only eaten by gipsies. The eel, and even the
great conger, is eaten with relish ; but the snake, which is
said to be good and wholesome, is regarded with horror
and loathing by men rendered squeamish by civilisation.
The lordly elephant is made to contribute his quota of
food to his pursuers, the foot being the tit-bit ; but the lion
and tiger, being carnivorous, are not appreciated by civilised
man any more than the shark, the eagle, the vulture, and
many other birds of the air, beasts of the earth, and fishes
of the great sea, which are greedily devoured by savages.
Even the hyaena is eaten by the Bushmen, although it is so
hated by them that every one passing the carcase gives it a
blow with a whip or stick.*
The whale and the seal are highly appreciated by the
Greenlanders and Eskimos, although hunger alone would
cause them to be relished by ourselves. Yet a whale or a
good fat seal would have saved the lives of many an Arctic
voyager, and the eagerness with which Greely and his
* Miss Gordon Gumming tells us that the Veddahs 'never eat
elephant, buffalo, or bear, though squirrels, mongooses and tortoises,
kites and crows, owls, rats, and bats are highly esteemed ; while a
roast monkey, or a huge, hideous iguana-lizard, is an ideal dainty.'
— 'Two Happy Years in Ceylon,' vol. ii., p. 91.
K
146 OUR VIANDS
Our viands
1893Page 71
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
A modernized reading is not available for this page yet. You are seeing the original text.
' NECESSITY knows no law,' says the proverb, and starvation
will cause people to eat anything, but nothing short of that
would induce the average English man or woman, to partake
of some of the dishes which foreigners relish. There are,
however, some who are ready to experiment upon anything
and everything presented to them in the shape of food. The
late Dr. Buckland made soup of the bones of extinct animals,
and his son, Mr. Frank Buckland, tasted every animal he
could get at from the Zoo, and induced some of the members
of the Zoological Society to join him in his * feast of reason,'
although it is doubtful whether the * flow of soul ' was quite
up to that which would have followed a feast of turtle,
oysters, etc., followed by mutton, beef, and game. And
yet there seems no reason why turtle should occupy the
proud position it enjoys, whilst we reject the land tortoise
its near relation, and why oysters should be prized and
snails rejected.
In eating and drinking there is a great deal of fashion
and prejudice. We know that during the siege of Paris the
Parisians were reduced to the necessity of eating all the
animals in the Jardin des Plantes, as well as * rats and mice
and such small deer,' and since then they have retained a
fondness for horseflesh, to which we have never yet attained,
144
UNAPPRECIATED TRIFLES 145
although, as we know, it has been eaten from time imme-
morial by the Tartars ; whilst hunters in Africa, as well as
natives, highly appreciate the meat of the zebra or quagga,
and that of the donkey is said to be superior to both ; but,
if placed upon the London market, in all probability all
three of these kindred meats would be allowed to rot
unpurchased. In like manner the porcupine is esteemed a
delicacy in South Africa, but its next-of-kin here, the
hedgehog, is only eaten by gipsies. The eel, and even the
great conger, is eaten with relish ; but the snake, which is
said to be good and wholesome, is regarded with horror
and loathing by men rendered squeamish by civilisation.
The lordly elephant is made to contribute his quota of
food to his pursuers, the foot being the tit-bit ; but the lion
and tiger, being carnivorous, are not appreciated by civilised
man any more than the shark, the eagle, the vulture, and
many other birds of the air, beasts of the earth, and fishes
of the great sea, which are greedily devoured by savages.
Even the hyaena is eaten by the Bushmen, although it is so
hated by them that every one passing the carcase gives it a
blow with a whip or stick.*
The whale and the seal are highly appreciated by the
Greenlanders and Eskimos, although hunger alone would
cause them to be relished by ourselves. Yet a whale or a
good fat seal would have saved the lives of many an Arctic
voyager, and the eagerness with which Greely and his
* Miss Gordon Gumming tells us that the Veddahs 'never eat
elephant, buffalo, or bear, though squirrels, mongooses and tortoises,
kites and crows, owls, rats, and bats are highly esteemed ; while a
roast monkey, or a huge, hideous iguana-lizard, is an ideal dainty.'
— 'Two Happy Years in Ceylon,' vol. ii., p. 91.
K
146 OUR VIANDS