Mock Turtle Soup is a cheaper alternative to the expensive Green Turtle Soup, which was a status symbol in the Victorian era. Recipes for mock turtle soup used various meats and spices, with some using calf’s head or organ meat. Today, real turtle meat is protected, so mock turtle soup is the only option.
Mock Turtle Soup is imitation turtle soup. It can be made with a variety of different meat and spice sources and tastes like green turtle soup, which was a mouthwatering delicacy years ago. It is not, as suggested by the Red Queen in the book Alice in Wonderland, made of “fake turtles”. However, turtle meat is very difficult to obtain and very expensive, so cook recipes developed for a mock version of the soup so that more people can enjoy it.
Green Turtle Soup was a popular dish in the Victorian era, especially in England. Even at that time, turtle meat was extremely expensive because turtle meat had to be imported from the Cayman Islands. This meant that turtle soup was a dish that could only be eaten by the wealthy, and indeed it became a bit of a status symbol. It was often served in the homes of royalty and nobility, and was usually on the menu for important occasions.
Due to the expense of turtle meat, many people could not afford real turtle soup, so recipes for mock turtle soup were developed. Many hearty turtle soup recipes appeared in cookbooks of the time. All of these recipes used other ingredients instead of turtle meat, but the rest of the dish was prepared in a similar way. It was especially important to use the right blend of spices to achieve the desired taste.
Many mock turtle soup recipes used ingredients such as brains, feet, and other types of organ meat in place of turtle meat. One published version called for boiling a calf’s head, removing it from the liquid and cutting the flesh, then straining the water. After that the recipe calls for adding wine and ketchup to the filtered water, then thickening it with flour, putting the meat back in, and stewing it for a bit before serving. This same recipe also suggested that the eyes were a special treat and should be handled with extreme care.
In modern times, the turtles used for real turtle soup are protected in most parts of the world, so anyone who wants to try it will have to settle for the mock turtle soup variety. Some modern versions use standard beef rather than the calf’s head or other organs. There is a version of mock turtle soup popular in the city of Cincinnati in the United States. It is made by the Worthmore Company and uses lean meat, ketchup, hard-boiled eggs and lemons. It is said to look like any other thin beef or chili soup, but has a very unique flavor.
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