In many jurisdictions, turtle soup is illegal because many species of turtle are considered threatened or endangered, and cannot legally be captured and killed. Generally speaking, turtle populations cannot quickly recover from the loss of a breeding adult, thus, killing these turtles to make soup can depress populations below sustainable levels.
In the Delaware Valley, snapper soup is fairly popular and available at many area diners. It is a heavy, brown soup that tastes a little like thick gravy. The famous Philadelphia restaurant Old Original Bookbinder's is known for their Snapper Soup, which can also be purchased in cans at supermarkets.
In Asian countries such as Singapore, turtle soup is a Chinese delicacy known for its rich herbal taste. The meat, skin and innards of the turtle are used in the soup. The species used is Pelodiscus sinensis.[1]
Turtle soup is popular in New Orleans as well, where it is a specialty of several neighborhood and classic Creole restaurants such asCommander's Palace, Brennan's, and Galatoire's.
Turtle soup was U.S. President William Howard Taft's favorite food.[2] He brought a special chef into the White House for the specific purpose of preparing this dish.[3]
Gordon at 5:26:00 PM