Sunday, August 7, 2011

Eating Turtle is Good!

As we explore the island of Grand Cayman, we see signs advertising Turtle Burgers, and I'm curious about it.



These cute, majestic and perptually endangered
creatures are a delicacy here. All turtle meat served legally on the island eminates from the Cayman Turtle Farm.



The Cayman Turtle Farm is visited by hordes of cruise ship passengers that visit the spot each week. It really is a unique place worth checking out, better still when the cruise ships are NOT in port.



Just think, where else can you cuddle with a turtle and get your photo snapped with him before heading over to the on-site restaurant to eat one of his buddies? As you might imagine, some people have a problem with this place.



The Turtle Farm certainly rides a fine line between putting on a good show for the tourists and feeding the island's insatiable appetite for turtle meat, a culinary tradition that dates back centuries in the Cayman Islands. It's a delicate balancing act, but one that's probably best for all parties concerned. Yes, even the turtles.



For one thing, The Turtle Farm regulates the legal sale of all turtle meat in Grand Cayman. This works to reduce the reckless poaching that put turtles on the endangered list in the first place.



For another thing, the Farm is heavily into turtle research and preservation, with the sale of all that turtle meat funding a portion of the conservation efforts. More than 30,000 turtles have been released back into the wild since the facility opened in 1968.


The restaurant at The Turtle Farm features Turtle Stew with rice and beans, plantains and coleslaw pictured above. The menu also includes Turtle Burgers and Turtle Steak, but the Turtle Stew is the most traditional. Also, none of the meat is wasted. Even the fins are used in making Turtle Stew.



So when you plan your trip to Grand Cayman, be sure to include one meal of Turtle Meat, because it really is an island traditional meal. Have you tasted Turtle meat?



One side note, we don't sell Turtle Meat at Harter House Supermarkets...yet!

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