284 OYSTERS, AND ALL ABOUT THEM. 



The oddest way of cooking an oyster, of which we 

 have any mention, is that recorded by Evelyn, who, in the 

 year 1672, saw Richardson, "the famous fire-eater," per- 

 form wondrous feats, one of whicli was, " taking a live 

 coal on his tongue, he put on it a raw oyster ; the coal was 

 blown on with bellows, till it flam'd and sparkl'd in his 

 mouth, and so remained till the oyster gaped, and was 

 quite boil'd." Who ate the oyster thus cooked, we are 

 not informed, (g) 



The Chinese seldom eat fresh oysters : they are usu- 

 ally dried. They are first boiled for a short time, and 

 then either exposed to the sun, or dried over a slow fire 

 until they look like mushrooms, and give off a nasty rancid 

 smell. When they are eaten fresh, they are taken with 

 ginger and vinegar, and a sauce is made by boiling down 

 the water in which oysters have previously been boiled, (h) 



" Oyster Soup. Take fifty oysters ; blanch them, but do 

 not let them boil ; strain through a sieve, and save the 

 liquor. Put a quarter of a pound of butter into a stew- 

 pan ; when it is melted, add six ounces of flour ; stir it 

 over the fire for a few minutes ; add the liquor from the 

 oysters, two quarts of veal stock, one quart of new milk ; 

 season with salt, peppercorns, a little cayenne pepper, a 

 blade of mace, Harvey's sauce and essence of anchovy, a 

 tablespoonful of each ; strain it through a tammy, let it 

 boil ten minutes ; put the oysters into the tureen, with a 

 gill of cream, and pour the boiling soup upon them." (t) 



Gower Recipe for Oyster Soup. Boil four sheep's feet 

 in two quarts of water, till reduced to one quart ; it will 



(g) "Evelyn's Memoirs," vol. I, p. 438. 



(h) " Flight of the Lapwing." 

 (z) Murray's " Modern Cookery." 



