CIDARID^. 175 



Italian Recipe. — Fry them in oil. They cook them 

 thus at a small village on the Rivieraj not far from 

 Savona, and they taste like skate. 



Tn France, Octopus vulgaris is highly prized for bait, 

 and is also considered very good as food ; and in ' Life in 

 Normandy,' vol. i., is the following recipe for cooking 

 it:— 



" A dish of cuttlefish is divided in the centre by a 

 slice of toast; on one side of the toast is a mass of 

 cuttle-fish stewed with a white sauce ; and on the other 

 a pile of them beautifully fried, of a clear even colour, 

 without the slightest appearance of grease. The flour 

 of haricot-bean, very finely ground, and which is as good 

 as breadcrumbs, is added." 



" Weymouth Recipe for Cooking common Cuttle or 

 ' Scuttle.' — Cut off the head and feelers, and take out 

 the white bone ; then boil for a short time till tender, — ■ 

 generally ten minutes or so will suflSce. It is said to 

 taste like lobster." 



Alexis, in his ' Wicked Woman,' introduces a cook, 

 saying:-— 



" Now these three cuttle-fish I haye just bought 

 For one small drachma ; aad when I have cut off 

 jrheir feelers and their fins, I then shall boil them, 

 And cutting up the main part of their meat 

 Into small dice, and rubbing in some salt 

 (After the guests already are set down), 

 I then shall put them in the frying-pan, 

 And serve up hot towards the end of supper."* 



Major Byng Hall mentions the cuttle-fish {Calamares) 

 as one of the great treats of the natives of Madrid. f 

 * Athenffius, ¥ol. ii. h\. yii. u. 124. f ' Queen's Messenger,' p. 341. 



