THE TEOUT. 163 



My last jotting re trout is gastronomical. In the Haven 

 of Health (1636) we read that — ■ 



" A troute is so sound in nourishing that when we would say in 

 English a man is thoroughly sound, we use to say that he was as 

 sound as a troute.'' 



Izaak Walton says, — • 



" It is a fish highly valued in this and fweign nations. He may be 

 justly said, as the old poet said of wine, and we English say of venison, 

 to be a generous fish — a fish that is so like the buck, that he also has 

 his seasons ; for it is observed that he comes in and goes out of season 

 with the stag and buck. . . . He may justly contend with all fresh- 

 water fish, as the mullet may with all sea-fish, for precedency and 

 daintiness of taste, and being in right season the most dainty palates 

 have allowed precedency to him." 



I have already said that a real Thames trout is as good 

 as the best of salmon, and better than a great many. The 

 Colne trout, his first cousin, is but little if at all inferior 

 to him ; and the trout of some few other waters are almost 

 equally good in texture of flesh and flavour. But, generally 

 speaking, as trout vary in form and colouring in different 

 rivers, so do they vary in the quality of their meat. Some 

 cook crisp and eat most sweet, while others are soppy 

 and almost as muddy in flavour as a pond roach or bream, 

 or are simply tasteless. There is no fish from either fresh 

 or salt water that varies so much in a gastronomic point 

 of view as a trout. 



The recipes for cooking a trout are almost as numerous 

 as the varieties of the fish itself. Our forefathers, whatever 

 we may say of their " simple" ways, were seldom contented 

 to eat their fish au naturel, but directed their oooks to 

 prepare them with such numerous ingredients for stuffing, 

 cooking, " serving," and sauce, that the wonder is they 



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