Object Status:
Unlocated
Accession Date:
June 3, 1815
Primary Source Reference:
Peale Museum Accessions Book, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, p. 76
Notes:
Daniel Rubicam and his wife Elizabeth were the co-owners of the Washington Hotel at 20 S. 6th St. in Philadelphia. They were "legends in their own lilfetimes for exquisite cooking and top-flight accommodations in the city. Their green turtle soup was considered the best in town, and while Daniel could claim much credit for that, it was Elizabeth who was considered by all standards of measure to be America's premier terrapin cook." William Woys Weaver, Thirty-Five Receipts from "The Larder Invaded" (Philadelphia, 1986), pp. 35-37
In the United States, the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) has long been the principal species used for turtle soup, which is also called snapper turtle soup, or simply snapper soup. But that species has an average weight of 10 to 35 lbs., with a record of 75 lbs. Given that the specimen at the Peale Museum weighed 124 lbs. and is described as a "green Turtle," it was most likely the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), which can weigh up to 400 lbs. The green sea turtle's fat, cartilage, and flesh, known as calipee, are sought as ingredients for making turtle soup.
Specimen Type:
Dead/preserved
Current Common Name:
Green sea turtle
Current Scientific Name
Chelonia mydas
