13 replies to this topic

[Tj Jack]

Is turtle soup available anywhere?

I thought they were an endangered species?

???

Tj Jack

[libertythor]

It isn't available legally. However I am tempted to bring a huge snapping turtle down here for someone who knows how to cook turtle to have a shot at it. There is no shortage of snapping turtles.

[abercrombie]

no lo haga!!

[libertythor]

no lo haga!!

LOL La tortuga pellizcadora no es un especie protegido pero si se presentaría el problema con la importación del animal. jajajaja

[SaborMexicana]

You are making a joke, right?

Say yes!

[libertythor]

Well snapping turtle from the midwest is not illegal to catch and eat; they are very plentiful and tasty, but yes I am joking about bringing them down here. SAGARPA would probably throw me in the bote. lol

You are making a joke, right?

Say yes!

[Aztec Eagle]

Is turtle soup available anywhere?

I thought they were an endangered species?

???

Tj Jack

MM mm so good!

At least what i can remember of it its been a long time since i had it, i was a little kid here in TJ and i remember that there use to be a street cart in every corner of the city offering CAGUAMA or turtle tacos it was kinda like Birria but milder and you would drink a cup of it soup while munching down the tacos of its soft and very tasty meat.

It was inexpensive and widely available i even remember in supermarkets like Calimax besides the fish,shrimp,octopus and lobster there was always a head or two of a huge turtle looking at you true the glass of the freezer it was a typical dish of the Baja peninsula like fish tacos or Lobster but after the consumption grew enormously and it was consider a endanger species and the government steeped in and started an intensive program to stop and change the mentality of all Bajacalifornians who use to eat Caguama( The whale eating Japanese should learn from this example)it was prohibit to eat or capture any turtles in Mexico the Mexican Navy started patrolling beaches and keeping its watchful eye on fisherman and other environmental government agency also protected there eggs from consumption and helping in the reproduction of the species,they use to say it was easier to get away with murder of a human then
to kill a turtle.

Theres still sadly some small time smuggling going around in small fishing villages in Baja, also Cuba and other caribean countrys have no laws against capturing turtles or eggs for human consumption.

For those who have the craving for caguama another alternative is CAGUAMANTA which is cooked exactly like Caguama but is made of MANTARRAYA you guessed right stingray meat.

If you want to know how it tastes like try Caguamanta theres a taco stand that sell Caguamanta on Benitez Blvd. right before you get to O´Higgins Blvd. on the left hand side going west bound.

[George Costanza]

That's a lot of turtles

[galvezis]

That's a lot of turtles

I don't know but tutles do not really make me hungry...my son has a small half-dollar sized turtle and the thought of eating it makes me...

[otayBill]

This weekend I was talking with a friend. He said Turtle soup was popular with tourists in Ensenada back in 1965. Then, like Mr. Aztec said, it became an endangered species. Ensenada was a small fishing village then. He's curious to go back and see how the town has changed.

[TJ Owl]

I have also heard the tale of the turtle for dinner. I once read that, back in the 50's and 60's the turtle trade was so big that huge trains of open topped cargo cars would pass through topolombampo (see Los Mochis, Sinaloa) and load 24 hours a day with just turtles. That is just an unimaginable number of turtles to me. It would have to be hundred of thousands EVERY DAY. BTW, this is the time of year turtle was most popular because of lent.
A SMALL correction on the Cahuamanta, Manta is any kind of a Ray to most Mexicans and is NOT species specific to the Manta Ray (Pez Diablo). That is just what they call it. I believe it became illegal about 1984. I understand it is still available, if you know the right connections. I know I have seen several shows in Spanish about the illegal egg trade in el DF.

[xolotl]

Caguamanta (sometimes misspelled as "cahuamanta") has nothing to do with the mantarraya. Caguamanta is the local stew of sea turtle, replete with local ingredients such as green olives, and it has been illegal for a few years now simply because the local sea turtles are now protected by SEMANAT.

Caguamanta is still made commercially with yellow-fin tuna as a base rather than tortoise. I have a can here in the house.

X

[Scooby]

I passed a streetside taco stand the other day whose sign said cahuamanta. Was curious to try it, but I was with company and couldn't turn around. I think I saw it on Fundadores near Rubi on the inbound side of the street. Never have eaten a turtle (nor a dog or cat for that matter ).

[bigloudj]

Caguamanta (sometimes misspelled as "cahuamanta") has nothing to do with the mantarraya. Caguamanta is the local stew of sea turtle, replete with local ingredients such as green olives, and it has been illegal for a few years now simply because the local sea turtles are now protected by SEMANAT.

Caguamanta is still made commercially with yellow-fin tuna as a base rather than tortoise. I have a can here in the house.

X

I will correct YOU as will others when WE say Cahuamanta has NO turtle in it.....
Caguama, which is NOT legally available DOES...
Cahuamanta chefs substitute whatever they want however the soup is traditionally made with "Ray", batray, stingray, mantaray, i have no idea nor do i care.