ROUSES_JanFeb2019_Magazine_Updated

Gulf Coast

by Sarah Baird

FOR SOME WISTFUL DINERS, MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD ARE DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE SCENT OF JAMS AND JELLIES BEING CANNED IN A GRANDMOTHER’S KITCHEN , or the taste of their first bites of a nectar- flavored snowball on a hot summer day. But for James Beard Award-nominated chef Slade Rushing of Brennan’s in New Orleans, his childhood memories taste a little bit more, uh, reptilian. “When I was growing up [in Mississippi], my mom likes to say that I was eating turtle soup at six months old,” Rushing says. “Just the smell of it gives me a rush of nostalgia to this day.” For those unfamiliar with turtle soup, the dish might be something of a head- scratcher. How did the slow-wobbling turtle become the focal point of a creation that’s not only revered as a Gulf Coast delicacy, but has become synonymous with über-high-end dining? After all, as Rush- ing points out, no one is exactly lining up to eat turtle cooked in other ways. Ultimately, the dish’s regional popularity comes down to a confluence of geographic location and the historic cultural stew of New Orleans cuisine. Early pioneers of Creole cooking — who were looking to re-create decadent, hearty soups rooted in Francophone traditions — found that, while traditionally rich ingredients like veal weren’t as common in Louisiana, the swamps were full of turtles — from snap- pers to red ears and everything in between. Turtle, with its seven distinctive types of meat, proved to be an ideal, velvety soup component that was able to create luxury from a local source. Soon, no one missed the veal at all. “Our turtle soup is one of our most iconic

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photo by ROMNEY CARUSO