SC - Thoughts on Black Turkey

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Adamantius wrote:

> Hullo, the list!
>
> I vaguely recall seeing a reference on this list to a dish called Black
> Turkey, with a URL posted alongside it for a page purporting to contain
> a recipe.

The page really did contain a recipe along with its accompanying urban legend.

> While there was nothing really outstanding that I can point to as being
> suspicious-looking, it occurs to me that some late-20th-century/early
> 21st century Americans might not know who Robert Benchley was, and the
> text, it seems to be claimed, was either written by, or told to, Robert
> Benchley. Benchley was a member of the famous Algonquin Round Table, a
> humorist, and pretty obviously a drinker of some repute. His style,
> reminiscent of writers like Stephen Leacock, Ring Lardner, S.J.
> Perelman, and later, H. Allen Smith, was of a distinctly wise-guy school.
>
> It is conceivable that Benchley may have perpetrated an early
> communications hoax along the lines of the Internet-based Urban Legend,
> but without actually cooking the dish it's hard to tell. I would say the
> mention of his name makes it all seem rather suspicious.

If the gentle reader does not know the name Benchley, /t/o/h/e/l/l/w/i/t/ um,
then the possible humor value in the story is lost on him.  But the recipe and
the story have been bumping around for many years now, and I finally became
curious enough to attempt to prepare it.  As with the Neiman-Marcus Cookie
Recipe, the worst that can happen it we'll have some good eats.

My inquiry to the list was to find out if anyone here had ever cooked it, or
knew someone who had, and was the turkey anywhere near as good as advertised?
Well, we'll find out tonight.

Selene