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[LrdRas@aol.com]

I'm in the midst of translating the eel recipes in Nola, and all the recipes 
for moray eel have the same perplexing instruction.  They say to lash 
the eel well, so that all the spines/thorns will descend to the tail.  One 
should then cut off the tail.  (One recipe says that if you wish to play a 
trick on a friend, you should give him the tail to eat.)  Now, I've been 
researching the moray on the web, and have found out that its bite is 
toxic, as is its blood, but cooking will render it safe to eat.  And the 
traditional method of killing one is to hold the tail end and strike it hard 
against a stone or other hard surface.  This, I assume, is what Nola 
means by "lashing it".  However, as far as I can tell, none of the species 
of moray have spines on their tails.  Is this some kind of folk belief to 
explain why a poisonous fish is safe to eat after cooking?  Or is there 
something about moray anatomy that I am missing?

Any enlightenment would be welcome.


Lady Brighid ni Chiarain
Settmour Swamp, East (NJ)
mka Robin Carroll-Mann
harper at idt.net