Perhaps no dish in Southern cookery was ever more relished or respected than the rich terrapin stews prepared in Baltimore’s “turtle-soup houses” in the early nineteenth century—to such a degree that by the middle of the century, the stew had become the pride of the city’s Maryland Club and other elite social venues. Small diamondback terrapins from the fresh or brackish waters of the region were the aristocrats of the turtle world, but such was the popularity of this stew that by the twentieth century the species was nearly extinct. Thanks to conservation measures, terrapins were restored to some extent in Maryland waters, but today, fresh turtle meat is still a rare and expensive commodity, and even down in Louisiana, where the reptile is revered as much as in Maryland, turtle stew and soup are usually reserved for only special occasions. Fresh turtle meat can sometimes be found in Chinese markets, but much more available (and completely acceptable) are the canned and frozen products sold in many specialty food shops—at a price. Is it worth the effort and cost? One spoonful of this sublime delicacy is enough to answer that question.