Mutprobe the soup pot.

Iguana soup on Curaçao was once an Everyman court. Today try especially courageous Caribbean tourists to the leathery reptile. For example, in the restaurant Playa Forti - there are the stories of the cheerful cook an experience.

 

That is a nice greeting: A cannon is waiting next to the entrance of the restaurant. The estuary is aimed directly at the occurrence. Links of the rusted pipe grow tropical plants, right shimmering turquoise sea. From the nearby beach bathers Gejohle penetrates the children over. With both hands, Maria Luisa holds a cast iron cannonball seelenerwärmend and smiles. "The I have a few years ago found in the garden," she says, "when Umkrautjäten."

Holy Kanonenrohr such heavy guns in the Caribbean paradise? The answer to the riddle: The Restaurant Playa Forti by Maria Luisa was built on the ruins of an old weir built at the beginning of the 19th Century by British occupiers erected. In the island language Papiamentu Forti is an old word for fort.

Papiamentu is the residents still speak. After the official language, Dutch is the second official idiom, a creole mishmash of elements from Spanish, Portuguese, English and Dutch. 1816 conquered the island of the Netherlands and expelled the British. "That would not happen to them if they had eaten iguana soup," claims Maria Luisa, "because the force does."

Since then, the old cannon that is on the rocky outcrop in the far west of the island, where there are first-class diving spots. "Man has often tried to steal it," says Maria Luisa, "but for the thin Muchachos from the village, it is too difficult." The barges had Halbstarker with a water pipe. Over night, it was Maria Luisa Restaurant off. Therefore, the water for a few days off.

Fresh ketchup Leguan in bucket

With two white buckets, according to the label once ketchup contained drags the 62-year-old has the whole day out of water, which they can tap when neighbors. With the last moment she wants cargo iguana soup to prepare. Den takes a bucket to wash skinned iguanas. The other for the broth.

Your restaurant Playa Forti is on the inside like an oversized letter. Krimskrams crowded with all kinds and a plethora of articles reminder of bygone days. The Christmas decorations will not only decreased.

One or twice a week comes the typical Maria Luisa Island court. In the fifties, came after the Colombian native Curacao. "People were quite pointed wildly," she says, "for the locals, it was like a ritual, iguana soup to eat." At that time they've cooked the court every day.

But the modern eating habits make the traditional cuisine at the Curaçao gradually Garaus. In the roads after Willemstad, the capital, is part an international fast food outlet at the other. No wonder, because the young islanders develop while craving for burgers and fries, but not cooked lizards.

Nature conservation is another reason why the soup kitchen at Maria Luisa nowadays often remains cold. Because the population of animals on Curacao varies, sometimes as iguanas are protected, then not. To be on the safe side, it applies to the animals from a farm. But the lizards have cultivated their price, so the iguana soup little profit. "I cook is really only for foreigners," says Maria Luisa, otherwise on Creole stews and fish dishes is.

Tough exterior and interior very delicate

Thus, it is mainly tourists who are lizards the meat taste like. Most guests come from Venezuela - Curacao is just 60 kilometers off the coast of Venezuela - and the Netherlands. The Netherlands Antilles, which includes Curacao, a country of the Dutch Kingdom. In the coming months will be on Curaçao, however, a referendum on the nature of future political affiliation to the Netherlands to take place.

Many of their guests would Leguan spoons of soup as a Mutprobe consider reports Maria Luisa. Almost as bite-Urlaubsexotik. Somehow, because in the live condition arouses in reptile's pampered eaters from the North Atlantic food hemisphere rather than Ekelgefühle culinary associations.

"Tastes a little like chicken, right?" Asks Maria Luisa. In fact. While the eye only to the unusual sight of skinned, kitchen finished iguanas have become accustomed, it has been easier for the tongue. In the cooked state of the meat recalls in a well durchgekochtes Suppenhuhn. Light and delicate fibrous. The iguanas in the Caribbean are therefore also "green chicken" mentioned.

These are not all green iguanas. There are also brown and gray items. Of the non-toxic green leaves Maria Luisa fingers. The more intense the green, the more likely it is that the animal is not fit. Iguanas live in trees with fondness. Some in the branches of a native, inedible for humans apple variety. If an iguana with these manzanillas the belly has vollgeschlagen, his skin is greener than green - and the bad people.

"The lads are pretty harsh"

The comparison with the chicken makes it not just to taste. Heard it in Europe to the old home recipes, sick and weakened people of chicken soup to administer, have been on Curaçao with the iguana soup once the suffering aufgepäppelt. The iguana is seen as extremely tough and strong resistance. "For some beating heart even if it has already started, the animal is excluded," says Maria Luisa. "The boys are pretty tough."

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To creep and to come crawling temperature, iguanas need plenty of heat. In the cool dawn, they however complacent and abgeschlafft. "When we used to have even hunted, we needed only in the morning to go the park and the iguanas aufzuklauben," says Maria Luisa.

It says the Christoffel National Park. Featured in Nature with its multitude of flowers and birds as well as cave paintings, Native American Indian is only a stone's throw away from Playa Forti. In addition to paradisiacal beaches is the now-protected area to the main attractions Curaçao.

Maria Luisa is no longer even on the stalk. But now and again they demonstrated their guests a fun fishing method, with which she began earlier Iguanas: On a broomstick attached to a plastic cord. With two or three simple knot makes it into a noose. A plastic lizard, which they are concerned for this purpose is used as guinea pigs. Snap! - Depends on the toys already in the lasso loop. "A pretty creature," laughs Maria Luisa, "but I think too tough!"

Because in the German market halls Leguan no meat to buy, and Maria Luisa iguana soup recipe works well with chicken, is Here is a recipe for traditional Leguan-or chicken soup.