@Karen – SoupAddict, Hi, I’m from Cincinnati and my Grandma’s recipe doesn’t use ginger snaps. I made it tonight, it is definitely a different taste, I would not eat it as a kid. I’ve made this batch for a friend.

When I was researching the origins of this soup, back when I first posted my adaptation of mom’s recipe, I came across numerous tidbits of how people had adapted the soup, especially after green sea turtles went on the endangered species list. I can’t say I landed on any one thing that stands out as THE way. Since my audience here is mostly western (and specifically North American), I want to make sure that I any recipe I create and post fits the way that the majority of us cook. Boiling a calf’s head is a very big ask (and honestly not something I would do myself, so if I can’t test it, I’m not going to post it). My mom’s recipe is over 60 years old at this point, and there’s also a company here in Cincinnati, Worthmore Foods, that’s been producing their beloved mock turtle soup, made with ground beef, since 1920. So, folks in the U.S. have been making it with ground beef for quite some time!

A story about real Turtle Soup
I was born in Philadelphia in 1955 where we still use real turtles for Turtle Soup. A famous restaurant “ Bookbinders” still makes this soup till this day. My husband being a local farmer main job in summer was catching snapping turtles ( look them up) we never used those cute box turtles. The damage snapping turtles did was horrific childhood friend lost her toes while we were swimming in our pond not to mention our family dogs losing paws. Cows getting their noses bit off deer losing limbs The snapping turtles never stayed long in ponds or creeks they would walk around on land lots got ran over by cars. As the years went by I got into Speciality Food I created many hot sauces “ heinie Hurtin Hot “ claim to fame won many awards my favorite award was in 1996 first women to win the chili cook off first Pennsylvanian to win any hot sauce awards. When I won the national championship our Governor awarded our company claiming it was the best chili ever I believe to this day Texas and Louisiana will not acknowledge it. I’ve been asked the secret many times well guess what the main base to my chili is Real Turtle Soup.The reason I never told was because I thought if they knew there was real turtles in the soup they would spit it out.
Your mock turtle soup was fun to make and my grandchildren loved it

@Laura, lol, watching the episode right now. I wonder if anyone in the GG thread here tried the recipe?

@Johnny Cooks, I’m watching this GG episode for the first time and also was curious about this soup…which led me to this site…and apparently scores of others! I was amused that Sookie said she was going to make a “vat” of the soup…but Lorelai brings Richard a very small container of it. And it looks like a bowl of just beef broth! It looks nothing like the soup that Karen describes in this post! ?

@Johnny Cooks, Richard Gilmore and his ‘turtleneck soup’ and his ‘saint’ of a mother is how I got here too!! High Five!!!

I think Mock Turtle Soup had a moment back in the day. Back before Reddit took over Google search results, it was easy to find all sorts of newspaper clippings (as in, images of actual paper newspapers lol) about it. It’s a beloved soup in my family for sure.

Mock turtle soup! Just like the old days, I think there was a recipe for this in the old Betty Crocker Cookbook. It was in my Mom’s copy.

@Johnny Cooks,
Had to comment! I’m watching the episode right now and needed to look up this soup ? I’ve been a big fan for years and watching it for the billionth time and never thought to look it up before now!