Why astronauts ate snakes
Yes, NASA astronauts ate snakes. This is why.
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As promised, here's H. Morgan Smith's boa recipe. But first, the oral history:
https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.go...
This is all part of the history of NASA's jungle survival training (and survival training in general) for the Apollo, Mercury, and Gemini programs. Taken over from the Air Force, this program took place in Panama. H. Morgan Smith made that program what it is, teaching astronauts how to eat iguana, snakes, and hearts of palm in case they found themselves stuck in the jungle. It proved to be oddly fun for most of these hearty explorers, even though they didn't land in the jungle.
Now the food:
"Have your wife fixed Braised Boa the next time you have company for dinner. Or better yet, fix it yourself and give your wife a night out of the kitchen. That's what H. Morgan Smith, chief of EID at Maxwell AFB, Ala., does. Here's his own recipe for the snake entree.
"You know, it's really the cleanest, easiest meat to prepare and cook." But Smith adds one word of caution, "Be sure the snake is freshly killed."
Ingredients:
1 Boa 4' to 8' long (any snake will do)
1 bottle wine (a light dry Vermouth)
1 pound butter
2 oranges
Onion or garlic salt
Salt and pepper
First, preheat oven to 350-375. Then, hang snake by the head or stretch it out full length. Remove head and several inches of neck. (If you wish to save the entire skin for mounting, carefully skin out head before removing.)
Cut through skin on underside for the full length of snake. Peel off skin starting at head (much like a banana).
To remove viscera, grasp windpipe and pull down and out. If the snake is hanging, viscera will fall free. Cut meat into 6" to 8" pieces. ("However, you may want to keep the snake whole for table decor. But many people will not eat the dish if they see the snake form. Then again, many prefer the adventure of picking at a well cooked snake," says Smith.)
Drop pieces of whole snake intosalted boiling water and cook for approximately 15 minutes. Remove from water and, if desired, remove all meat from the bone.
Cut up 1/2 pound butter into small pieces. Place meat and butter in baking pan. Pour 1/2 bottle wine over meat. Slice skin from oranges and scatter over meat. Squeeze juice of oranges into the mixture. Flavor with onion (or garlic) salt, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cover with foil and place in pre-heated oven for about one hour. (For a well browned dish, remove foil for the last 15-20 minutes).
"You may have to vary this recipe when out in the field, but remember," Smith adds, "to kill a large snake and not use the meat is a poor conservation practice—and a waste of good food.""
