I’ve Eaten a Turr Sandwich. Have You?

My short-lived foodie adventure. And my mother’s terror.

I grew up several decades ago in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Hunting, fishing, and foraging were a huge part of our rural way of life, and in many areas, it still is today.

Although we didn’t realize it at the time, we were raised on an abundance of delicacies that people now pay a fortune for.

The Turr Hunt

One of the traditional hunts involves a seabird known locally as a “turr.” The real name is murre, and with its black and white coloring, it resembles a small penguin.

Like most marine animals, the meat of a turr is dark and oily. It isn’t light and dry like a chicken or turkey.

Cooking a Turr

Turr is usually cooked in a roaster in the oven, and the meat can be a bit on the tough side if they aren’t cooked long enough. There’s an art to it that has been mastered down through the generations.

Generally, these birds are eaten with what is commonly known as a “cooked dinner.” It’s a combination of boiled vegetables, along with other additions like pease or blueberry pudding and salt meat.

And because these birds are difficult to harvest, under dangerous conditions, a turr dinner is a prized event for those who enjoy the meat.

As a teenager, I absolutely loved it!

The Rise of Sandwiches

At that point in time, we didn’t eat a lot of sandwiches in our home. Bread was mainly homemade and served as a side to the meal or for toast with breakfast.

However, to attend high school, I traveled by bus to a larger center nearby. Because I was gone most of the day, our family had to embrace the concept of a brownbag sandwich lunch.

We joined the sandwich meat culture and did the unthinkable by bringing pre-sliced store-bought bread into the house. I still remember my father screwing up his nose at the soft, flimsy slices.

The Birth of the Turr Sandwich

One Sunday night after a turr dinner, I was picking at the leftovers when I had a brainwave. Instead of having the usual ham slices for my Monday sandwich, why not use turr meat?

My mother was shocked!

She insisted I shouldn’t do that. Her reasoning was that the students from the larger town wouldn’t know about turr and would make fun at me for putting this primitive looking meat on my sandwich.

But she was too late.

I had already tried a piece of turr with mayo on bread. I’d been transported to the raptures of food heaven.

The Big Day

As a teenager, I’d gotten over much of my painful childhood shyness, and people were used to me being a little different. I didn’t much care if my sandwich raised eyebrows.

Some people rebel in their teens by drinking and partying. I did it by bringing a turr sandwich for lunch.

Ironically, the whole event was rather anticlimactic. I don’t recall anyone noticing my sandwich much. I think maybe one of my friends asked what it was. But it certainly didn’t bring down any ridicule storms for me to fend off.

My mother was relieved when I got home.

And oh, how I enjoyed that sandwich in the middle of the day. It has remained one of my most memorable school days.

Alas, as an adult, my irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) bloomed to even greater levels, and my foodie dreams became a receding object in the rearview mirror. I dare not eat such an oily meat these days.

But I still dream about turr sandwiches.