Such of our readers as are not addicted to epicurism may have been
somewhat puzzled at the display of "_Fine Fresh Laver_" in the Italian
warehouses and provision shops of the metropolis. The truth is, laver is
a kind of reddish sea-weed, forming a jelly when boiled, which is eaten
by some of the poor people in Angus with bread instead of butter; but
which the rich have elevated into one of the greatest dainties of their
tables. In Scotland, laver is called _slake_; and Dr. Clarke mentions
that it is used with the fulmar to make a kind of broth, which
constitutes the first and principal meal of the inhabitants. It is
curious to know that what is eaten at a duchess's table in Piccadilly as
a first-rate luxury, is used by the poor people of Scotland twice or
thrice a day. It is an expensive dish; but knowledge of this fact may
perhaps abate its cost.
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