The animal food resources of different nations : with mention of some of the special dainties of various people derived from the animal kingdom / by P. L. Simmonds.

  • Simmonds, P. L. (Peter Lund), 1814-1897.
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The animal food resources of different nations : with mention of some of the special dainties of various people derived from the animal kingdom / by P. L. Simmonds. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    fond of it. It had not the appearance of being raw, but resembled in colour that which has been well boiled. It had been deprived of all ruddiness by the intense cold. Frozen meat, unless losing greatly in weight by evaporation, owing to the dryness of circumambient air, will, like frozen fish, decompose on exposure to warmth. The decomposition is activated by atmospheric im- purity ; and it is easy to understand how, in the moun- tains of Thibet, the rarefied air, of great dryness, mobility and freedom from putrefactive germs, would satisfy the conditions for abstracting sufficient moisture, even from frozen meat, whilst effectually preventing decay. Pure dry air, either hot or cold, being an admir- able desiccant, is under suitable conditions an excellent preservative. . Frozen meat has kept for ages, and during the Eussian and North American winters, the people are compelled to put up with it. Freezing is, however prejudicial to ,the meat, and commercially somewhat expensive, since it necessitates the construction not only of ordinary ice-houses, but of freezing chambers at the ports of shipment and landing, and there are innumerable impediments in the way of getting the frozen produce delivered untainted to the customer. Experimentally the process is simple and quite successful, but not as a means of supplying the nation s food. It has, however, of late years been brought more success- fully into practice in the importation of carcases from Australia and America. . , It is curious to notice the various parts of animals that are eaten, or selected as choice morsels by^different persons or classes. Sheep's head pig s head calf s head and brains, ox head, the heads of ducks and geese, ox tono-ue horse tongue, reindeer tongue, walrus tongue Danes''tongues, coals' tongues, etc Fowls' and ducks W-ues are esteemed an exquisite Chinese dainty The peSs of the sucking pig or the mature feet and hocks „f the elder hog, sheep's trotters, calf s leet, cow ntei, W paws, elephants' feet, the feet of ducks and geese