Hump of Buffalo and Nose of Elk

The Art of Meat Processing

Though the actual slaughtering and butchering of meat was usually performed by the men, often at a slaughtering bee; and later could be purchased from the local butcher; the processing and preserving of meat was considered a woman's chore.  And if you lived in Canada during the Victorian Era, this was not a simple process.  The range of meat consumed was vast and varied; and to many...if it couldn't be jellied...it were'nt worth eatin'. When my parents would buy a hog's head every year to make 'head cheese' and purchase 'blood pudding', which is actually made from dried blood; I thought they were freaks, but after researching the Canadian diet just a century or two ago, head cheese and blood pudding don't sound so bad.

Pssssst...We've convinced the Canadians that beef is not the only red meat...soon they'll think we're just pets.

Canadian cuisine during the Victorian Era was often the subject of scientists, travellers and visiting journalists, and the meat that made up the popular dishes of the time, was unusual at best, and sometimes downright unimaginable. Influenced mainly by what was so readily available and the cooking skills acquired from the First Canadians, we sure gave them something to talk about. Everything from black squirrel to carrier pigeon, buffalo, turtle and moose; if we knew how to cook it; we'd eat it.

But aside from the obvious, there were many things considered delicacies, like beaver tails, buffalo tongue, and a tasty treat, known as mouffle, which was the soft covering around the nose and lips of the elk.

From Mrs. Simcoe's Diary (page 64):  "We dined and supped at Madame Baby's, wife of  Francais Baby, a member of the Legis1ative Council.  I ate part of the moufie of the orignale, or elk. They are sometimes shot by the Indians, and much esteemed. It was a very rich dish, with an excellent sauce. I am told the lip of the ox is sometimes sold for it.

"A pie made of crete de Coye (a pie garnished with cocks' combs) is also a very favourite dish among the Canadians, and easily procured, as quantities of poultry are killed in the beginning of the winter and kept hung up  in a frozen state.  The poultry is dry, but when preserved in barrels of snow, they retain the juices much better." Remember that the elk lips and cocks combs were served at an elegant dinner, not out in the backwoods somehwere.

And of course we Canadians also liked any meat that was jellied.  The Curiosities of Food, published in London in 1859, ran an article about the practice:  "During the time of the Great Exhibition in 1851, buffalo hides, and sheep and calf skins, advanced a full percent in price.  This was caused by the great demand for jellies in the refreshment rooms.  Visitors then consumed jellies who had never tasted jellies before, and hides were purchased by the ton in Liverpool." Other favourites were tongue and buffalo hump, which when jellied probably tasted as bad as they sound, but every good housewife knew how to jelly meat, skin, tails and ears, and all .  Almost anything you might otherwise be tempted to throw away.

The usual jellying agent was isinglass, a fish glue derivative, but later in the period, animal gelatine could be purchased in sheets, which would have to be soaked for hours until soft.  The meat bits were then stirred in and the gelatine allowed to reset in a decorative mold.  You will notice that almost any Canadian menu; published in the domestic magazines of the day; included at least one serving of jellied meat. Beaver was also a treat, but before it cooked be cooked, the fur had to be singed and plucked, much to the dismay of the trappers, and then roasted in it's skin.  However, this would be peeled off before serving. Not that they didn't also enjoy a roast of beef, leg of mutton or the ocassional turkey, but to truly be considered a good cook, you had to also be able to prepare and  cook a variety of road kill.  Venison was also popular, and could be purchased from the Natives or local butcher.   A favourite treat was Pemmican, which was made from dried vension, pounded to a powder and mixed with suet and berries; another Native invention.  Men working in the woods or anyone travelling a great distance, would always take this high-energy food along.

'Bean Porridge', another travelleling food,  was made from corned beef (beef soaked in brine), or a mixture of fresh beef and salt pork, cooked until thick, with white beans, boiled corn and corn meal to thicken.  When the meat was tender and the stew  the consistancy of oatmeal, it was poured into bowls and a clean tow rope was laid in a loop over the edge and placed in the summer kitchen or outbuilding to freeze.  Once frozen it was removed from the bowls and hung by the looped tow rope in the storeroom.  It was considered to be at it's peak when about nine days old.  When the men went out to the clearing to work, they would take along a skillet and a batch of frozen pudding, which they would slice and fry up as needed, though this was also served at home for breakfast or lunch.  Before the days of refrigeration, and even after, it was important to be able to preserve meat to make it last.

In 1852, women were told to " take a large clean tub, cover the bottom 3 or 4 inches thick with clean snow, then lay in pieces of fresh meat and cover each layer with 2 or 3 inches of snow taking particular care to fill snow into every crevice between the pieces and around the edges of the tub.  Fowls must be filled inside with snow.  The last layer must be snow, pressed down tight, then cover tub and keep in cold place - the colder the better."  Many farmers had their own ice houses, and some could afford ice boxes, but it was usually up to the woman to make sure that the meat didn't spoil.  In summer, when snow was unavailable, meat would be covered with bran, placed in a wire cage and hung in airy room, which was said to keep meat fresh for nine or ten days.   Another method was to pickle in brine and store in barrels, but sometimes the brine spoiled, so you simply poured off the brine, reboiled it, and put it back in the barrel.  Another suggestion was to wash spoiled meat in camomile tea or to add "A little charcoal to the pot".  Or from the 1838 Frugal Housewife: To Restore Tainted Meat "Fly brown meat can be completely restored by immersing if for a few hours in a vessel containing a small quantity of beer; but it will taint and impart a putrid smell to the liquor."  Did they really need to be told not to drink it afterward?  Egads!   And finally, if purchasing meat from a butcher shop, some suggestions from the Frugal Housewife: Beef: The fat should look white rather than yellow, for when that is of a deep colour, the meat is seldom good.  Mutton:  Observe the neck of a fore quarter; if the vein is bluish, it is fresh; if it has a green or yellow coat, it is stale.  Pork:  Pinch the lean, and if young it will break.  When fresh, the flesh will be smooth and cool, if clammy it is tainted.  Ham:  Stick a sharp knife under the bone; if it comes out with a pleasant smell, the ham is good; but if the knife is daubed and has a bad scent, do not buy it. Another method of preserving meat that was popular with Canadians, was known as 'potting'; which was essentially storing meat in earthenware jars.

Potting Tried and True Recipes Kingston, Ontario c1890

"For potting one should have small stone or earthen jars, a little larger at the top than at the bottom, so that the meat may be taken out whole, and then cut in thin slices. All kinds of cooked meats and fish can be potted. The meat must, of course, be well cooked and tender, so that it can be readily pounded to a paste. Of the fish, salmon and halibut are the best for potting. When the potted meat or fish is to be served, scrape off all the butter, run a knife between the meat and the jar, and when the meat is loosened turn it out on a dish. Cut it in thin slices, and garnish with parsley; or, serve it whole, and slice it at the table. l'he butter that covered meats can be used for basting roasted meats, and that which covered fish can be used for basting baked fish.

BEEF -     Three pounds of the upper part of the round of beef, half a cupful of butter, one table-spoonful of salt, one-fourth of a tea­spoonful of pepper, a speck of cayenne, one-eighth of a tea­spoonful of mace, the same quantity of clove, a boquet of sweet herbs, three table-spoonfuls of water. Cut the meat in small pieces and put it in a jar with the water, herbs and seasoning. Mix one cupful of flour with water enough to make a stiff paste. Cover the mouth of the jar with paper, and spread over this the paste. Place the jar in a pan of hot water and put in a moderate oven for five hours. Take up, and remove the cover and herbs. Pound the meat to a paste, add half of the butter to it, and when thoroughly mixed pack solidly in small jars. Melt the remainder of the butter and pour it over the meat. Paste paper over the jars, put on the covers, and set away in a cool, dry place. Veal may be potted in the same manner, omitting the clove. CHICKEN -   One quart of cold roasted chicken, one cupful of cold boiled ham, four table-spoonfuls of butter, a speck of cayenne, a slight grain of nutmeg, and two teaspoonfuls of salt. Free the chicken of skin and bones. Cut it and the ham in fine pieces. Chop, and pound to a paste. Add the butter and seasoning, and pack solidly in small stone pots.  Cover these, and

place them in a pan of hot water, which put in a moderate oven for one hour. When the meat is cold, cover with melted butter, and put away in a cool, dry place. TONGUE - Pound cold boiled tongue to a paste, and season with salt, pepper, and a speck of cayenne. To each pint of the paste add one table-spoonful of butter and one teaspoonful of mixed mustard. Pack closely in little stone jars. Place these in a moderate oven in a pan of hot water. Cook half an hour. When cool, cover the tongue with melted butter. Cover, and put away. HAM - Cut all the meat, fat and lean, from the remains of a boiled ham, being careful not to mix with it either the outside pieces or the gristle. Chop very fine, and pound to a paste with the vegetable masher. To each pint of the paste add one teaspoon­ful of mixed mustard and a speck of cayenne, and if there was not much fat on the meat one tablespoonful of butter. Pack this smoothly in small earth ern jars. Paste paper over these, and put on the covers. Place the pots in a baking-pan, which, when in the oven, should be filled with hot water. Bake slowly two hours. Cool with the covers on. When cold, take off the covers and pour melted butter over the meat. Cover again, and set away in a cool place. The ham will keep for months. It is a nice relish for tea, and makes delicious sandwiches. MARBLED VEAL - Trim all the roots and tough parts from a boiled pickled tongue, which chop and pound to a paste. Have two quarts of cold roasted or boiled veal chopped and pounded to a paste. Mix two table-spoonfuls of butter and a speck of cayenne with the tongue and with the veal mix four table-spoonfuls of butter, one of salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, and a speck of mace. Butter a deep earthen dish. Put layer of the veal in it and pack down solidly; then put spoonfuls of the tongue here and there on the veal, and fill in the spaces with veal. Continue this until all the meat has been used, and pack very solidly. Cover the dish, and place it in the oven in a pan of "later. Cook one hour. When cold, pour melted butter over it. Cover, and set away. FISH -  Take any kind of cooked fish and free it of skin and bones.  To each quart of fish add one table-spoonful of essence of anchovy, three of butter, two teaspoonfuls of salt, a little

pepper, and a speck of cayenne. Pound the fish to a paste be fore adding the butter and anchovy. When all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, pack the fish closely in little stone jars.  Place these in a pan of water and put in a moderate oven.  Cook forty-five minutes. When cold pour melted butter over the fish. Paste paper over the top and set away. LOBSTER - Prepare and pot lobster the same as fish. "coral" in the lobster, pound it with the meat.  If there is "coral" in the lobster, pound it in with the meat. MACKERAL - Nine pounds of small mackerel (about twenty-five in number), one ounce of whole cloves, one of peppercorns, one of whole allspice, six teaspoonfuls of salt, three pints of vinegar. Wash the mackerel and pack them in small, deep earthen or stone pots. Three will be needed for the quantities given. Divide the spice into six parts. Put each portion in a small piece of muslin and tie. Sprinkle two teaspoonfuls of salt on the fish in each pot, and put two of the little bags of spice in each pot. Cover the fish with the vinegar; and if there should not be enough, use more. Cover the pots with old plates, and place in a moderate oven. Bake the fish four hours. Cool, and put away in the pots in which they were baked. They will keep five or six months. Where oil is liked, half a cupful can be added to each pot with the vinegar. Any kind of small fish can be potted in this manner. SMELTS - Six dozen smelts, one pint of olive oil, three pints of vinegar, or enough to cover the smelts; three table-spoonfuls of salt. Spice the same as potted mackerel, and prepare and cook the same as mackerel. More or less oil can be used. Smelts are almost as nice as sardines.

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