New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-29
EATING GAME THAT'S "HlGH.'
sonn1Jm,ss A SAFE. SOMETIMES DAN
GEROUS PRACTICE
CHANGE OF DOOR AND TASTE DOES NOT


ro conundrrms have occurred to thoughttui
people since the discovery that some vi ''e
beef offered by contractors to the Co'iii'i'S''
Department of the Army last summer was mo-
o. ~ oot One is. How far does the condition
~ that meat differ from that OF good uc'i VI
mutton and game that is knowingly eaten py
rersons in a position to choose FOR themselves
And the other u.s. why do no injurious results
attend indulgence in game that Is kept unit" II
Is high?
butchers and marketmen tell stories 'hA' '"
the ,,nlnitiaied are rather startling about 'he
way in which meat and birds ar kept peio'e
being eaten Some OF the practices In question
oro moro general I'm Europe than America, but
they are common enough here to be beyond as
mite Beef is not considered fit to eat uhuh u
is three or four weeks old. Mutton is often kept
for six and even twelve months after Kiihhs'
the only precaution observed in some instances
,i, =, nrotect IT from flies No special pains
are taken TO keep il in n cool place OF course
,bere Is n marked difference In mutton in this
resnect The flesh Of some sheep will dry ana
shrink away if exposed TO the open air whereas
other mutton may hang for months without
losing weight. but will distinctly gain in quality
meantime
rent that her, I'm New-York the laws afford so
short a season in which deer's meat may be kept
and exposed that it is not subjected TO 50
seyere a test But in regard to hares, rabbits
and birds. one hears still more remarkable state
nents Woodcocks and pheasants, for instance.
are sometimes kept for weeks (and not in cold
storage either before being served. The feath-
ers are left on and the birds are not dressed
Thus the natural moisture remains in them. II
dressed like ordinary poultry. they would
shrvel and waste. 1t is asserted that IN some
OF these birds decomposition sets in, affecting
ONLY certain parts that are not to be eaten; and
that then the rem. inder-more especially the
legs and breasts in just the best possible con-
dtion for eating And Of hares it is solemnly
declared that they are never so appelizihg 10
the gourmand when there is danger OF blood
poisoning from the operation OF sknnng Them
ana the negh Is so tender that it falls apart at
the tOuch
TENDERNESS AND FLAVOR.
But when one inv estigates this subject care
fully he learns that the chief purpose for which
nation beef and game are kept is to render
them tender. The choicest cut from fat young
steer would be as tough as leather If it were
served within twenty four hours after the Great
ure was killed The main reason for which any
meat IL kept for weeks months after killing
ia that 80 doing makes I easier 10 eat and cx-
tract the juices therefrOm.
Enforcement OF na;or IS another cOnsidcra-
ton but il Is usually secondary matter. The
connoiSseur may talk with enthusiasm about
game not being fit to eat until it has become
high" but II is exceedingly doubtful whether
the changes that take place up TO the time
when he is willing TO take # into his stomach
can be fairly said to have impaired to it real
tant. Even though parts Of the bird adjacent
TO those that are actually served and eaten may
have reached an Objectionable condition. those
which he really eats likely to be free from
any such drawback.
That il is possible for food 10 undergo 4
marked change of flavor without becoming pois
onOus is a wcll-cstablished fact. And, on the
other hand it sometimes happens that the de-
yelopmcnt of baleful elements in food is unat-
tended By alterations OF taste. The ptomatnes
that are found in milk ice cream, fish and other
pOtables and edibes cannot be detected by the
keenest palate. DR. Robert r. Morris. who is an
expert in such matters as well as famous
sportsman talked in an instructive and enter
tanning way to Tribune man day last
week. He said substantially:
The flavor of meat has two sources In the
first place there certain volatile products
mainly sulphur alcOhOls and sulphur ethers-
that formed in the flesh by the chemistry
Of the animal itself Secondly, various kinds Of
bacteria produce there another set of substances.
which. perhaps. are not very different chemically
from the first, but ar formed more abundantly.
The latter are more agreeable to the taste. more
THE RIPENING OF CHEESES.
An excellent Illustration of this phenomenon
Is afforded by the ripening Of some OF chOic-
est chceseS The manufacturers introduce into
these checsrs specially chosen species Of bac-
terra. I'm a general way it may be- said that all