The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House, and the Delights and Profits of a FarmBradley, Richard
Science
The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House, and the Delights and Profits of a Farm
Bradley, Richard
Cooking -- Early works to 1800; Cooking, English
Since I have publish'd the Receipts I gathered together, with regard to the
several Preparations of the Products of a Farm, for the Table; entitled,
_The Lady's Monthly Director_, _&c._ (now in its sixth Edition:) I have
received a great number of Letters relating to many Improvements that may
be made to it, and am desired to publish them, in order to render my first
Volume more compleat. And, as I find they will be of public Use, I shall
begin with one concerning the Preservation of Flesh, Fowls and Fish from
Putrefaction, or Stinking; which is too often the Case, in Summer-time,
when it is rare to find any sweet Morsels, although they have undergone the
Discipline of Salting. As for the common Notion, that Women cannot lay Meat
in Salt, equally with success, at all Times, it is false; it is the Manner
of doing it, and not the state of the Women who handle it, that makes it
right; there must be a right way of Management to preserve it, and render
it fit for the Palate, as the following Letter informs us.
To Mr. _Bradley._
Sir,
I have not only read your Book call'd, _The Lady's Monthly Director_, but
have tasted many elegant Dishes of Meat, ordered by the Receipts in it; but
I think, as you are a philosophical Gentleman, you should have taken a
little more Notice of the preservation of Flesh from Putrefaction: For in
many places I have set down to a Dinner which has sent me out of the Room
by the very smell of it; even, though I am so much of the _French_ Taste,
that I can bear the _Fumette_. The Husband, in this Case, has blamed his
Wife; and the Wife has taken the opportunity of whispering to her Husband,
that the Maid was not in right Sorts when she salted the Meat: but I am
sure, I shall set you to rights in that Point.
I have taken pains in my Family, which consists of thirty Persons, to have
my Wife order the Experiment to be made, and I am satisfied from her
Arguments, that there is nothing in the Notion above. But now to the
purpose. Let your Flesh-Meat be fresh, and take all the bleeding Arteries
from it; then sprinkle it with common Salt, and let it lie in the Air for
twelve Hours; but salt the Places, where the Arteries were, more
particularly: then wipe your Meat dry, and make some Salt very hot, over
the Fire, then rub in the Salt very well, and lay the Pieces of salted Meat
one upon another, and it will keep for several Months.
Or with common Salt, rub the several Pieces of Meat briskly with it, after
the Blood is out, and especially in the hollow Places lay Salt enough. So
will you be sure to have your Meat sweet, either Beef or Pork.
To send _Venison_ Sweet in hot Weather.
Give it a little Salt, and have the Haunches parted, taking out the Marrow
and all the Veins, as they are called, that bleed; and then wipe all of it
quite dry after you have wash'd it with Vinegar, and then powder it with
Pepper, and in an open Basket send it up to _London._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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