THUSSING FOR THE TABLE. 



'43 



a small flap an inch beyond the stump of the 

 neck at the back, and a broad flap from the 

 breast or front, which is cut off about three 

 inches long. In trussing up, the back flap is 

 first folded over the stump ; then the broad flap, 

 when secured over this, keeps in the juice and 

 the gravy. 



The crop can now be easily " peeled " away 

 from the surrounding flesh, always commencing 

 from the left side and going round, and is cut oft", 

 with the remnant of windpipe, pretty far in. The 

 forefinger of the right hand is then introduced 

 into the cavity, and worked thoroughly round, as 

 deeply as possible, between the viscera and car- 

 case of the bird, loosening everything all round, 

 as far as the finger can reach ; upon this depends 

 easy " drawing.'' The fowl is then held tail 

 upwards on the table, and a cut about half an 

 inch deep made across just under the tail-joint 

 or " parson's nose," and above the vent. The 

 hooked forefinger can now be passed round 

 the lower end of the bowel, and a small loop 

 pulled out ; inserting the knife under this, cut 

 upwards, and the vent is cut out without dividing 

 the bowel. The first two fingers of the right 

 hand are then inserted so as to embrace the 

 gizzard, when, if the loosening in front has been 

 properly done, the entire viscera, including intes- 

 tines, lungs, liver, gizzard, and gall-bladder, are 

 pulled out quite easily in one mass, leaving the 

 interior perfectly clean, and needing neither wash- 

 ing, wiping, nor any further operation whatever. 



The merrythought should next be removed, 

 though this is of course optional : if in a family 

 the bird has to be made " go round " as far as 

 possible, and the merrythought is desired for a 

 separate " portion," such a step will of necessity 

 be omitted. Pulling back the skin, the flesh is 

 scraped a little down the front of the two bones, 

 after which the point of the knife will lift each 

 out of its seat without any meat adhering. This 

 gives a much better breast, and in the case of a 

 large fowl, enables good slices to be cut as 

 from a turkey. It is really better to do nothing 

 further to the breast, especially for home con- 

 sumption ; and a well-fed Surrey fowl needs 

 nothing even in the way of appearance, the 

 forcing up of the back and subsequent pressing 

 bringing the meat up well. But many people 

 are so accustomed to the look of fowls whose 

 breast-bones have been smashed down by a 

 rolling-pin, that if an ordinary bird were sent 

 them in its natural state, they would indignantly 

 complain that it had " nothing on it." This can 

 be remedied without smashing the keel itself 

 (which ruins the carving) ; and however futile 

 it may be, until the public are better educated 

 there is no doubt that a difference of threepence 



to sixpence in the selling value of the fowl will 

 often be made by treatment. Mr. Bellamy's 

 method is as follows : Either the poultry-knife 

 is inserted through the vent, in the transverse cr 

 flat position, and the point driven by a smart 

 tap through the flat of the breast-bone just 

 under the front of the keel, which is held down 

 on the table ; or a steel skewer may be inserted 

 from the front at the same point, and given a 

 slight wrench right and left, breaking the thin 

 flat bone in the same \vay. In either case, a very 

 slight tapping with the flat of the knife after- 

 wards will then drive in the entire breast-bone, 

 without any fracturing of the keel itself, and the 

 look of the breast is much improved. We look 

 forward to the time, however, when even this 

 method shall be discarded. 



All is now ready for trussing, for which we 

 require a straight trussing needle eight or ten 

 inches long, threaded with twine. We will first 

 take a fowl for roasting. The bird is laid on 

 its back, with the neck towards the operator, 

 with the first or thigh joint of the legs 

 held down to the table, and the needle with 

 twine is passed straight through both thighs and 

 the body, just above and touching the thigh- 

 bones, and rather nearer the joint than the 

 middle of the bone. The back is then turned 



Fig. 68. — Threading of the Wings. 



uppermost, the pinions turned or twisted inwards 

 so as to point towards each other over the back, 

 and the same twine taken through the wing- 

 bone {i.e. the double-bone) near the centre and 

 between the two bones, then through the pinion, 

 thence over the end of the doubled-down breast- 

 flap of skin (now doubled close over the stump 

 of neck and its little flap, on to the back), thence 

 the reverse way through pinion and wing-joint of 

 the other wing (Fig. 68). The twine is then drawn 

 up sufficiently tight and tied ; it should not be 

 too tight, or the fowl will not lie firm on the dish, 

 but so that the two wings stand about parallel 

 and square. Threading the needle again, it is 

 next passed just under the bone of the back at 

 the loins or haunches, where there is a small 



