110 



ON THE PRESERVATION OF FOOD. 



[1853 



verpool Salt, one ounce to the pound- of butter — Saltpetre is 

 injurious, Sugar useless — the reason for using Liverpool Salt is 

 to avoid the chlorides of magnesium and calcium, (muriates of 

 lime and magnesia) so common in American Salt, which are 

 bitter and tend to the decomposition, and dried to make it absorb 

 any whey remaining after packing, brine should be put in to fill, 

 a cloth soaked in pickle having been previously inserted at each 

 end to prevent the butter adhering to the wood when opened, 

 and to prevent the access of air through the pores of the wood. 



The packing of salt provisions has been much improved of 

 late years in Canada, but although the right method is well 

 known it is not sufficiently adhered to, to cause the demand for 

 them in Britian which we would desire, and the West Indian 

 demand is in much the same position. 



The great object in salting provisions is, to make them keep 

 in all climates, and for at least three years if required, and not 

 to become so salt as to lose their flavor and nutritive qualities. 



To accomplish these ends, it is essential that a chemical 

 change be made in the muscular fibre, so as to render it less po- 

 rous, this is done by pure dry salt which, absorbs part of the 

 water of composition) leaving the muscle much closer, and which 

 closeness it retains, absorbing afterwards much less salt, although 

 at the same time keeping better. 



The liquid resulting from this dry salting, should be either 

 thrown away, or if any object, boiled and skimmed as brine. 



The meat should then be packed with coarse salt between every 

 layer, as well as at the top and bottom, and finally filled up with 

 Brine. 



The salt should be dry Liverpool for first salting, coarse grain 

 Turks Inland or St. Ubes for packing, so that it may, by dissolv- 

 ing slowly, keep the brine at full strength at eveiy part of the 

 barrel, and American Salt avoided, for the reasons adverted to 

 when speaking of packing butter — chlorides other than that of 

 sodium being bitter, spoiling the color of the meat, and tending 

 io decompose the meat rather than preserve it. 



Beef requires in the first preparation a very small quantity of 

 Saltpetre to give it a red color, for every other end it is worse 

 than useless, but custom absolutely requires it, for this one ounce 

 to the 100 lbs. beef is enough. And to preserve Beef from 

 being so salt as to be useless, unless it be exceedingly fat, molasses 

 or sugar are absolutely required, one gallon to 200 lb of Beef put 

 in when packed, is not too much, and for sea use might be 

 doubled. 



The drying of meat is practised in many countries to a great 

 extent, in some even without salt, being cut into strips and dried 

 in the air, called Charque, or pounded and dried as pemmecan, 

 or as recently prepared in Texas, pounded fine and made into 

 Biscuits, with flour enough to keep them together, and then 

 slowly dried. Some modification of this last mode is no doubt, 

 desirable for sea use, as affording the basis for soups and stews, it 

 might, indeed, be dried after being chopped fine, and would then 

 on being wetted, serve a variety of purposes. Milk dried has 

 been found to possess all the qualities of new milk, on being dis- 

 solved in water, and eggs can be prepared in the same way ; of 

 course all their preparations require to be kept in packages, proof 

 against the air and vermin. 



Drying after salting is a very desirable and agreeable mode of 

 prepartion, and although mostly applied to Pork, could be also 

 extended tc Beef, beyond the common Beef-hams, and also even 

 to Mutton. 



Smoking — by means of which a small quantity of creosote 

 adds its flavor and preservative qualities to that of the salt is 

 much used with Pork — and with some kinds of fisln — it might 

 be extended to beef, and sea provisions might consist of a much 

 greater variety of preparations than is now usual. The Beef 

 smoked at Hamburg is remarkably fine in flavor, but there is 

 nothing with superior beef and good salt to prevent the Toronto 

 article being equally so. 



To the list of salted and smoked articles, sausages may be 

 added, and most of our lake fish, especially Lake Huron 'front, 

 White Fish, Pickerel, and Herring, which last, if well and care- 

 fully smoked would surpass the celebrated Yarmouth Bloaters. 



Meat can also be preserved fresh in fat, Pork has been sent 

 from America to England packed in Laid, and Beef Steaks sent 

 from Glascow to Jamaica in Suet ; but 1 do not believe it was ever 

 sent to any extent, or under any but very favorable circum- 

 stances. 



When the Railways are all completed however, it is quite pos- 

 sible, by their means, and shipping by the New Iron Packets 

 from Portland, that Toronto could supply the London market 

 with fresh beefj mutton, aud poultry — at all events it would not 

 be more singular than the regular supply of the New York Res- 

 taurateurs with English Game, as at present so commonly prac- 

 tised — or Scottish Salmon at a Toronto Railway Dinner. 



Other modes of preserving, not yet carried into effect, suggest 

 themselves, one consists in the use of Acetate of Alumina, a salt 

 possessing little taste, but of considerable preservative powers, but 

 whether this salt would exercise an injurious effect on the health 

 if employed in preserving food, and thus taken into the system 

 remains to be seen. Chlorine and Sodium enter into combina- 

 tion in forming many of the fluids of the animal economy, — 

 Aluminum might be inert, or might be injurious, but could not 

 like common salt be of service. 



But one mode of preserving remains, which, although not 

 confirmed by experiment, deserves careful trial, and I trust, ere 

 long, will receive the attention it deserves, — and that is the pre- 

 servation of food by immersion in Carbonic Acid Gas. This 

 will offer many advantages over simple expulsion of the air, as 

 boiling will not be required, and consequently the article pre- 

 served will be perfectly unaltered, no collapse will take place 

 in the package if metal, no pressure if of glass, aud the interior 

 and exterior gases being in equilibrium, much less probability 

 of a leak in the cork ; whether any particular apparatus however, 

 would be required, such as the withdrawal of the atmosphere air 

 prior to the introduction of the'gas is to be seen. I think a jet of 

 gas under pressure would fill the vessel, and sufficiently drive out 

 the air, while the superior specific gravity of the carbonic acid 

 gas would retain it long enough to allow r of the insertion of the 

 cork aud sealing. This method of preserving should be tried 

 with peaches aud tomatoes, or other pulp}' fruits, with which, if 

 successful, there could be no difficulty with other articles. 



I have thus, gone through the subject of the preservation of 

 food, as far as I am acquainted with it, chiefly with the view of 

 of calling attention to a matter of so great importance ; if what 

 I have said may lead to practical improvement, I shall be happy 

 in having agitated the question, and much more shall I be con- 

 tented, if I can lead others to suggest something better, as I 

 believe that the interests of Canada, especially of Toronto, are so 

 bound up w'ith the trade in provisions, and that trade so identified 

 with the ability to send them in proper condition to market, that 

 a very slight improvement in the direction I have pointed out 

 may be of incalculable advantage. 



