For a number of years Canton Christian College has been studying the butchering and curing problems as they exist in southern China, particularly in the region of Canton. Meats of various kinds have been butchered and cured by the College. Both the foreign and Chinese methods of handling the meat have been practiced and studied. In this work special attention has been given to the butchering and curing of pork.
The climate of Canton is one not especially well adapted to curing meat. This is due to the fact that the temperature never falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, even in the coldest winter season. Further, this low a temperature is not maintained more than a few days of the winter season, and only at night. Before noon it usually rises to 50 or 60, following even the coldest nights. In spite of the fact that the temperature never gets very low, the work at the College has demonstrated that it is possible to produce good cured meat, if done properly, even without the use of ice. However there is some risk of the meat spoiling without ice, and it is recommended, especially in curing large pieces of meat, such as hams and shoulders, that ice be used to facilitate the cooling of the meat before the cure is applied.
Origin of Meat Foods
Man uses for his meat diet almost all classes of animal life. However, the principal classes of animals that supply the human race with meat food are: cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, and, in China and southern Europe, the buffalo. In Northern China the camel and in Western China the yak are also used to some extent for food. Such animals as birds (other than poultry), rabbits, fish and other forms of water life, while of importance, do not provide as large a supply of meat food as do the domesticated animals mentioned above.
Food Animals in China
The animals in China from which the main supply of meat comes are swine, cattle, water buffalo, and poultry (including chickens, ducks, and geese).
§ 1. Hogs
Hogs in China are of both the bacon and lard types. The lard type is the most common, except in the provinces of Yunnan, Szechwan, and some regions in central China, where the bacon type is found.
The Chinese lard hogs are characterized by their large, pendulous bellies, sway-backs, light hams, and by their slowness in maturing. They are inferior hogs when compared with the improved breeds of Europe and America, but as a rule are better than the native hogs found in other parts of the Orient. Their large bellies and low backs are largely due to the fact that from the time the pigs begin to eat until they are butchered, all concentrate feeds are given in the form of a very wet swill, and they are allowed to drink all they can hold of such feed twice a day. Such feeding stretches the digestive tract to an abnormal degree, and permanently enlarges the belly and pulls down the back. By giving less water with the feed, and not allowing the pigs to fill up with all they can possibly hold, this abnormal development can largely be prevented. Intelligent breeding for several generations, by mating animals with the most desirable conformation, such as straight backs, wide, deep hams, long, deep bodies, short heads, and short legs, should bring about further improvement. Breeding for fast growing and early maturing animals should also be practiced, as the most profitable feeding is with young animals.
