Turkeys, geese, ducks, and grouse are usually
dry picked. If this could be done while the
bodies were still warm, it would be no job at all;
but after they are cold it generally results in a
good deal of laceration of the skin — so much so
DRESSING GAME. 43
that sometimes the disgusted operator gives up and
skins the whole bird. It would be better to scald
them first, like chickens. In dry picking, hang
the bird up by one leg, pluck first the pinions and
tail feathers; then the small feathers from shanks
and inside of thighs ; then the others. Grasp only
a few feathers at a time between finger and thumb,
as close to the skin as possible, and pull quickly
toward the head. Then pick out all pin-feathers
and quills. Singe the down off quickly, so as not
to give an oily appearance to the skin. Ordi-
narily the down can be removed from a duck's
breast by grasping the bird by the neck and giv-
ing one sweep of the open hand down one side of
the body and then one down the other. In pluck-
ing geese or ducks some use finely powdered resin
to remove the pin-feathers. The bird is plucked
dry, then rubbed all over with the resin, dipped in
and out of boiling water seven or eight times,
and then the pin-feathers and down are easily
rubbed off.
To draw a bird: cut off the head, and the legs
at the first joint. Make a lengthwise slit on back
at base of neck and sever neck bone close to
body, also the membrane which holds the wind-
pipe. Make a lengthwise incision from breast-
bone to (and around) the vent, so you can easily
draw the insides, which must be done carefully,
so as not to rupture the gall-bladder. The idea
that ducks and other game birds should hang until
they smell badly is monstrous. If you want to
know where such tastes originated, read the annals
of medieval sieges.
A small trout is easily cleaned by tearing out
the gills with thumb and forefinger and drawing
the inside out with them. In a large trout the
'44> CAMP COOKERY.
gills should be cut free from the lower jaw and
back of head^ and a slit cut along the under side
from head to fin; the inside is then drawn out by
the gills^ leaving the fish clean within.
To scale a fish: grasp it by the head, and, using
a knife that is not over-keen, scale first one side
and then the other, with swift, steady sweeps to-
ward you. The scales below the gills, and those
near the fins, are removed by moving the point
of the knife crosswise to the fish's length. Next
place the knife just below the belly fin and with
a slant stroke cut off this, the side fins, and the
head, all in one piece. Then remove the back
fin, and the spines beneath it, by making a deep
incision on each side of the fin and pulling the
latter out. The ventral part is removed in the
same way. Open the fish, wash it in cold water,
scrape off the slime, and then wipe it dry with a
clean cloth or towel. Large fish, for broiling,
should be split open along the back and the spine
removed.
Page 21
Presented as published in 1910. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Turkeys, geese, ducks, and grouse are usually dry picked. If this could be done while the bodies were still warm, it would be no job at all; but after they are cold it generally results in a good deal of laceration of the skin — so much so
that sometimes the disgusted operator gives up and skins the whole bird. It would be better to scald them first, like chickens. In dry picking, hang the bird up by one leg, pluck first the pinions and tail feathers; then the small feathers from shanks and inside of thighs ; then the others. Grasp only a few feathers at a time between finger and thumb, as close to the skin as possible, and pull quickly toward the head. Then pick out all pin-feathers and quills. Singe the down off quickly, so as not to give an oily appearance to the skin. Ordinarily the down can be removed from a duck's breast by grasping the bird by the neck and giving one sweep of the open hand down one side of the body and then one down the other. In plucking geese or ducks some use finely powdered resin to remove the pin-feathers. The bird is plucked dry, then rubbed all over with the resin, dipped in and out of boiling water seven or eight times, and then the pin-feathers and down are easily rubbed off.
To draw a bird: cut off the head, and the legs at the first joint. Make a lengthwise slit on back at base of neck and sever neck bone close to body, also the membrane which holds the windpipe. Make a lengthwise incision from breastbone to (and around) the vent, so you can easily draw the insides, which must be done carefully, so as not to rupture the gall-bladder. The idea that ducks and other game birds should hang until they smell badly is monstrous. If you want to know where such tastes originated, read the annals of medieval sieges.
A small trout is easily cleaned by tearing out the gills with thumb and forefinger and drawing the inside out with them. In a large trout the
gills should be cut free from the lower jaw and back of head, and a slit cut along the under side from head to fin; the inside is then drawn out by the gills, leaving the fish clean within.
To scale a fish: grasp it by the head, and, using a knife that is not over-keen, scale first one side and then the other, with swift, steady sweeps toward you. The scales below the gills, and those near the fins, are removed by moving the point of the knife crosswise to the fish's length. Next place the knife just below the belly fin and with a slant stroke cut off this, the side fins, and the head, all in one piece. Then remove the back fin, and the spines beneath it, by making a deep incision on each side of the fin and pulling the latter out. The ventral part is removed in the same way. Open the fish, wash it in cold water, scrape off the slime, and then wipe it dry with a clean cloth or towel. Large fish, for broiling, should be split open along the back and the spine removed.