We find large masses of red flesh or muscle, made up of little bundles of thread-like fibres or tubes separated by white membranes, and the large masses separated by cellu- lar tissue. These fibres seem full of a red, watery juice. There is fat on the edge, or inner skin, also between the fibres, and large masses of it are between the muscles and in the hollow bones. We find a small amount of bone; a hard, white, gelatinous substance around the joints, called gristle ; and white, shiny, tough membranes or tendons at the ends of the muscles. These masses of fibre we cafl the lean meat. In one 227 228 SCHOOL KITCHEN TEXTBOOK part the fibres seem coarse and flabby, separate easily, and have thin membranes connecting them. These membranes are called connective tissue. If we press the meat we find only a little juice. In another section the fibres are smaller, finer, very close together, and feel hard and firm. We cannot separate them, there is so much of the connective tissue ; but there is a large quantity of juice. In still another piece we find soft, tender fibre with little membrane and juice. Good beef should be bright-red when first cut, well mar- bled with yellowish fat, and with a thick outside layer of fat. The flesh must be firm, and when pressed with the finger no mark should be left. The inner fat or suet should be dry and crumble easily. The best mutton is that from a large, heavy animal, should have an abundance of hard, clear-white fat, and the flesh should be fine-grained and bright-red. Poor mutton has but little fat and little flesh as compared with the bone. More depends upon the quality of the meat than upon its location in the creature. A slice from the sirloin in a poorly fed creature may not be so rich in flavor and nutri- ment as one from the flank in a well-fed animal. The muscles that are used most are the toughest, but they contain the largest amount of juice, for the blood cir- culates most freely through them. The heart is a muscle used more than any other and has a tough, close, compact fibre. The legs have large, thick muscles which start near the lower end, among a mass of tendons and cords, and grow larger, thicker, and more tender, till at the upper end they are very thick. Here is where we shall find the largest amount of lean meat with only the small, round leg bones. The upper part of the leg is called the round and the lower end the shin. On the thighs, or rump, there are large, broad bones, with large muscles, branching out in several directions, which are tender and juicy. The muscles on the upper part of the fore leg are smaller and not so tender as those on the round. MEAT 229 Where the fore leg joins the shoulder and down the back, we find the shoulder blade — a broad, flat bone — and the backbone ; also a number of small muscles running in all directions. We cannot expect to find much lean meat here ; but we do find bone, gristle, and fat, with thin layers of meat between them. Under the shoulder blade, and extending down the back- bone to the loin, are the ribs, running at right angles with the backbone, meeting at the breast and tapering off at the loin. These bones are covered with a thick muscle near the back, and with many layers of muscle, fat, and tough membranes, extending round to the breast.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

We find large masses of red flesh or muscle, made up of little bundles of thread-like fibres or tubes separated by white membranes, and the large masses separated by cellular tissue. These fibres seem full of a red, watery juice. There is fat on the edge, or inner skin, also between the fibres, and large masses of it are between the muscles and in the hollow bones. We find a small amount of bone; a hard, white, gelatinous substance around the joints, called gristle ; and white, shiny, tough membranes or tendons at the ends of the muscles. These masses of fibre we cafl the lean meat. In one part the fibres seem coarse and flabby, separate easily, and have thin membranes connecting them. These membranes are called connective tissue. If we press the meat we find only a little juice. In another section the fibres are smaller, finer, very close together, and feel hard and firm. We cannot separate them, there is so much of the connective tissue ; but there is a large quantity of juice. In still another piece we find soft, tender fibre with little membrane and juice. Good beef should be bright-red when first cut, well marbled with yellowish fat, and with a thick outside layer of fat. The flesh must be firm, and when pressed with the finger no mark should be left. The inner fat or suet should be dry and crumble easily. The best mutton is that from a large, heavy animal, should have an abundance of hard, clear-white fat, and the flesh should be fine-grained and bright-red. Poor mutton has but little fat and little flesh as compared with the bone. More depends upon the quality of the meat than upon its location in the creature. A slice from the sirloin in a poorly fed creature may not be so rich in flavor and nutriment as one from the flank in a well-fed animal. The muscles that are used most are the toughest, but they contain the largest amount of juice, for the blood circulates most freely through them. The heart is a muscle used more than any other and has a tough, close, compact fibre. The legs have large, thick muscles which start near the lower end, among a mass of tendons and cords, and grow larger, thicker, and more tender, till at the upper end they are very thick. Here is where we shall find the largest amount of lean meat with only the small, round leg bones. The upper part of the leg is called the round and the lower end the shin. On the thighs, or rump, there are large, broad bones, with large muscles, branching out in several directions, which are tender and juicy. The muscles on the upper part of the fore leg are smaller and not so tender as those on the round. MEAT 229 Where the fore leg joins the shoulder and down the back, we find the shoulder blade — a broad, flat bone — and the backbone ; also a number of small muscles running in all directions. We cannot expect to find much lean meat here ; but we do find bone, gristle, and fat, with thin layers of meat between them. Under the shoulder blade, and extending down the backbone to the loin, are the ribs, running at right angles with the backbone, meeting at the breast and tapering off at the loin. These bones are covered with a thick muscle near the back, and with many layers of muscle, fat, and tough membranes, extending round to the breast.

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