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Veal, Choosing Of

The flesh of veal ought to be white, approaching to pink, with the fat firm. It should not be too large or it will be coarse and hard. The vein in the shoulder should be of a bright red, and the kidneys should be covered with fat. If the flesh be clammy and discoloured by spots of various hues, the veal is unfit for use. Veal is best when it is from two to three months old. The flesh of the bull-calf is suited for joints, that of the cow-calf for made dishes. The latter possesses the udder, which causes it to be preferred. That part of the loin which is under the kidney first begins to taint. It should therefore be examined carefully before being purchased. When the udder is skewered back it is always well to take out the skewer in order to ascertain whether the under part is perfectly sweet. Under the pretext of making veal white a barbarous practice has prevailed of bleeding the calves daily until they have scarcely any blood left before killing them. Although this method of slaughtering the animal is not now universally adopted, it is still carried on to a large extent. The humane housekeeper would do well to ask the butcher whether or not the meat is killed in this way, and to refuse to purchase it unless the calf has been deprived of life with as little pain as possible. "It is necessary to observe," says M. Ude, "that the veal you intend to serve for dishes must always be very white and fat; what you use for sauces is not of so much consequence; but it is certain that very white veal is more healthy than common veal; red veal will disorder a great many stomachs, white never does."