Cook, clean, chill and separate -- when slaughtering pig in a flat
A Dunedin, New Zealand, City Council Environmental Health Inspector was called to a Union Street Flat recently after several complaints of a dismembered pigs body having been disposed and left on the street and a property.
Health Inspector Judy Austin attended the scene with two Campus Watch officers and a security guard to find blood, skin and the remains of entrail on the street, and the head and trotters of the pig inside the property boundary but close to the public footpath.
Austin said wild pigs can carry diseases such as E-coli, Trichinosis and Brucellosis, so the risk of having an outbreak of disease was possible.
Campus watch issued the tenants with a $100 fine under the Litter Act.
Health Inspector Judy Austin attended the scene with two Campus Watch officers and a security guard to find blood, skin and the remains of entrail on the street, and the head and trotters of the pig inside the property boundary but close to the public footpath.Austin said wild pigs can carry diseases such as E-coli, Trichinosis and Brucellosis, so the risk of having an outbreak of disease was possible.
Campus watch issued the tenants with a $100 fine under the Litter Act.
Cajuns fete carnival with pig slaughter
Far from the Carnival balls, parades and raucous crowds of New Orleans, Cajuns in St. Martinville held their last ''bon temps'' before Lent in a far different fashion: with a grand boucherie, or slaughtering of a pig.
Associated Press reports that hundreds of people watched at least part of the ritual Saturday, though most have seen it before. The pig's skin was being shaved for cracklins, a Cajun snack, while the carcass was being prepared for transport to a butcher shop.
Every year, Catholic Cajuns in this community about 140 miles west of New Orleans hold ''La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns'' the weekend before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.
Stephen Hardy, 38, who leads the group organizing the event, said,
"This is a celebration that was started out of necessity. Before refrigeration, they had to share the slaughter. One family could not consume a whole hog before it would go bad. They would have family and friends over to help, and everyone would leave with something."
With meat readily available at any grocery store today, the boucherie is simply a celebration of an old tradition, bringing family and friends together once a year for one last hoorah before the Catholic season of fasting begins.
Federal health code regulations prevent attendees from eating what is slaughtered during the celebration, Hardy said. So the butcher, after showing what is done traditionally, will take the carcass and byproducts to his shop to finish preparing the meat.
Associated Press reports that hundreds of people watched at least part of the ritual Saturday, though most have seen it before. The pig's skin was being shaved for cracklins, a Cajun snack, while the carcass was being prepared for transport to a butcher shop.
Every year, Catholic Cajuns in this community about 140 miles west of New Orleans hold ''La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns'' the weekend before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.Stephen Hardy, 38, who leads the group organizing the event, said,
"This is a celebration that was started out of necessity. Before refrigeration, they had to share the slaughter. One family could not consume a whole hog before it would go bad. They would have family and friends over to help, and everyone would leave with something."
With meat readily available at any grocery store today, the boucherie is simply a celebration of an old tradition, bringing family and friends together once a year for one last hoorah before the Catholic season of fasting begins.
Federal health code regulations prevent attendees from eating what is slaughtered during the celebration, Hardy said. So the butcher, after showing what is done traditionally, will take the carcass and byproducts to his shop to finish preparing the meat.
Fancy food in Peru - guinea pigs, or cuy
Chefs in the coastal Peruvian capital of Lima have turned guinea pig -- a staple protein of the Andes -- into a gourmet dish.
The Associated Press reports that five years ago, chef Marilu Madueno added cuy, as guinea pigs are locally known, to the menu at La Huaca Pucllana, an exclusive Lima restaurant popular with tourists that overlooks a pre-Inca temple.
When she created the restaurant's menu, Madueno correctly guessed that by chopping off the unsightly head and paws -- cuy is traditionally served whole in the Andes - it would sell better.
Madueno, who estimates she sells about 30 a week at about $14 a plate, was quoted as saying, "We're seeing cuy ordered more and more"
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Guinea pig offered whole is the best option as the animal -- slaughtered at about three months of age when the meat is still soft -- has a bony carcass, which is offset by its thick and flavourful skin.
Adam Goldfarb, an issue specialist in the companion animals department of the Humane Society, said he was not aware of any federal laws prohibiting guinea pig consumption in the United States, but local legislation could vary.
The Associated Press reports that five years ago, chef Marilu Madueno added cuy, as guinea pigs are locally known, to the menu at La Huaca Pucllana, an exclusive Lima restaurant popular with tourists that overlooks a pre-Inca temple.When she created the restaurant's menu, Madueno correctly guessed that by chopping off the unsightly head and paws -- cuy is traditionally served whole in the Andes - it would sell better.
Madueno, who estimates she sells about 30 a week at about $14 a plate, was quoted as saying, "We're seeing cuy ordered more and more"
Guinea pig offered whole is the best option as the animal -- slaughtered at about three months of age when the meat is still soft -- has a bony carcass, which is offset by its thick and flavourful skin.Adam Goldfarb, an issue specialist in the companion animals department of the Humane Society, said he was not aware of any federal laws prohibiting guinea pig consumption in the United States, but local legislation could vary.
Pig spleens predict winter weather
Amy and I are visiting family in Anoka, Minnesota, for a couple of days, and everyone gathered tonight for her grandmother's 85th birthday.
Oh ya, and the weather's always a popular subject, eh?
Same for Paul Smokov, 84, of Steele, N.D, who looks at pig spleens and predicts: "It looks like a normal year with no major storms. That's what the spleens tell me."
Smokov, who along with his wife, Betty, raises cattle on their 1,750-acre ranch north of Steele, says if the spleen is wide where it attaches to the pig's stomach and then narrows, it means winter weather will come early with a mild spring. A narrow-to-wider spleen usually means harsh weather in the spring.
Forecasters are calling for a normal winter -- matching Smokov's prediction.
Oh ya, and the weather's always a popular subject, eh?Same for Paul Smokov, 84, of Steele, N.D, who looks at pig spleens and predicts: "It looks like a normal year with no major storms. That's what the spleens tell me."
Smokov, who along with his wife, Betty, raises cattle on their 1,750-acre ranch north of Steele, says if the spleen is wide where it attaches to the pig's stomach and then narrows, it means winter weather will come early with a mild spring. A narrow-to-wider spleen usually means harsh weather in the spring.
Forecasters are calling for a normal winter -- matching Smokov's prediction.
