FROM OCEAN TO OIL BATH.

Grey River Argus, 30 October 1907, Page 1

FROM OCEAN TO OIL BATH.

SARDINES THE REAL AND THE UNREAL. We all know >Jhe toothsome, spraltlike liittl'3 fish imimured in its. fat, TectamgulaT tin-ease, but'do we know ■amyi'.lhimg 'more about Jit than th&£ it is deflircions when, (amian'g other ways) if is e«i!'en. on broiwai toast alfitJ&r 'beinig spirinkifed rwditih 1 flemlon Judce? Pnclb'ably not ; -but there are a few mates on fche dainlty little .fish an dits prese,rviaJ'bn in a markertalbQefoapm wfhich wdl serve as an initroduotdon ■when we next see if. ■ . OrAgiiaaly it was oaoii^ilt round the coasts of Sadinia, that •terra omcog■niita of EngJMiime/n even to this day, and was simply oafied the 'Sarodiimian fish/ bedmig dried and saflited itlhere for /marfeat'. Later, nine Frenth and Portugese disrfjovered airw>th ! e.r mode of pteiseorvinig ithe fish' in tin oases fijUed wdih offl, and, for constoieinice saike, niaim'eid diem 'sardines,' by ■whiich noime they are knlawn aIW over Europe. Samdiines, 'like sjpnats, pilahiards, hemintgis, and tfher meanibeirs of <tftie ciupidae (no need for ialarm, it. ls only ■the f wmiiy maime) a-re not only diadmity fare, b.ujt they aire veiry nuitniMou's, <beinig Ml of oil and phosiphiates. . The mode of icure -is vary scimipile. They first are thoroughly hashed in sea wiater, then Jaid out in flat niiaisses. and sprin-kled caire>fully with fine j gniain • ed saJt, in which ©date they are laOfllawed to remiain for seveinail hours. Bevtes of woimian and girls pefoTm /fih© next process of ibeheadimig amd 'guidn,g- th'am. The Mfc "fish, baiinig heild • the left hand, a dexSeroiUS and instantaneous, tiwdst of the rigihit Jhaimib and forefin'g^r deprives it of both hiead and entire vislcera. "" • Tih'sn comes a second washdimg to remove sa3t and the effedts of gaii'liloitinwnig-, after whiich they, are spread out on ouster platforms ofitrayfiior jnsoir c leiclentiy on gtaflwainfeed iwire j sieve3, and exposed for sam© time fa 'bolth adT and Bun whem the iweaioher h dry; but should alt he. wet Ithtey are stiil 'weathered' under cover in such a way tha)^ the wind may palss ibbth oiver and under them. Next, coipp^rs fiMieid willih (btodaiing oil are brouighit onto requisition, into which ithe fish are ithTWwn, onily to remain a short time/iwhea they are car©futtly toail'sd oult and placed oiipon slaping- tmays, so ' lhait "as moich as the oil may drain from them as possible. Then they are ready for pfliaoin'g in the 'tins' or olbibn'g boxes so famiilfiiar a sigh 1 ; in the -windows of our grocers', shops n Enigtend. Tfe's beet oUme <M Is Supposed to 'be used 1 , 'buit in miany cases a certain totthea: oitt is mixed mth. dt. Women and chffidrein!, .wi«ih: ,their quikk amd busy fingesr, pack the. sardine^ in the tins, whoch are feanded to men whio at once fii them fui wdth'ooll. The nexit process is <to 'pas's fill's "tims gently lalonig to a number <of men, each of whom ,sits near a 'Kritflie •brazner. The-dulty of thieise men is to soder on th-3 Hds of tins, .thus rendeninig them iperfeetily air-(t£ghit, and so cleverly do {they pmsteeute dheir Work tihlaif not two per" cent faiil to be hermeticalily seajl- «* -v' • Stdllfl 1 wricifoer proice4s ; has the siardine to .umdercgo before at is ready (to •be plalciked off to . mlark)B(t, and that is . th? oTdelal by ibtodlliinig waiter.- iThe t?ns are cai^er^sulbjedted to a sihoirt period of omimersten in'ibcdilinig waiter in- itamiks or submdltted to a -rtwaalm of supeirWe&ited abeam, .whew 'tthe ifiauflty ( ones either burst or- exude' a (tiny' stream . of <oii Avhere the solder has left one isimaflil apettture. ■ . The -last'" ceremony is <bo pack *h!e tins in- wpo'den cases after which they ' are tfdaidy for . ©teaim vessels -to take the ant oth'ai rports of destination all over the woriid. Stoanigely-enouigiK In bur oiwn coUintry tihe oil in, which, ithe sardines are ttimmeirsed is usuailily thrown away, but the peofpfle of Nine Somitih of Eurfcype, iwho fawcxw ioittfle albbw* buibtter, use every dno.p of it for food, knowing 1 .•weH the noiurishiimg properties' .of any veg'eftialblle odd. Many Batons, iwh'o sihuidder at the- sight of oak if presented ate ia fotod, wiiM mevertheless eptmd thieiir bread .thiddly .wnitih ibutteir, 'because it as gioiod for them,' igttumnig the fact thait oil is equtaly &ulfnifiious, arid gives as much energy to ■the Syistein. _ w Sardines a l'huiile: are nibiw made in conarienaablte quanifciitdes. 'bortih an K«n|t', where the; sprat forms the sardine, and in CordwaM, wfiieme ithe Mnder fcwo-itlh'irds of &m ! ailil' piliohards perfomm the kindly offece. Possilbly 'the Em'gilish (production dannot be placed upon a paT wish (he igenuine sardanes, ibmt ■they Have' the advianleaige of : be,inig infinitely chciaiper and ju©t as wheflesome. ; There is one kind of cuiimg which ife wwiit'er bas otevfair seen m any London shop, and which comeSs froim ithe South of France; it is peculier in the facit' that red .wine takes the place 0? olive oil. 'How srange it would be »to see a man drumk .thincHulgih an dnordinaite feast of sordanes! The wine is found niat to preserve the fish for the same lenigth' of tftrie as oil, hence 'the cauise of their wot beimg se€in dn TZttgbasad- With our . cold stbraige system, this should ihlow b© possibly, and -should .give some Qmhitbire reader a hiat how to make 1 a : fortune by imipoaitinlg- a moVelllty. Of recent years America has gon© 5n i ox pfoduoin'g sanidinels, tand. Maine, U.S., now 'sends out l'airgs . q-uamtitoieß miade from a smiaiH ki-nid of herrinig. EaisitipO'rE, an tto State, last year sent out as many as 750,000 cases, showimg how soon quite a liange industry may spring up if only ithe Inventive, goaheaid man is round.