Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [41]
More complex exploitations of bone developed and flourished later. A beautiful early example, dating from 700 A.D., is the Franks Casket, a whalebone box that is a masterpiece of bone carving. (It is named after the man who presented it to the British Museum, not the unknown artist who carved it.) Bone is durable and readily available. It can be carved by anyone, from skilled Italian craftsmen to prisoners of war. The Embriachi family was famous during the Italian renaissance for their exquisitely carved and inlaid bone jewelry boxes. Prisoners of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, held by the British, whiled away their incarceration by carving bone. Many of these soldiers had learned their skills as comb makers in Europe or as scrimshanders on whaling ships. With bones scrounged from the prison kitchens, they made toys, boxes, trinkets, and intricately detailed model ships, which they could sell or trade.
To return to more practical purposes, more than three hundred thousand perforated bone strips were found in the German town of Constance, dating from the late thirteenth to the early sixteenth centuries, remnants from bone button and bead manufacture. Along with pins, clothes were fastened with leather knots and loops, and these knots were often reinforced with bone disks. Eventually bone buttons replaced the disks and knots. However, the most important boost to the bone manufacturing industry was the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire, which resulted in increased demand for rosaries. Traditional rosaries were made from glass, amber, precious stones, or metal, but these were expensive and out of reach of the general population. Bone rosaries provided an affordable alternative.
The working of bone was an important industry during the Renaissance, and bones were crafted into everyday items from combs to spoons, spectacle frames, tweezers, and toothpicks. Military applications were not overlooked, with scabbards, bow splints, and hilts or handles for knives and swords all made from bone.
While other materials, especially plastic, have mostly supplanted bone today, it is still carved and is a common replacement for ivory.
Pig’s Tails Two Ways
Pig’s tails are a different challenge from feet. I actually like them better, as there is more meat and they are less gelatinous. There is a good amount of fat where the tail joins the spine and this should be trimmed. Pig’s tails come in various lengths (and they are not curly). Unlike the feet, tails don’t need any wrapping before cooking or pressing, as they hold their shape well.
4 pig’s tails, 8 to 10 ounces each (250 to 300 g)
Spiced Salt (page 84)
Court Bouillon (page 60)
1. A day or two before you will cook the tails, coat them in the spiced salt. Cover and refrigerate, turning once or twice.
2. Preheat the oven to 275T (135°C). Rinse the pig’s tails under cold running water and place them in a large deep pan or Dutch oven. Pour over the court bouillon; if there is not enough liquid to cover the tails, add up to 2 cups (500 ml) water.
3. Cover with a piece of damp parchment paper, then the lid, and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 to 2½ hours, or until the tails can be easily pierced with a skewer. Leave them in the stock until cool enough to handle.
4. If not using right away, carefully transfer the tails to a dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Be sure to strain the cooking liquid through a sieve, discarding the solids, and keep it for sauces or soup.
οPig’s Tails with Ginger, Soy, and Garlic
{SERVES 4 AS AN APPETIZER} Before you embark on this recipe, you really should buy a metal splatter screen if you don’t have one. Make sure it is all metal, so it can go in the oven. It’s not essential, but it will protect you and your oven from exploding pig’s tails. As there is always some moisture left in the tails, they like to splutter and burst in the hot oven. This possibility