The Chinese, like most people, are lovers of pork, beef, mutton, and
poultry, and consume these meats, both fresh and cured, in large
quantities each year.
Fresh meat is practically all consumed within a few miles of the
locality in which it is butchered. However large quantities of cured
meats, especially cured pork and duck, are shipped long distances from
the localities where they are cured. Cured hams and bacon are shipped
from Kuling north to Peking, and south to Canton. Yunnan exports to
Canton and other parts of China, to the Philippine Islands and other
countries to the south, a considerable quantity of home cured ham,
which is quite popular with the Chinese in those regions. On the other
hand, a good deal of cured ham and bacon is imported, chiefly from
Australia and England, to the various ports of China and finds its way
inland.
For a number of years Canton Christian College has been studying the
butchering and curing problems as they exist in southern China,
particularly in the region of Canton. Meats of various kinds have
been butchered and cured by the College. Both the foreign and
Chinese methods of handling the meat have been practiced and
studied. In this work special attention has been given to the
butchering and curing of pork.
The climate of Canton is one not especially well adapted to
curing meat. This is due to the fact that the temperature never falls
below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, even in the coldest winter season.
Further, this low a temperature is not maintained more than a few
days of the winter season, and only at night. Before noon it usually
rises to 50 or 60, following even the coldest nights. In spite of the
fact that the temperature never gets very low, the work at the College
has demonstrated that it is possible to produce good cured meat, if
done properly, even without the use of ice. However there is some
risk of the meat spoiling without ice, and it is recommended,
especially in curing large pieces of meat, such as hams and shoulders,
that ice be used to facilitate the cooling of the meat before the cure
is applied.