Veal is at its best when the calf is from three to four months old.
The meat should be of a close firm grain, white in color and the fat
inclining to a pinkish tinge. Veal is sometimes coarser in the grain,
and redder in the flesh, not necessarily a mark of inferiority, but
denoting the fact that calf has been brought up in the open. Like all
young meat, veal turns very quickly, therefore it never should hang
more than two or three days. In choosing veal always examine the suet
under the kidney; if this be clammy and soft, with a faint odor, the
meat is not good, and always reject any that has greenish or yellowish
spots about it. The head should be clean skinned and firm, the eyes
full and clear, the kidneys large and well covered with fat, the liver
a rich dark clear color, free from any spots or gristle, while the
sweetbreads should be firm, plump, of a delicate color, and free from
strings.