What’s the secret to great American cuisine? – Russia today Posting in CHAT: Russia Cans of “stewed pork” became the same symbol of the Great Patriotic War as the tuft, soldiers’ certificates and a pot of porridge. Since 1942, the United States has supplied about 2.7 billion cans of this product to the Soviet Union. According to some estimates, America supplied the Red Army with canned meat for 80% of its needs. Overseas stew was deservedly loved by Soviet soldiers. Moreover, even in those days, few Soviet citizens knew what exactly was the secret of the taste of excellent canned meat. In the 1930s, as a result of the Great Depression, the American meat industry fell into decline. The war and the need to send meat products to the allies under the Lend-Lease program not only helped restore production, but also accelerated its further development. For the Soviet Union, the stew was produced primarily in factories in Ohio and Iowa, in the heartland of America. But if the meat, factories and workers in this process were American, then the recipe for delicious stew was Soviet. In the USA, canned food for the Red Army was produced according to the domestic GOST 697-41. Thus, for the production of pork stew, GOST 697-41 allowed the use of frozen, chilled or chilled pork, as well as boiled or raw pork. thick According to the recipe, the proportion of meat in canned food should not be lower than 59%, and the proportion of fat should not fall below 10.5%. At the same time, the use of twice-frozen meat as food raw materials, as well as meat of wild boars weighing less than 35 kg, was strictly prohibited. Each piece of pork had to be freed of everything unnecessary: cartilage, bones, fat, tissue membranes, large tendons and glands. Spices were necessarily added to lard and pork: pepper (black or red), bay leaf, salt, onion. All seasonings had to be at least grade I. The production of American-Soviet stew began with cutting up a pork carcass. This was followed by cutting, deboning, trimming and cutting into pieces. Then heat treatment occurs at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes. During this time, the meat decreased by about 20%. The stew was packed on the line by hand, adding spices first, then meat, then fat. After this, the jars of ingredients were sent along the line to the sewing machine, and then into the room for 2.5 hours of sterilization at a temperature of 120 degrees. Before packaging, the products underwent quality control and subsequent shipment. From the warehouse, the cooking was sent to ships and then under Lend-Lease to the warring Allied countries, mainly to the Soviet Union. Soviet soldiers liked overseas cooking. The hearty meat product brought serious variety to the harsh front-line cuisine, which was on the verge of necessity. Stewed meat was most actively used for preparing porridges and soups in field kitchens. However, when it was not possible to feed the soldiers from the kitchen, cans of stew in “raw” form were distributed to subordinates as an additional ration. Few Soviet people then understood that the overseas dish was prepared according to the recipe of domestic specialists. Source link Source link
