A practical cook and text book for general use

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED. "Whatever hath life thou shalt not kill.'' **If it happens that thou see anything to be killed, thy soul shall be moved with pity and compassion." — Buddhist Scripture. Thou shalt not kill. — Christian Scripture. CONTENTS. PART I. CHAPTER. PACE. Preface, 9 Introduction, 15 I. Why we Eat, 21 II. Why a Hygienic Diet, .... 24 III. The Fat of the Land, 33 IV. Cooking Utensils, 46 V. Milk, Cream, Butter, Etc, ... 53 VI. Vegetable Oils, 57 PART II. VII. Bread; Its Evolution; Bread-Making, Cereals and their Cookery, ... 67 VIII. Fruits, Cooking and Canning, . . 103 IX. Vegetable Cooking, 123 X. Nuts, their Culture and Use in Cooking, 141 XI. Salads, 157 XII. Condiments and Seasonings, . . .167 XIII. Puddings, Pastries and Cakes, . . 173 PART III. XIV. Milk and the Cow, 183 XV. Feeding Infants, 193 XVI. Social Requirements, 203 XVII. Bakeries, 209 XVIII. The Drink Question, 215 XIX. Alcoholics in Food, 220 XX. Farm Yard Slaughter and Kitchen Dissections, 225 XXI. Where the Money Goes, .... 236 XXII, In a Nut Shell, 242 Directory 246 But words are things, and a small drop of ink Falling like dew upon a thought, Produces that which makes thousands, Perhaps millions think. — Byron. The address of an ancient and distinguished priest of India. " Children of the sun, listen to the dying advice of your faithful and affectionate instructor, who hastens to the bosom of the great Allah, to give an account, and to enjoy the expected rewards of his services. Your regimen ought to be simple and inartificial. Drink only the pure, simple water. It is the beverage of nature ; and not by any means, nor in any way, to be improved by art ! Eat only fruits and vegetables. Let the predaceous animals prey on carnage and blood. Stain not the divine gentleness of your natures by one act of cruelty to the creatures beneath you ! Heaven, to protect them, hath placed you at their head. Be not treacherous to the important trust you hold by murdering those you ought to preserve ; nor defile your bodies by filling them with putrefaction. There is enough of vegetables and fruits to supply your appetites, without oppressing them by carrion, or drenching them in blood." < i ai lis at PREFACE. This book is because of the agitation and discussion upon the various phases of the food question. The title indicates its character to be vegetarian ; this word however is a misnomer, but as none better has yet been coined, we will simply state that we are vegetarians, because we think nature designed us to subsist on the " fat of the land," and not on the flesh and blood of beasts, or any living, sentient creature. Necessity alone compelled mankind to eat flesh, that life might be sustained, and that page in the history of the race should have been gradually closed as other forms of food appeared. But changes are difficult to make, consequently a portion of the world adhered to a flesh diet. By making great improvements (?) in the animal world, that they might become a source of greater profit, many have been rendered so unlike their original selves, that their flesh and products have become dangerous and questionable as articles of food for the human family. This latter reason should be sufficient to induce any thoughtful person to abstain from flesh and seek for other and more desirable food with which the bounteous earth overflows. Thoughtful women in public and private life have been and are searching for something less elaborate than the conventional cook book, supplemented by the modern cooking school. These latter, under skillful and conscientious teachers, are accomplishing much good in some directions, but the constant developments in cooking, often seem like an endless maze of culinary wonders, that con- • 2