As substitutes for injurious spices and commercial
condiments composed of unknown and largely adulterated
ingredients, we can grow our own sweet herbs or purchase
them unmixed.
In the " craze " now so prevalent for old-fashioned
household goods, why not reinstate the aromatic seeds of
" long ago " ? Why may not sweet marjoram, sweet basil,
rosemary and lavender, lemon verbena, rose and geranium
leaves lend their exquisite flavors to our food ? Thyme,
parsley, sage and mints of various kinds, with onions,
celery, tomatoes, limes and lemons will yield us variety,
while oranges, pineapples and a host of nature's delicacies
surround us and we can obtain them in their unadulter-
ated state, and indulge in a profusion of wholesome flavors
and seasonings, attended with no risk to health unless
from excess.
PUDDINGS, PASTRIES AND CAKES. 1 73
CHAPTER XIII.
PUDDINGS, PASTRIES AND CAKES.
We read of dangers lurking in the air, of deadly
"germs" and invisible microbes by the million, and a
thousand things outside of ourselves lying in wait for an
opportunity to destroy us. But the dangerous elements
concealed in the daily food supplies and constantly being
developed in the kitchens and cook rooms all over the
world, (both public and private) are productive of more
extensive and deadly " colonies of bacteria " than can be
found elsewhere, to say nothing of the more visible dan-
gers forming a constant menace to life and health. The
exacting methods of the present-day pastry cooking in its
various branches, are more productive of back-ache,
nerve-ache, " microbes," doctors' bills, fretting and worry-
producing wrinkles than any other branch of domestic
labor. Health and time are too valuable to justify the
expenditure of several hours daily in concocting super-
fluous dishes, usually eaten when we have already had
sufficient of other things.
In this department are found pungent spices, distilled
essences and alcoholic fire-brands that assist in evolving
the most astonishing mixtures called food. Here, too, is
where the fine artistic creations in cookery develop.
Girls must be proficient in manufacturing all sorts of
sweets, no matter whether they can make a loaf of good
174 THE FAT OF THE LAND.
bread, or cook a dinner. For are not these cakes big
and little, frosted, ornamented and stuffed with rich fill-
ings, all of which " melt in the mouth," the very triumph
of skill ? At any rate, they form the bulk of what the
world feasts upon at teas, lunches, clubs and all the social
functions, church suppers included. How could the
purses of the " male persuasion " ever be reached except
through a tempting appeal to their palates ? And they
are so gracious and benevolent ; they buy, eat and give
away until often a restless, internal fever is developed.
Fancy drinks are next indulged in, and appetite rules at
the expense of digestion. Intemperance and moral obliq-
uity not infrequently find their parentage in indulgences
at public tables, spread in the name of charity and the
best interests of humanity ; or in private under the guise
of sociability. And even though acknowledging the
really gigantic efforts put forth in behalf of temperance,
when we reflect upon our methods of cookery, why marvel
because liquor saloons, tobacco and opium dens multiply
and flourish, or that the United States pays out three or
four times as much for crime, as it expends to make the
world better.
Page 69
Presented as published in 1896. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
As substitutes for injurious spices and commercial condiments composed of unknown and largely adulterated ingredients, we can grow our own sweet herbs or purchase them unmixed.
In the " craze " now so prevalent for old-fashioned household goods, why not reinstate the aromatic seeds of " long ago " ? Why may not sweet marjoram, sweet basil, rosemary and lavender, lemon verbena, rose and geranium leaves lend their exquisite flavors to our food ? Thyme, parsley, sage and mints of various kinds, with onions, celery, tomatoes, limes and lemons will yield us variety, while oranges, pineapples and a host of nature's delicacies surround us and we can obtain them in their unadulterated state, and indulge in a profusion of wholesome flavors and seasonings, attended with no risk to health unless from excess.
CHAPTER XIII.
We read of dangers lurking in the air, of deadly "germs" and invisible microbes by the million, and a thousand things outside of ourselves lying in wait for an opportunity to destroy us. But the dangerous elements concealed in the daily food supplies and constantly being developed in the kitchens and cook rooms all over the world, (both public and private) are productive of more extensive and deadly " colonies of bacteria " than can be found elsewhere, to say nothing of the more visible dangers forming a constant menace to life and health. The exacting methods of the present-day pastry cooking in its various branches, are more productive of back-ache, nerve-ache, " microbes," doctors' bills, fretting and worryproducing wrinkles than any other branch of domestic labor. Health and time are too valuable to justify the expenditure of several hours daily in concocting superfluous dishes, usually eaten when we have already had sufficient of other things.
In this department are found pungent spices, distilled essences and alcoholic fire-brands that assist in evolving the most astonishing mixtures called food. Here, too, is where the fine artistic creations in cookery develop. Girls must be proficient in manufacturing all sorts of sweets, no matter whether they can make a loaf of good
bread, or cook a dinner. For are not these cakes big and little, frosted, ornamented and stuffed with rich fillings, all of which " melt in the mouth," the very triumph of skill ? At any rate, they form the bulk of what the world feasts upon at teas, lunches, clubs and all the social functions, church suppers included. How could the purses of the " male persuasion " ever be reached except through a tempting appeal to their palates ? And they are so gracious and benevolent ; they buy, eat and give away until often a restless, internal fever is developed. Fancy drinks are next indulged in, and appetite rules at the expense of digestion. Intemperance and moral obliquity not infrequently find their parentage in indulgences at public tables, spread in the name of charity and the best interests of humanity ; or in private under the guise of sociability. And even though acknowledging the really gigantic efforts put forth in behalf of temperance, when we reflect upon our methods of cookery, why marvel because liquor saloons, tobacco and opium dens multiply and flourish, or that the United States pays out three or four times as much for crime, as it expends to make the world better.