The proper
proportion, by weight, is one third of animal, and two thirds of
vegetable food.
" Nature has given us an unerring guide to a proper choice of
diet. An unperverted appetite is the voice of the physical sys-
tem making known its needs, and it may always be trusted to
indicate the food necessary to the preservation of health. But
as the voice of nature is often unheeded, it is necessary to exer-
cise intelligence in selecting our food and adapting it to the
circumstances of life. By a proper choice we can often coun-
teract the effects of a violation of nature's laws."
ADAPTATION OF FOOD TO CLIMATE, AGE, OCCU-
PATION, AND STATE OF HEALTH.
In examining the foods adopted by different nations and
classes of people, we find that many choose instinctively the
kind best adapted to their individual needs. The climate, occu-
pation, and water influence their choice.
Climate. — Animal food is better for cold than for hot cli-
mates. We breathe more rapidly, take in more oxygen in cold
weather, and the internal fire burns up more of the food. We
exercise more, and this causes more rapid wearing out of muscle
and flesh. Fat meat is not digested easily unless exercise be
taken freely; more oxygen must be mixed with it to produce
heat than is required for sugar and starch. In summer, when
we exercise less, the waste is less, and we need less warmth-
468
The Boston Cook Book.
giving food. The starch and sugar obtained from fruits and
vegetables are easily digested, and furnish sufficient warmth.
The Esquimaux or Greenlander consumes a large quantity of
fat^ or blubber oil^ the most condensed form of carbonaceous
food. This gives him the amount of heat necessary in an ex-
tremely cold climate. With this blubber he mixes some indi-
gestible substances to give the needed bulk for the perfect
action of the stomach. The people of Norway, Sweden, and
Russia use large quantities of oily fish. In China, India, and
other extremely hot climates, rice is the universal food. Kice
contains a very small amount of flesh-forming material, being
mostly starch, which is changed into sugar by the action of the
saliva. The natives of rice-eating countries owe much of their
lack of spirit and energy to this defective diet. But when eaten
with butter or olive oil, and made into curries, pilaf , and pilau,
with a small amount of flesh or fish, it supplies all the elements
necessary for life in such climates. The Spaniard in his olla
podrida — a stew of peas, bacon, or fowl, with red pepper — finds
all the necessary elements. The red pepper, used so largely in
the curries and other dishes common to hot climates, stimulates
the liver, which is naturally w^eakened by the long-continued
heat, and thus assists digestion. The Arab chooses dates, parched
grains, mare's or cameVs milk. The Turk adds to these melons
and cucumbers. As we come northward again, we find more
flesh-forming material in the polenta (a dish made of Indian
corn) and the chestnuts, macaroni, and cheese used by the Italians.
The pot-au-feu is the principal dish of every peasant in France.
This furnishes the cheapest form of nutriment, and contains all
the necessary elements of food.
Page 277
Presented as published in 1884. 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
The proper proportion, by weight, is one third of animal, and two thirds of vegetable food.
" Nature has given us an unerring guide to a proper choice of diet. An unperverted appetite is the voice of the physical system making known its needs, and it may always be trusted to indicate the food necessary to the preservation of health. But as the voice of nature is often unheeded, it is necessary to exercise intelligence in selecting our food and adapting it to the circumstances of life. By a proper choice we can often counteract the effects of a violation of nature's laws."
ADAPTATION OF FOOD TO CLIMATE, AGE, OCCU- PATION, AND STATE OF HEALTH.
In examining the foods adopted by different nations and classes of people, we find that many choose instinctively the kind best adapted to their individual needs. The climate, occupation, and water influence their choice.
Climate. — Animal food is better for cold than for hot climates. We breathe more rapidly, take in more oxygen in cold weather, and the internal fire burns up more of the food. We exercise more, and this causes more rapid wearing out of muscle and flesh. Fat meat is not digested easily unless exercise be taken freely; more oxygen must be mixed with it to produce heat than is required for sugar and starch. In summer, when we exercise less, the waste is less, and we need less warmth-
The Boston Cook Book.
giving food. The starch and sugar obtained from fruits and vegetables are easily digested, and furnish sufficient warmth. The Esquimaux or Greenlander consumes a large quantity of fat^ or blubber oil^ the most condensed form of carbonaceous food. This gives him the amount of heat necessary in an extremely cold climate. With this blubber he mixes some indigestible substances to give the needed bulk for the perfect action of the stomach. The people of Norway, Sweden, and Russia use large quantities of oily fish. In China, India, and other extremely hot climates, rice is the universal food. Kice contains a very small amount of flesh-forming material, being mostly starch, which is changed into sugar by the action of the saliva. The natives of rice-eating countries owe much of their lack of spirit and energy to this defective diet. But when eaten with butter or olive oil, and made into curries, pilaf , and pilau, with a small amount of flesh or fish, it supplies all the elements necessary for life in such climates. The Spaniard in his olla podrida — a stew of peas, bacon, or fowl, with red pepper — finds all the necessary elements. The red pepper, used so largely in the curries and other dishes common to hot climates, stimulates the liver, which is naturally w^eakened by the long-continued heat, and thus assists digestion. The Arab chooses dates, parched grains, mare's or cameVs milk. The Turk adds to these melons and cucumbers. As we come northward again, we find more flesh-forming material in the polenta (a dish made of Indian corn) and the chestnuts, macaroni, and cheese used by the Italians. The pot-au-feu is the principal dish of every peasant in France. This furnishes the cheapest form of nutriment, and contains all the necessary elements of food.