In Italy frying is a popular art, in which most urban
housewives and the average ^;a?/sa7^?^es are experts; the art of
making a fritto is no doubt facilitated by the plentiful supply
of olive-oil. In the North of Europe, however, but few cooks
understand the production of a good fritto, even with all the
advantages of lard and butter.
Frying can be effected in clarified butter, suet, Urd, or
olive-oil. The latter causes the surface of the fried material
to be particularly crisp, and is particularly suited to the
frying of some kinds of fish. When doughy substances
being fried begin to float on the surface of the fat, or to
burst by expansion, it is time to remove them with the wire
cradle or spoon. Some kinds of dough, such as krapfen or
the Eoman scriblita, float from the beginning when made
with fermented dough, and with them colour is the only
criterion of the completion of the coction ; a golden brown
colour is the best, a darker brown may taste bitter.
The fried material— or, as it is sometimes termed, the
‘ fry ’ — should be placed in a wire cradle, or on blotting-
paper, to drain. It may then be salted or sugared, as the
case may be. The Italians fry many things, which Northern
Europeans merely boil — e.g., calf’s head, cauliflower, arti-.
chokes ; and these are much better when enclosed in a
batter of yolk, flour, and breadcrumb. Other materials —
such as calf’s liver, lamb’s fry, water-melons, pumpkins,
mushrooms — are better without any batter, but may be cut
in slices or flat pieces, dusted with flour, and fried.
Frying offers many advantages to the small household,
the one particularly that it is the quickest mode of cooking
raw materials ; above all, the objects retain their juice and
flavour in a remarkable manner, if only suitable provisions
are made. Thus, forcemeat may be enclosed in moist
wafers, turned in yolk, covered with breadcrumb, and
fried ; ox-cheek may be cut in thin strips, and covered
with yolk and lemon-juice, or surrounded with boiled and
l^ROCESS OF FRYING, OR PHRYGOLOGY
pounded rice or purde of rice, and mixed with yolk. Such
combinations may be infinitely varied.
Parsley, savory, sage, and other fine herbs, fried crisp,
serve as additions to other frits ; we think, however, fried
herbs more curious than tasty, and liable to introduce
confusing elements. Connoisseurs have been related to
have tested candidates for the office of chef by giving them
herbs to fry ; we ourselves should not attribute much
importance to proficiency in this particular.
Fritted fruits — e.g., plums, peaches, apples, quinces, oranges
— require, like all tender mixtures of flour, milk, and eggs,
an addition of sugar. They are eaten more for their taste
than for nutrition. Most fritted viands are served by
themselves, or with some lemon-juice only. On account of
their prominent taste, they are mainly used as entrees.
The breadcriimb with which it is intended to cover, by
the adhesive mediation of beaten egg-yolk or batter, any
viands about to be fried should be quite dry, and very finely
powdered ; if the bread taken be moist, the fried crust
becomes uneven, or broken and detached. By this over-
sight, uninformed or improvident cooks often spoil good
materials.
Page 184
Presented as published in 1895. 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
In Italy frying is a popular art, in which most urban housewives and the average Paesanos are experts; the art of making a fritto is no doubt facilitated by the plentiful supply of olive-oil. In the North of Europe, however, but few cooks understand the production of a good fritto, even with all the advantages of lard and butter.
Frying can be effected in clarified butter, suet, Urd, or olive-oil. The latter causes the surface of the fried material to be particularly crisp, and is particularly suited to the frying of some kinds of fish. When doughy substances being fried begin to float on the surface of the fat, or to burst by expansion, it is time to remove them with the wire cradle or spoon. Some kinds of dough, such as krapfen or the Eoman scriblita, float from the beginning when made with fermented dough, and with them colour is the only criterion of the completion of the coction ; a golden brown colour is the best, a darker brown may taste bitter.
The fried material— or, as it is sometimes termed, the ‘ fry ’ — should be placed in a wire cradle, or on blottingpaper, to drain. It may then be salted or sugared, as the case may be. The Italians fry many things, which Northern Europeans merely boil — e.g., calf’s head, cauliflower, arti-. chokes ; and these are much better when enclosed in a batter of yolk, flour, and breadcrumb. Other materials — such as calf’s liver, lamb’s fry, water-melons, pumpkins, mushrooms — are better without any batter, but may be cut in slices or flat pieces, dusted with flour, and fried.
Frying offers many advantages to the small household, the one particularly that it is the quickest mode of cooking raw materials ; above all, the objects retain their juice and flavour in a remarkable manner, if only suitable provisions are made. Thus, forcemeat may be enclosed in moist wafers, turned in yolk, covered with breadcrumb, and fried ; ox-cheek may be cut in thin strips, and covered with yolk and lemon-juice, or surrounded with boiled and
l^ROCESS OF FRYING, OR PHRYGOLOGY
pounded rice or purde of rice, and mixed with yolk. Such combinations may be infinitely varied.
Parsley, savory, sage, and other fine herbs, fried crisp, serve as additions to other frits ; we think, however, fried herbs more curious than tasty, and liable to introduce confusing elements. Connoisseurs have been related to have tested candidates for the office of chef by giving them herbs to fry ; we ourselves should not attribute much importance to proficiency in this particular.
Fritted fruits — e.g., plums, peaches, apples, quinces, oranges — require, like all tender mixtures of flour, milk, and eggs, an addition of sugar. They are eaten more for their taste than for nutrition. Most fritted viands are served by themselves, or with some lemon-juice only. On account of their prominent taste, they are mainly used as entrees.
The breadcriimb with which it is intended to cover, by the adhesive mediation of beaten egg-yolk or batter, any viands about to be fried should be quite dry, and very finely powdered ; if the bread taken be moist, the fried crust becomes uneven, or broken and detached. By this oversight, uninformed or improvident cooks often spoil good materials.