The condensed milky juice was termed thridax in France, this word being the Greek name of the lettuce itself, and lactu- carium in England. It was obtained like opium, either by incisions made into the plant, and allowing the juice to SALADS OF UNCOOKED VEGETABLES 355 dry, or by crushing the flowering plant and condensing the expressed juice. The Eoman Emperor Augustus was cured of melancholy by means of the juice of lettuce, and showed his gratitude to his physician, Musa, by causing a statue of him to be erected in his honour. Opium, being cheaper and stronger, and hops in beer have, during the last sixty years, displaced lactucarium. The lettuce is not otherwise very nutritive, for it contains nearly 95 per cent, of water, 1-5 per cent, nitrogenized matter, and about 2 per cent, of carbo-hydrates. The stiff, straight, common, or Boman lettuce has a similar composition, but contains less lactucin, and is less tender. Endive, Gicliorium endivia, var. crisixb, L., var. imllida, must be well etiolated, or is bitter, hard and indigestible. Its composition is much like that of lettuce, but the fleshy leaf ribs contain in addition about a quarter per cent, of sbbgar. There is a summer endive, called Boman, which can be blanched by tying up ; but on the whole endives are best late in autumn. The barbe de capucins is mostly grown from roots in the cellar, and is therefore etiolated from its growth. Endives should be accommodated w’ith oil, vinegar, and spices only, and not be troubled with more complicated dressings. Watercresses, Garden Cresses, Mustard and Cress, are refreshing by their stimulant taste, which is due to a sulphuretted essential oil, oil of cress, resembling mustard oil, of which we have treated above, where alsq the oils of cruciferous plants in general are defined. Many persons prefer to eat watercresses undressed, with salt and bread- and-butter, or with cheese, or with roast meat. Water- cress is the most hardy of winter salads, thriving in floioing boater (hence by the Germans called spring or fountain cress) at the average temperature of the earth, in the latitude of London about 52° Fahr. Bampion {Bapuncbdus esculenkcs, L.) is now rarely used or met with. 356 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY The salads of celery -stalks, tomatoes, ciicwnbers, gherkins, white and black truffles, require no commentaries after the foregoing generalization. Salads of Cooked Vegetables, sometimes inappropriately called Boiled Salads. — The salad oi Black Truffles, a laBusse, is made with parboiled tubers. Potato Salads are important entremets and supper dishes, of the preparation of which the principles have been given above. Never forget to drench the sliced potatoes in rich beef-broth. Salads of Bed Beetroot, Celery Boot or Celeriac, or the Swiss mixture of Bed Beet and Celeriac, of Parsnips, of Sprouts of Hops and Asparagios, of Green and Yelloiu Beans, being the boiled fleshy pods, of Brussels-sprouts, Bed or White Cabbage, and Caulifloxuer, are all highly appi:sciated, and suitable for artistic treatment. Compound Vegetable Salads are very useful when the .single ingredients are insuflQcient in quantity for the required dish. Under such circumstances lamb’s lettuce may be mixed with sliced potatoes, cucumber the same; an Italian mixed vegetable salad maybe com- posed of cauliflower, asparagus-points, French beans cut in diamonds, new potatoes, green peas, artichoke bottoms and beetroot, al

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The condensed milky juice was termed thridax in France, this word being the Greek name of the lettuce itself, and lactucarium in England. It was obtained like opium, either by incisions made into the plant, and allowing the juice to SALADS OF UNCOOKED VEGETABLES dry, or by crushing the flowering plant and condensing the expressed juice. The Roman Emperor Augustus was cured of melancholy by means of the juice of lettuce, and showed his gratitude to his physician, Musa, by causing a statue of him to be erected in his honour. Opium, being cheaper and stronger, and hops in beer have, during the last sixty years, displaced lactucarium. The lettuce is not otherwise very nutritive, for it contains nearly 95 per cent, of water, 1-5 per cent, nitrogenized matter, and about 2 per cent, of carbo-hydrates. The stiff, straight, common, or Roman lettuce has a similar composition, but contains less lactucin, and is less tender. Endive, Cichorium endivia, var. crispa, L., var. folida, must be well etiolated, or is bitter, hard and indigestible. Its composition is much like that of lettuce, but the fleshy leaf ribscontains in addition about a quarter per cent, of sugar. There is a summer endive, called Roman, which can be blanched by tying up ; but on the whole endives are best late in autumn. The barbe de capucins is mostly grown from roots in the cellar, and is therefore etiolated from its growth. Endives should be accommodated w’ith oil, vinegar, and spices only, and not be troubled with more complicated dressings. Watercresses, Garden Cresses, Mustard and Cress, are refreshing by their stimulant taste, which is due to a sulphuretted essential oil, oil of cress, resembling mustard oil, of which we have treated above, where alsq the oils of cruciferous plants in general are defined. Many persons prefer to eat watercresses undressed, with salt and breadand-butter, or with cheese, or with roast meat. Watercress is the most hardy of winter salads, thriving in flowing water (hence by the Germans called spring or fountain cress) at the average temperature of the earth, in the latitude of London about 52° Fahr. Rampion (Rapunculus esculentus, L.) is now rarely used or met with. The salads of celery -stalks, tomatoes, cucumbers, gherkins, white and black truffles, require no commentaries after the foregoing generalization. Salads of Cooked Vegetables, sometimes inappropriately called Boiled Salads. — The salad of Black Truffles, a laBusse, is made with parboiled tubers. Potato Salads are important entremets and supper dishes, of the preparation of which the principles have been given above. Never forget to drench the sliced potatoes in rich beef-broth. Salads of Red Beetroot, Celery Boot or Celeriac, or the Swiss mixture of Red Beet and Celeriac, of Parsnips, of Sprouts of Hops and Asparagus, of Green and Yellow Beans, being the boiled fleshy pods, of Brussels-sprouts, Bed or White Cabbage, and Cauliflower, are all highly appreciated, and suitable for artistic treatment. Compound Vegetable Salads are very useful when the .single ingredients are insuflQcient in quantity for the required dish. Under such circumstances lamb’s lettuce may be mixed with sliced potatoes, cucumber the same; an Italian mixed vegetable salad maybe composed of cauliflower, asparagus-points, French beans cut in diamonds, new potatoes, green peas, artichoke bottoms and beetroot, al

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