Asafoetida, the condensed juice or resin drawn by in- cision or abscission of the root of Ferula Asafoetida ; it was used as a flavouring agent of food by the ancients, and is even now used sometimes for imparting to certain dishes a kind of garlic flavour. To this group also apply the observations which we have appended above to the paragraph concerning the fourth group. The aromatic herbs, as we prefer to term them, are included by Dumas in the group of culinary herbs, second category, comprising herbs for flavouring, seasoning, or dressing {herhes d'assaisonnement) ; but chives and shallots are substituted for fennel and chervil on our list. The above order may be altered or arranged more stringently in accordance with botanical or chemical principles, but 7 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY 98 meanwhile it will be useful as a review of spices and aromatics at the command of culinary art. Essences or Tinctures of Sjnces. The following spices may be extracted with spirit, and the tinctures be used to give aroma to finished dishes : Cinnamon, cloves, black and white pepper, cayenne pepper, vanilla, bay-leaves, nutmeg, mace, lemon-peel, saffron, caraway, ginger, thyme, basil, marjoram, and a few others. Most of these spices can be extracted with spirit of the strength called j^roof-spirit ; only three spices, ginger, cara- way, and white pepper, had better be extracted with spirit containing about 70 per cent, of absolute alcohol, rectified spirit. Be very careful in the selection of the spices, so that they be pure and unadulterated. Then pound them, and place each in a bottle, provided with a close-fitting stopper of cork or glass, and labelled. Now pour three times the weight of spirit over them, close the bottles, let them stand for a fortnight, frequently shaking them, and then separate the tinctures from the powder by filtration. Put each tincture back into its labelled bottle, which has been washed, and keep the produce for use. When the exhausted powder is placed on the filter, it may yet be washed with its own weight of spirit, so that the complete tincture amounts to four times the weight of the powder in each case. The exhausted powders should be burnt. A new filter is requisite for each spice. With these tinctures you can impart the special spicy taste of each to every chosen dish. Do not add the spices at the beginning of coction, but at the end, in all cases in which the object is to flavour a liquid ; when you wish the flavour to penetrate into a solid body, a roast or a head of game, then add some spice at the beginning. On using the tinctures, measure each in a minim glass, and note on the GREEN AND ACID CONDIMENTS 99 label the number of minims to be used for frequently- recurring preparations, e.g., soups. All preparations less frequently recurring you must spice empirically by pouring, say, 20 minims of tincture in a spoon, diluting it -with broth or -wine, and adding it gradually to the dish to be treated. According to the result of gustation, you will withhold the rest in the spoon or add more. You have thus the spicing of dishes absolutely in your power, which is not the case with the solid spices. Keep the labelled spice tinctures on a separate little shelf, freely accessible, and not liable to be upset. Appendix to the Fifth Group: List of Green Condiments so called.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Asafoetida, the condensed juice or resin drawn by incision or abscission of the root of Ferula Asafoetida ; it was used as a flavouring agent of food by the ancients, and is even now used sometimes for imparting to certain dishes a kind of garlic flavour. To this group also apply the observations which we have appended above to the paragraph concerning the fourth group. The aromatic herbs, as we prefer to term them, are included by Dumas in the group of culinary herbs, second category, comprising herbs for flavouring, seasoning, or dressing {herhes d'assaisonnement) ; but chives and shallots are substituted for fennel and chervil on our list. The above order may be altered or arranged more stringently in accordance with botanical or chemical principles, but meanwhile it will be useful as a review of spices and aromatics at the command of culinary art. Essences or Tinctures of Sjnces. The following spices may be extracted with spirit, and the tinctures be used to give aroma to finished dishes : Cinnamon, cloves, black and white pepper, cayenne pepper, vanilla, bay-leaves, nutmeg, mace, lemon-peel, saffron, caraway, ginger, thyme, basil, marjoram, and a few others. Most of these spices can be extracted with spirit of the strength called proof-spirit ; only three spices, ginger, caraway, and white pepper, had better be extracted with spirit containing about 70 per cent, of absolute alcohol, rectified spirit. Be very careful in the selection of the spices, so that they be pure and unadulterated. Then pound them, and place each in a bottle, provided with a close-fitting stopper of cork or glass, and labelled. Now pour three times the weight of spirit over them, close the bottles, let them stand for a fortnight, frequently shaking them, and then separate the tinctures from the powder by filtration. Put each tincture back into its labelled bottle, which has been washed, and keep the produce for use. When the exhausted powder is placed on the filter, it may yet be washed with its own weight of spirit, so that the complete tincture amounts to four times the weight of the powder in each case. The exhausted powders should be burnt. A new filter is requisite for each spice. With these tinctures you can impart the special spicy taste of each to every chosen dish. Do not add the spices at the beginning of coction, but at the end, in all cases in which the object is to flavour a liquid ; when you wish the flavour to penetrate into a solid body, a roast or a head of game, then add some spice at the beginning. On using the tinctures, measure each in a minim glass, and note on the GREEN AND ACID CONDIMENTS label the number of minims to be used for frequentlyrecurring preparations, e.g., soups. All preparations less frequently recurring you must spice empirically by pouring, say, 20 minims of tincture in a spoon, diluting it -with broth or -wine, and adding it gradually to the dish to be treated. According to the result of gustation, you will withhold the rest in the spoon or add more. You have thus the spicing of dishes absolutely in your power, which is not the case with the solid spices. Keep the labelled spice tinctures on a separate little shelf, freely accessible, and not liable to be upset. Appendix to the Fifth Group: List of Green Condiments so called.

The spirit of cookery