most abundantly supplied with the mucilage and sugar ; in the harder
kinds the woody fibrous elements abound, making them less desirable
as food. The dry mealy apples are more valuable as food than the
watery kinds, which are generally cold and raw, and, unless cooked,
indigestible. The process of cooking renders all apples wholesome.
Ripe, sweet, mealy apples act as laxatives. Sedentary persons and
those whose digestive powers are feeble should scrupulously avoid the
sour astringent kind of fruit. Cherries : Flatulence and sometimes
severe attacks of colic are brought on by eating too freely of cherries,
especially when they contain much water and sugar, and ferment easily,
evil tendencies which appear to be corrected in cherries of the same
kind when the acid is in greater proportion, making them slightly
stimulating and more wholesome. The best for eating are the pulpy,
mucilaginous kind, but none should be eaten unless they are quite ripe.
Strawberries are the most wholesome of all fruit, the proportions of
mucilage, sugar, and acid which they contain making them admirably
fitted for food. They should not, however, be eaten too freely after
dinner, nor while freely partaking of wine. Lemon-juice and sugar
should at such times be added to the fruit. With cream they are de-
licious and nourishing. Gooseberries rank as food next to straw-
berries. The skins, however, are astringent, acid, and indigestible.
Cooking increases their wholesomeness. Currants follow gooseberries
in their food qualities, but are less laxative. Black currants are excel-
lent as a laxative, and altogether the most wholesome. Grapes re-
semble the above in their properties, but the proportion of supertartrate
of potass modifies their influence. When ripe no fruit is more whole-
some, nutritious, or palatable. Oranges abound in water, mucilage,
acid, and woody fibre, with a variable proportion of sugar. The peel
contains a strong oil, and is very indigestible. - As food it is useful as
a refrigerant in inflammatory diseases, and an excellent antiseptic in
scorbutic and putrid diseases. Lemons resemble oranges ; the juice
taken with sugar is remarkable for its wholesome and cooling properties.
Pears, being deficient in the acid element, are less wholesome and
digestible than some other fruits, although nutritious and wholesome
for those whose digestive organs are strong and healthy. They are
less acid than apples, but sweeter, and contain a larger proportion of the
woody fibrous quality. The softest pears are those which contain the
most mucilage, and are apt, if too freely eaten, to set up the process of
fermentation in the stomach, and thereby cause great suffering. Pears
should always be eaten cautiously, and persons of weak digestion
should always avoid the hardest kinds. Peaches and Plums when
unripe are very dangerous eating, although when quite ripe they are
wholesome and easily digested. Of Nectarines and Apricots the
same may be said. Nuts, resembling in their component parts other
3—2
36
ENGLISH AND FRENCH COOKERY.
fruits, are of a farinaceous character, and contain an oil rare in other
fruits, which, becoming rancid as the nut grows stale, makes the
digestion of such food very difficult. This is the reason why deplor-
able results have so often followed partaking to excess of these fruits.
Salt should always be used with nuts, and care should be taken to
thoroughly masticate them while in the mouth.
Page 20
Presented as published in 1890. 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
most abundantly supplied with the mucilage and sugar ; in the harder kinds the woody fibrous elements abound, making them less desirable as food. The dry mealy apples are more valuable as food than the watery kinds, which are generally cold and raw, and, unless cooked, indigestible. The process of cooking renders all apples wholesome. Ripe, sweet, mealy apples act as laxatives. Sedentary persons and those whose digestive powers are feeble should scrupulously avoid the sour astringent kind of fruit. Cherries : Flatulence and sometimes severe attacks of colic are brought on by eating too freely of cherries, especially when they contain much water and sugar, and ferment easily, evil tendencies which appear to be corrected in cherries of the same kind when the acid is in greater proportion, making them slightly stimulating and more wholesome. The best for eating are the pulpy, mucilaginous kind, but none should be eaten unless they are quite ripe. Strawberries are the most wholesome of all fruit, the proportions of mucilage, sugar, and acid which they contain making them admirably fitted for food. They should not, however, be eaten too freely after dinner, nor while freely partaking of wine. Lemon-juice and sugar should at such times be added to the fruit. With cream they are delicious and nourishing. Gooseberries rank as food next to strawberries. The skins, however, are astringent, acid, and indigestible. Cooking increases their wholesomeness. Currants follow gooseberries in their food qualities, but are less laxative. Black currants are excellent as a laxative, and altogether the most wholesome. Grapes resemble the above in their properties, but the proportion of supertartrate of potass modifies their influence. When ripe no fruit is more wholesome, nutritious, or palatable. Oranges abound in water, mucilage, acid, and woody fibre, with a variable proportion of sugar. The peel contains a strong oil, and is very indigestible. - As food it is useful as a refrigerant in inflammatory diseases, and an excellent antiseptic in scorbutic and putrid diseases. Lemons resemble oranges ; the juice taken with sugar is remarkable for its wholesome and cooling properties. Pears, being deficient in the acid element, are less wholesome and digestible than some other fruits, although nutritious and wholesome for those whose digestive organs are strong and healthy. They are less acid than apples, but sweeter, and contain a larger proportion of the woody fibrous quality. The softest pears are those which contain the most mucilage, and are apt, if too freely eaten, to set up the process of fermentation in the stomach, and thereby cause great suffering. Pears should always be eaten cautiously, and persons of weak digestion should always avoid the hardest kinds. Peaches and Plums when unripe are very dangerous eating, although when quite ripe they are wholesome and easily digested. Of Nectarines and Apricots the same may be said. Nuts, resembling in their component parts other
3—2
fruits, are of a farinaceous character, and contain an oil rare in other fruits, which, becoming rancid as the nut grows stale, makes the digestion of such food very difficult. This is the reason why deplorable results have so often followed partaking to excess of these fruits. Salt should always be used with nuts, and care should be taken to thoroughly masticate them while in the mouth.