Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Besides the ingredients I have enumerated, many indiscriminately cram into almost everj' dish (in such inordinate quantities one would suppose they were working for the asbestos palate of an Indian fire-eater), anchovies, garlic, bay-leaves, and that hot fierj- spice, cayenne pepper; this, which the French call (not undeservedly) piment enragé, has somehow or other undoubtedly acquired a character for being very wholesome, whilst the milder peppers and spices are cried do'wn, as destroying the sensibility of the palate and stomach, (Sec, and being the source of a thousand mischiefs. We should just as soon recommend alcohol as being less intoxicating than wine. The best thing that has been said in praise of peppers is, " that with all kinds of vegetables, as also with soups (especially vegetable soups) and fish, either black or cayenne pepper may be taken fresh ; they are the most useful stimulants to old stomachs, and often supersede the cravings for strong drinks, or diminish the quantity otherwise required." A certain portion of condiment is occasionally serviceable to excite and keep up the languid action of feeble and advanced life; we must increase the stimulus of our aliment as the inirritability of our system increases. We leave those who love these things to use them as they like; their flavours can be very extemporaneously produced by chilli- juice, or essence of cayenne, shallot wine, and essence of anchovy. There is no French dinner without soup, which is regarded as an indispensible overture ; it is commonly followed by " fc coup d'apres," a glass of pure wine, which they consider so wholesome after soup, that their proverb says, the physician thereby loses a fee. Whether the glass of wine be so much more advantageous for the patient than it is for his doctor, we know not, but believe it an excellent plan to begin the banquet with a basin of good soup, which, by moderating the appetite for solid animal food, is certainly a salutiferous custom. We again caution the cook to avoid overseasoning, especially with predominant flavours, which, however agreeable they may be to some, are extremely disagreeable to others. Cavice, coratch, anchovy, curry-powder, savoury ragout powder, soup-herb powder, browning, ketchups, pickle-Hquor, beer, wine, sweet herbs, and savoury spice, are very convenient auxiliaries to finish soups, &c. The proportion of wine (formerly sack, then claret, now madeira or port) should not exceed, a large wine-glassful to a quart of soup. This is as much as can be admitted without the vinous flavour becoming remarkably predominant, though not only much larger quantities of wine (of which claret is incomparably the best, because it contains less spirit and more flavour, and English palates are less acquainted with it), but even veritable cau de vie is ordered in many books, and used by many — especially tavern — cooks. So much are their soups overloaded with relish, that if you will eat enough of them, they will certainly make you intoxicated, if they don't make you sick. All this frequently arises from an old cook measuring the excitability of the eaters' palates by his own, which may be so blunted by incessant tasting, that to awaken it requires wineinstead of water, and cayenne and garlis for black pepper and onion.