Twentieth century home cook book

The nutmeg is the kernel of a small tropical tree named Myristica MoscJiata. The leaves are aromatic, and the fruit is very much like a peach, having a longitudinal groove on one side, and bursting into two pieces, when the inclosed seed, covered by a false aril which constitutes the substance known as the mace, is exposed. The seed itself has a thick outer shell which may be removed when dry, and which incloses the nucleus of the seed, the nutmeg of commerce. The fruit is gathered at various seasons as it attains maturity. The mace, or covering, of a saffron or orange color, is used in the same manner as the nutmeg. XVII. Ginger and Its Preparation. There are a number of East Indian plants that are used in the place of ginger, the principal ones of which are Curcuma amada, aromatica and zedoria. The true ginger of commerce is the root-stocks (^rhizomes) of Zingiber officinale, a plant much cultivated both in the East and West Indies, as well as in South America, Africa and China. The rhizome, or woody root-stock, which forms the ginger, is dug up when of sufficient size, cleaned, scraped and dried, and in this state is called uncoated ginger; but when the outer skin is not removed from the root-stocks it is called coated, and presents a dirty-brown appearance. Independent of this difference in color, which is in the mode of preparation, it is supposed that there are two varieties of the species, one producing white, and the other dark-colored ginger. The darker kinds are sometimes bleached by exposure to the fumes of chloride of lime, or burning sulphur. Ginger when broken across shows a number of small fibers imbedded in floury tissue. Its well-known hot, pungent taste is due to the presence of a volatile oil ; it also contains a large quantity of starch and yellow coloring matter, inclosed in large cells. Adulterations. — Ground ginger is largely adulterated with starch, wheat-flour, ground rice, mustard, husks, etc., in various proportions. In a young state the rhizomes are tender, fleshy, and mildly aromatic, at which time, preserved in syrup they form the conserve known as preserved ginger. West India gingers are preferred to those from the East Indies. XVIII. Capers— True and Spurious Kinds. The true caper of commerce is known botanically as Capparis spinosa, a creeping plant, a native of the south of Europe. The flower-buds, and in some parts of Italy the unripe fruit, ai'e pickled in vinegar, and form what are known as capei's. An African species, 0. sodada, furnishes berries with a pepper-like, pungent taste, and when dried are used as food. The flower-buds of Zygophyllum fabago, a native of the Cape of Good Hope, are used instead of capers, or substituted for that condiment. Z. coccineum has aromatic seeds, which are used by the natives in place of pepper. These and several other species are possessed of vermifuge properties. The leaves of Z. simplex are used for diseases of the eye. The smell of this plant is said to be so detestable that animals will not eat the foliage. XIX. The Tamarinds. Tamarinds are the fruit pods of one of the handsomest of tropical trees, the Tamarindus Indica having beautifully pinnated foliage. There are varieties of this tree, distinguishable chiefly by the size of the pods. The pods vary in length from three to six inches, and are slightly curved. They consist of a brittle shell, inclosing a soft, acid, brown pulp, traversed by strong woody fibers ; the seeds are again immediately invested by a thin membranous covering. They owe their grateful acidity to the presence of citric, tartaric and other vegetable acids. Tamarinds form an important ingredient in the cookery of Eastern nations, as in the curries of the East Indies. CHAPTER XXXV. I. THE FLOWER GARDEN. II. HOW TO CULTIVATE FLOWERS. III. SELECT LIST OP FLOWERS Foil