Domestic science (1914 text-book)

Barley is supposed to have been the first grain cultivated by man. It is still used as food by some of the European peoples, but in America it is seldom thus used except in soups or in the making of barley water for invahds and infants. Sago: Sago is obtained from the pith of a certain palm grown for commercial purposes in southeastern Asia, and the neighboring islands. So large is the pith of the sago palm and so full of starch and other nutritious material that three palms are said to yield as much food as an acre of wheat and a great deal more than an acre of potatoes. But, instead of one year, seven are required for the crop to mature. When the palm is seven years old it is cut down, the trunk split, and the pith removed and ground to a powder. The starch and other food materials are separated from the coarse fibre by mixing the ground pith with water and running it over sieves. The starch goes into the water, which is then allowed to stand, when a fine meal will sink to the bottom. Finally, this meal is dried and roasted and made into the pearl sago of commerce. Tapioca: Tapioca is made from the roots of a tree which grows in South America, the West Indies, and in parts of Africa and Asia. It is also grown to some extent in Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico. The bitter roots of the tree are washed and ground to a pulp, which is so strained that the starch is all extracted. This starch settles and hardens. It is then broken fine and packed for shipment. Digitized by Google Lesson XXIV Sago Pudding Materials used: Class Rule Home Rule 2 tb sago i c sugar f c milk pinch of salt § egg a little vanilla Utensils needed: i c sago 2 c scalded milk 2 eggs i c sugar . i tp salt 1 tp vanilla Measuring cup double boiler , ■ -'-^ bowl knife egg beater ■^^■B teaspoon ^^^ 33 strainer -Wire Whisk pan large plate wire whisk Work to be done: 1. Pick over sago carefully, wash, and drain. 2. Scald the milk in the double boiler,that is, just bringtoa boil. 3. Cook the sago in the milk until it is transparent. 4. While this is cooking, test the egg to see if it is fresh: Fresh egg Shell rough and dull-looking Sinks in cold water Rests on its side in water 5. Wash the egg well and wipe it. Stale egg Shell smooth and shiny Floats in cold water Rests on end in water Fig. 39 — Cracking Fig. 40 — Forcing Egg Fig. 41 — Separating Egg Apart White from Yolk 6. Break the egg by holding it in the left hand and striking it sharply in the middle with a knife. Digitized by Google 7. Hold the egg over a deep plate, place the thumbs at the crack and force the shell apart. Hold the egg in such a position that the yolk will remain in one-half of the shell. 8. Slip the yolk from one-half of the shell to the other, letting the white go over the edge into the plate. (Be sure to separate all the white from the yolk.) 9. Slip the yolk into a bowl and beat with Dover egg beater till it is thick and lemon-colored. 10. Mix the sugar and salt with one-half the yolk. 11. Add the milk and sago to the yolk slowly, stirring constantly. 12. Return to the boiler and cook until thick. 13. While it is cooking, beat the white with the wire whisk until light and dry. 14. Remove sago from the fire. 15. Fold in one-half the white to which the flavoring has been added, by putting the spoon in gently edgewise, lifting the thickened sago and turning it over. 16. Repeat until all the white has been added. 17. Turn into an individual mold which has been dipped in cold water, and set aside to cool. Principles: Egg is a tissue-building food. Its addition to sago, which is a heat-giving food, makes the resulting dish of greater food value.