History. — ^Wheat was first used in the eastern countries, in the earliest times. Mummies of old Egypt have been found with wheat wrapped in them. It was carried across to the western continents by the earliest explorers. Kinds. — ^Wheat is known as (1) spring wheat and (2) winter wheat. Spring wheat is sown in the spring and matures the same season. This is a hard wheat rich in gluten and is the wheat from which most bread flour is made. Winter wheat is sown in the fall and harvested the following summer. It is softer and contains less gluten than spring wheat. Pastry flour is made from winter wheat. Structure. — L Bran coats, — there are three coats, or layers, of bran, which contain most of the mineral matter, and all are removed in white bread flour. Graham flour includes the entire kernel; whole-wheat flour, all but the coarser bran. 2. The body of the grain, or endosperm, composed of cells filled with the starch and protein. This nearly. sur- rounds the vital part of the grain, or the germ. (58) CARBOHYDRATES— CEREALS. WHEAT 59 3. Germ, the tiny plant that holds the life of the seed. This is removed more or Jess, in the process of milling, because it makes the flour yellow and injures its keeping qualities. Composition of Wheat. — Wheat contains all the food principles, and is rich in protein and starch. See page 52 and compare with other cereals. Food Value. — Wheat is high in food value. It builds and repairs tissues and gives heat and energy. It is so nutri- tious, so widely and cheaply grown, and its cooking and baking qualities are so favorable, that it has become the basic food of the people of the civilized world. Wheat bread is in reality the ''staff of life." Macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, and Italian pastes are made from a hard- wheat flour that contains a large amount of gluten. The Italians place macaroni in the same position in their diet as we Americans do our bread. Manufacture of Macaroni. — The flour is mixed with hot water to form a stiff paste. This is placed in a steam- heated iron cylinder, the bottom of which is filled with holes. The paste is forced through these holes by a press, and comes out in the form of rods or threads, according to the shape of the opening. These rods are then cut into lengths suitable to handle and are hung up to dry for four or five days. In Italy, macaroni is hung in the open air on racks and is not as clean as that manufactured in our own country, where it is dried on racks in large, clean drying rooms for the purpose. Spaghetti is in the form of rods and is solid and smaller. Fig. 7. Diagram- matic section of a wheat kernel: a, bran coats; b, aleurone laver; c, germ; d, body. (U. S. D. A. Bui.) GO DOMESTIC SCIENCE Vermicelli is solid, thread-like, and smaller still than spaghetti. Appearance. — Good macaroni is rough, yellowish in color, and breaks clean without splitting. When cooked it swells and is elastic and firm. Food Value. — Macaroni is rich in gluten and starch, and is both a tissue-building and an energy-giving food. Combined with protein foods, like milk, eggs, or cheese, it makes an inexpensive dish that is a good substitute for meat. Cooking Macaroni. — Owing to the starch, macaroni absorbs about three times its w^eight of water and must therefore be cooked in plenty of water.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

History. — ^Wheat was first used in the eastern countries, in the earliest times. Mummies of old Egypt have been found with wheat wrapped in them. It was carried across to the western continents by the earliest explorers. Kinds. — ^Wheat is known as (1) spring wheat and (2) winter wheat. Spring wheat is sown in the spring and matures the same season. This is a hard wheat rich in gluten and is the wheat from which most bread flour is made. Winter wheat is sown in the fall and harvested the following summer. It is softer and contains less gluten than spring wheat. Pastry flour is made from winter wheat. Structure. — L Bran coats, — there are three coats, or layers, of bran, which contain most of the mineral matter, and all are removed in white bread flour. Graham flour includes the entire kernel; whole-wheat flour, all but the coarser bran. 2. The body of the grain, or endosperm, composed of cells filled with the starch and protein. This nearly. surrounds the vital part of the grain, or the germ. (58) CARBOHYDRATES— CEREALS. WHEAT 3. Germ, the tiny plant that holds the life of the seed. This is removed more or less, in the process of milling, because it makes the flour yellow and injures its keeping qualities. Composition of Wheat. — Wheat contains all the food principles, and is rich in protein and starch. See page 52 and compare with other cereals. Food Value. — Wheat is high in food value. It builds and repairs tissues and gives heat and energy. It is so nutritious, so widely and cheaply grown, and its cooking and baking qualities are so favorable, that it has become the basic food of the people of the civilized world. Wheat bread is in reality the ''staff of life." Macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, and Italian pastes are made from a hard wheat flour that contains a large amount of gluten. The Italians place macaroni in the same position in their diet as we Americans do our bread. Manufacture of Macaroni. — The flour is mixed with hot water to form a stiff paste. This is placed in a steamheated iron cylinder, the bottom of which is filled with holes. The paste is forced through these holes by a press, and comes out in the form of rods or threads, according to the shape of the opening. These rods are then cut into lengths suitable to handle and are hung up to dry for four or five days. In Italy, macaroni is hung in the open air on racks and is not as clean as that manufactured in our own country, where it is dried on racks in large, clean drying rooms for the purpose. Spaghetti is in the form of rods and is solid and smaller. Fig. 7. Diagrammatic section of a wheat kernel: a, bran coats; b, aleurone layer; c, germ; d, body. (U. S. D. A. Bui.) Vermicelli is solid, thread-like, and smaller still than spaghetti. Appearance. — Good macaroni is rough, yellowish in color, and breaks clean without splitting. When cooked it swells and is elastic and firm. Food Value. — Macaroni is rich in gluten and starch, and is both a tissue-building and an energy-giving food. Combined with protein foods, like milk, eggs, or cheese, it makes an inexpensive dish that is a good substitute for meat. Cooking Macaroni. — Owing to the starch, macaroni absorbs about three times its weight of water and must therefore be cooked in plenty of water.

Domestic science, principles and application