Foods, their selection and preparation

Sago and tapioca are both inexpensive, easily digested foods. They contribute energy to the dishes prepared from them. Any other nutrients must come from the materials added to the tapioca and sago, fruits, milk, and egg. Both in soups and desserts sago and tapioca add interest and variety as well as contribute calories. SELECTED REFERENCES Harris, R. H., and Banasik, O. "A Further Inquiry Regarding Effect of Electrolytes on Swelling of Cereal Starches,” Food Research Institute Publi¬ cations, 13(1), pp. 70-81, Stanford University Press, 1948. Hughes, Osee. Introductory Foods. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1949. Krishnaswamy, K. G., and Sreenivasan, A. "Sep¬ aration and Determination of the Amylose and Amylopectin Fractions of Starch,” Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol. 176, No. 3, pp. 1253- 61, Baltimore, Md., 1948. Lowe, Belle. Experimental Cookery, 3d ed., p. 324. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York (1943). Woodruff, S., and Nicoli, L. "Starch Gels,” Cereal Chemistry, Vol. 8, p. 243, St. Paul, Minn., 1931. [66] V * Vegetables and The Preparation ir Vegetables are succulent portions of gar¬ den plants used as foods. This definition would include fruits, and indeed some vege¬ tables are fruits. In common speech, fruits used in the main portion of the meal are designated as vegetables. Since the different portions of the plant vary, vegetables are grouped on the basis of the portions of the plants used. Such a grouping brings together those which have comparable composition and are adapted to similar methods of preparation. Table XIV shows such a grouping. COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE In proximate composition vegetables are similar to fruits. Their total carbohydrate content is in much the same range, but vege¬ tables as a group contain less sugars and more starch. This is particularly true of the tubers and root vegetables that have been adapted by the plant as storage portions, and of the seed, even in immature forms. The actively growing portions — shoots, leaves, flowers, and fruits — are high in water content. The vege¬ tables in this group contain carbohydrate in the form of sugars, and they are rich in the minerals and vitamins required by functioning plant tissues. The green leaves that absorb the energy from the sun for use in building their own body tissue and as stored food supply are specially rich in these nutrients. While a few vegetables, such as potatoes, both white and sweet, are important sources of energy in the diet, the more succulent vegetables, as a group, are primarily useful as sources of minerals and vitamins. They also add flavor and variety, and their cellulose Table XIV • Classification of Vegetables According to the Parts of Plants from Which They Come Roots Tubers Bulbs Stems and Shoots Leaves Flowers and Fruits Pods and Seeds Beets Carrots Celeriac Dasheen Parsnips Radishes Rutabagas Salsify Sweet potatoes Turnips Artichokes (Jerusalem) Potatoes (Irish) Chives Garlic Leeks Onions Asparagus Celery Fennel Kohlrabi Rhubarb Brussels sprouts Cabbage Chard Chinese cabbage Collard Cress Dandelion Endive Kale Lettuce Mustard Parsley Spinach Watercress Artichokes (globe) Broccoli Cauliflower Chayote Cucumber Eggplant Melons Okra Peppers Pumpkin Squash Tomatoes Corn Cowpeas Green beans Peas Soybeans [67]