Salt is the one thing indispensable. The old Dutch law
condemned crimiinals to a diet of unsalted food, the effects be-
ing said to be those of the severest physical torture. Years ago
an experiment tried near Paris demonstrated the necessity of
its use. A number of cattle were fed without the ration of
HOUSEHOLD. lOl
salt; an equal number received it regularly. At the end of a
specified time, the unsalted animals were found rough of coat,
the hair falling off in spots, the eyes wild, and the flesh hardly
half the amount of those naturally fed.
A class of extreme Grahamities in this country decry the
use of salt, as well as any form of animal food; and I may add
that the expression of their thought, in both written and spoken
speech, is as savorless as their diet.
Salt exists, as we have already found, in the blood; the
craving for it is a universal instinct, even buffaloes making
long journeys across the plains to the salt-licks, and its use
aot only gives character to insipid food, but increases the flow
:>( the gastric juice.
Black pepper, if used profusely, as is often done in Ameri-
can cooking, becomes an irritant, and produces indigestion.
Red pepper, or cayenne, on the contrary, is a useful stimulant
at times; but, as with mustard, any overuse irritates the lining
of the stomach.
So with spices and sweet herbs. There should be only
such use of them as will flavor well, delicately, and almost im-
perceptibly. No one flavor should predominate, and only a
sense of general savoriness rule. Extracts, as of vanilla, lemon,
bitter almond, etc., should be used with the greatest care, and
if possible always be added to an article after it cools, as the
heat wastes the strength. Tea is valuable chiefly for its warm-
ing and comforting qualities. Taken in moderation, it acts
partly as a sedative, partly as a stimulant, arresting the de-
struction of tissue, and seeming to invigorate the whole nervous
system. The water in it, even if impure, is made wholesome
by boiling, and the milk and sugar give a certain amount of
real nourishment. Nervous headaches are often cured by it,
and it has, like coffee, been used as an antidote in opium-pois-
oning
Pass beyond the point of moderation, and it becomes an
irritant, precisely in the same way that an overdose of mor-
phine will, instead of putting to sleep, for just so much longer
time prevent any sleep at all. The woman who cannot eat,
and who braces her nerves with a cup of green-tea, — the most
powerful form of the herb, — is doing a deeper wrong than she
10^ HOUSEHOLD.
Page 66
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Salt is the one thing indispensable. The old Dutch law condemned crimiinals to a diet of unsalted food, the effects being said to be those of the severest physical torture. Years ago an experiment tried near Paris demonstrated the necessity of its use. A number of cattle were fed without the ration of
HOUSEHOLD. lOl
salt; an equal number received it regularly. At the end of a specified time, the unsalted animals were found rough of coat, the hair falling off in spots, the eyes wild, and the flesh hardly half the amount of those naturally fed.
A class of extreme Grahamities in this country decry the use of salt, as well as any form of animal food; and I may add that the expression of their thought, in both written and spoken speech, is as savorless as their diet.
Salt exists, as we have already found, in the blood; the craving for it is a universal instinct, even buffaloes making long journeys across the plains to the salt-licks, and its use not only gives character to insipid food, but increases the flow :>( the gastric juice.
Black pepper, if used profusely, as is often done in American cooking, becomes an irritant, and produces indigestion. Red pepper, or cayenne, on the contrary, is a useful stimulant at times; but, as with mustard, any overuse irritates the lining of the stomach.
So with spices and sweet herbs. There should be only such use of them as will flavor well, delicately, and almost imperceptibly. No one flavor should predominate, and only a sense of general savoriness rule. Extracts, as of vanilla, lemon, bitter almond, etc., should be used with the greatest care, and if possible always be added to an article after it cools, as the heat wastes the strength. Tea is valuable chiefly for its warming and comforting qualities. Taken in moderation, it acts partly as a sedative, partly as a stimulant, arresting the destruction of tissue, and seeming to invigorate the whole nervous system. The water in it, even if impure, is made wholesome by boiling, and the milk and sugar give a certain amount of real nourishment. Nervous headaches are often cured by it, and it has, like coffee, been used as an antidote in opium-poisoning
Pass beyond the point of moderation, and it becomes an irritant, precisely in the same way that an overdose of morphine will, instead of putting to sleep, for just so much longer time prevent any sleep at all. The woman who cannot eat, and who braces her nerves with a cup of green-tea, — the most powerful form of the herb, — is doing a deeper wrong than she