The early colonists lived well, as many women
interested in Revolutionary matters have discov-
ered, because they brought over their own recipes
and servants. In those parts settled by Catholics,
— Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, St. Louis, and
Canada, — we find even better cooking to this day
than those populated by English and Dutch Prot-
estants, — New England, New York, and Penn-
sylvania, — because centuries of fasting have taught
the French, and Catholics generally, except the
South Irish, how to utilize vegetables, eggs, and
fish with appetizing sauces. We find delicious
Spanish dishes, brought either direct, long ago,
or by slaves from the West Indies. The Dutch
and English are heavy feeders. They settled
America with pies, puddings, and cakes, using lard
and treacle, however, villanously, until French
cooking began to be known after the Civil War,
to those who were rich and idle enough to travel
to other lands. The good cooking of the negroes,
who are naturally epicures, has a foreign origin.
Something of France has dropped into Spain and
somehow fallen into Africa.
But the American former, in healthful and truly
economical living, — avoiding waste and doctors*
bills, — is still far behind the European farmer,
although he is better ofiF financially. He is not
XV
Introduction
rosy and fat, happy and gay. He takes patent
medicines in increasing amounts, and eats indi-
gestible fried food, pork and salt fish, and bread
of white flour, robbed of almost every mineral
required for growth. A grain of wheat, indeed,
* represents a little man. The farmer does not eat
what he ought because his wife and daughters do
not know how to make it attractive to sight and
taste. The American artisan, in city slums, con-
trasted with the foreign workman, is just as poorly
fed, for ignorance of first principles is at the bottom
of all sorrow and want, either spiritual or physical.
Men drink because they have a sinking feeling;
good food satisfies that craving permanently. But
many otherwise intelligent people are prejudiced
against foreign dishes because they are rich or
fancy. Fancy work in the kitchen pays better
dividends than fancy work in the parlor, and butter
and herbs are less injurious than pork fat and
pepper. Bad cooking is at the root of many
divorces, and divorces are more numerous here
than abroad. If we ate freely of greens, in salads
and fresh vegetables, all of which are cheaper here
than in Europe, we should not need blood purifiers
nor quinine ; fruit replaces liver pills, olive oil is
more easily assimilated than cod liver oil, and
strengthening soups are the best tonics. And it
xvi
Introduction
may be said that false hair and false teeth are not
seen nearly so much abroad as they are here, be-
cause the people are better nourished.
To any one fond of good cooking, it is fascinat-
ing to see what Marie Stuart, Napoleon, Marie de
Medici, Louis XIV., Henry of Navarre, or Joan
of Arc, ate. For what we eat, we become ; and
food forms faces, even as the prevalent fashions of
thought or dress mould the features and character.
Nothing is mean to those who can see all sides,
and, as Francatelli said, " The palate is as capable
and almost as worthy of cultivation as the eye and
ear." Genius has generally been a gourmet, if not a
gourmand.
Page 4
Presented as published in 1902. 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
The early colonists lived well, as many women interested in Revolutionary matters have discovered, because they brought over their own recipes and servants. In those parts settled by Catholics, — Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia, St. Louis, and Canada, — we find even better cooking to this day than those populated by English and Dutch Protestants, — New England, New York, and Pennsylvania, — because centuries of fasting have taught the French, and Catholics generally, except the South Irish, how to utilize vegetables, eggs, and fish with appetizing sauces. We find delicious Spanish dishes, brought either direct, long ago, or by slaves from the West Indies. The Dutch and English are heavy feeders. They settled America with pies, puddings, and cakes, using lard and treacle, however, villanously, until French cooking began to be known after the Civil War, to those who were rich and idle enough to travel to other lands. The good cooking of the negroes, who are naturally epicures, has a foreign origin. Something of France has dropped into Spain and somehow fallen into Africa.
But the American former, in healthful and truly economical living, — avoiding waste and doctors* bills, — is still far behind the European farmer, although he is better off financially. He is not
Introduction
rosy and fat, happy and gay. He takes patent medicines in increasing amounts, and eats indigestible fried food, pork and salt fish, and bread of white flour, robbed of almost every mineral required for growth. A grain of wheat, indeed, * represents a little man. The farmer does not eat what he ought because his wife and daughters do not know how to make it attractive to sight and taste. The American artisan, in city slums, contrasted with the foreign workman, is just as poorly fed, for ignorance of first principles is at the bottom of all sorrow and want, either spiritual or physical. Men drink because they have a sinking feeling; good food satisfies that craving permanently. But many otherwise intelligent people are prejudiced against foreign dishes because they are rich or fancy. Fancy work in the kitchen pays better dividends than fancy work in the parlor, and butter and herbs are less injurious than pork fat and pepper. Bad cooking is at the root of many divorces, and divorces are more numerous here than abroad. If we ate freely of greens, in salads and fresh vegetables, all of which are cheaper here than in Europe, we should not need blood purifiers nor quinine ; fruit replaces liver pills, olive oil is more easily assimilated than cod liver oil, and
strengthening soups are the best tonics. And it
Introduction
may be said that false hair and false teeth are not seen nearly so much abroad as they are here, because the people are better nourished.
To any one fond of good cooking, it is fascinating to see what Marie Stuart, Napoleon, Marie de Medici, Louis XIV., Henry of Navarre, or Joan of Arc, ate. For what we eat, we become ; and food forms faces, even as the prevalent fashions of thought or dress mould the features and character. Nothing is mean to those who can see all sides, and, as Francatelli said, " The palate is as capable and almost as worthy of cultivation as the eye and ear." Genius has generally been a gourmet, if not a gourmand.