Part 4

Good, pure lard should be white, should melt without ebullition or sputtering, be almost as clear and white as water, and not deposit any sediment. It is composed of oleine 62 parts, stearine 65 parts. The fat of the hog taken from around the kidneys and the layers over the ribs is called “Leaf lard” and is better, firmer and will stand warm weather better, than lard made from the entire fat of the animal.

LARD ADMIXTURES.—There is no complaint that lard is adulterated with substances injurious to health; but in February, 1888, a leading lard manufacturer testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, at Washington, that seven-eighths of the lard now on the market is made from the entire fat of the hog, refined and purified, and mixed with a proportion of refined cotton seed oil and about 15 per cent. of stearine, to give it hardness. This, he claimed, is preferred by the public generally to strictly pure lard. The testimony of Prof. Sharpless, of Boston, given at the same time and place, substantially bore out this statement as to the ingredients used, although in the many analyses of American lard made by him, he found some brands which were absolutely pure hog products. Lard is sometimes adulterated with water, but this may be easily detected by melting it, evaporating the water, and reweighing.

Lard may be had in barrels, wooden and tin tubs and pails, and in one pound tin cups. It is also retailed in bulk, like butter.

Fresh Meats and Poultry.

BEEF.—Good beef should be juicy, somewhat firm and elastic, velvety and smooth grained to the touch, and “marbled” with little streaks, dots or points of fat. The suet fat should be plentiful, white, firm, dry, and crumbly; if the fat is yellow, oily, or fibrous, the beef is inferior.

MUTTON is wholesome, nutritious, and easily digested. The best is from a plump, small boned animal, with abundant white, clear, solid fat. The lean should be firm, dark red, and juicy, the leg bones clear, white, and short. GOOD LAMB has hard, white fat and reddish bones.

PORK is best in fall and winter. The skin should be thin and pearly, the lean a delicate red, juicy, firm, and finely grained, and the fat white. If the fat is yellow and soft, the pork is inferior. Pork is dangerous if not thoroughly cooked.

VEAL should be from a good sized, reasonably fat milk or stall fed calf, five to ten weeks old. The fat should be firm and white, but not too white; the meat finely grained, fairly firm, and juicy.

POULTRY.—Many farmers have found that it pays better to feed their grain to poultry than to sell it by the bushel, and poultry is therefore much more abundant, cheaper, and more widely consumed than ever before. The dry-picked or unscalded has the preference in price. The best have short legs and small bones, and are plump. If fresh, the eyes are bright and full, the feet and legs moist and limber. If stale, poultry looks dark and slimy. When chickens grow to be a year old they are called fowl; the legs grow rougher, the skin fat and tougher, and the rear end of the breast bone hard. A moderate sized TURKEY is more apt to be tender than a very large one.

Smoked and Dried Meats and Fish.

HAMS, ETC.—The best are of medium size, weighing, say, from 8 to 14 pounds, plump, round, and the bone small. The shank should be short and tapering, skin thin and not shriveled or wrinkled, and the fat white and firm. To ascertain if ham has begun to spoil, thrust a skewer or knife in at the side of the aitch bone and at the knuckle joint; if sound there, it is good throughout. BACON.—This is the smoked flank. BREAKFAST BACON, made from young pigs, is very delicate and palatable. BEEF TONGUES are a delicacy, whether fresh, smoked, or pickled, hot or cold. The best are thick, firm, and with plenty of fat on the under side of the base.

DRIED COD.—This is an important grocers’ staple. The largest and best are caught on the “Banks” or in the deep waters off the Eastern coast. Some are sold whole and others are deprived of the back bone. Codfish is also prepared for market by being boned, skinned, trimmed, and even shredded. Other and inferior fish, such as Haddock, Hake, Pollock, etc., are often sold for cod, when salted, and especially when prepared as above.

HERRING, smoked whole, or scaled and boneless, are widely consumed. The freshest, fattest, and largest are best. Smoked SALMON, HALIBUT, and STURGEON, are appetizing relishes for the summer tea table. There are also EELS pickled in jelly. SARDELLES—small fish packed in highly salted milk, smoked SPRATS, ANCHOVIES, etc.

Salt or Pickled Fish.

Mackerel have the front rank in this line, and there are few good tables on which they do not occasionally appear. They are sold by the grocer in barrels and fractions of barrels, in kits of 20, 15, and 10 pounds, in tins, minus heads and tails, and by the single fish. The best are the fattest, largest, and freshest of the current season. They should be free from rust and soaked before cooking until all the brine is drawn out. They can be afterwards salted, if necessary. They are graded as “Extra” and “Fancy” “Shores” and “Bays,” and vary in size and fatness, as numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4.

SALMON, ETC.—Both Halifax and Oregon salmon are pickled or salted, and in demand in many sections of the country, and pickled SALMON BELLIES are very fine. HERRING and COD are also to be had in brine.

Meat Essences and Extracts.

There are several varieties of these articles in liquids, pastes, and solids. Some, at least, of them, without being true nutrients are excellent as condiments, stimulants, and tonics for digestion. Meat juices contain a substance called kreatine, which is similar in its exhilarating properties to the peculiar principles of tea and coffee. Fifty pounds of meat are said to be required to make one pound of Liebig’s meat extract. These preparations are valuable additions to other foods, but all that is needed for nourishment should be added to them.

CANNED GOODS.

Until lately, man had done little more in preserving his food in a fresh condition, than the squirrels which gather and store their nuts and seeds in a warm, dry place. To be sure, he knew how to dry and smoke, and the uses of salt and sugar. He had even tried to preserve his meats and fruits in a fresh state; but his rude methods hardly foreshadowed the splendid results which have recently been achieved in the line of canned goods.

Excellence of American Canned Goods.

M. Appert, of France, first patented (in 1810) a process for preserving animal and vegetable substances in close vessels of glass—after subjecting them to the action of heat—and an English firm soon after introduced provisions preserved in tin. But it was reserved for Americans to lead the world, not only in the magnitude of their canning industries, but also in the art of preserving meats, vegetables, and fruits, by processes so delicate and effective, as to retain their original shape and texture, as well as their freshness and flavor. And, moreover, while they have practically prolonged the “Seasons” for perishable food products throughout the entire year, and furnish them for the consumer at very reasonable rates, the producer has often thanked them for giving stability to prices in seasons of great “Gluts” and abundance.

Varieties of Canned Goods.

Among canned goods, in glass or tin packages of various sizes, qualities and prices, are the following:

Canned Meats.

CORNED BEEF, boiled; ROAST BEEF, BEEF A LA MODE, BOILED HAM, BOILED TONGUE, ROAST MUTTON, ROAST VEAL, ROAST CHICKEN, ROAST TURKEY, BRAWN, POTTED MEATS of all kinds; GAME PATES of WILD DUCK, GROUSE, PARTRIDGE, PLOVER, WOODCOCK; BONED TURKEY AND CHICKEN, with jelly; CURRIED CHICKEN, DEVILLED CHICKEN, TURKEY, HAM, PIG’S FEET, LAMB’S TONGUES, etc.

Canned Soups and Broths.

BEEF, CHICKEN, GREEN TURTLE, OXTAIL, JULIENNE, MOCK TURTLE, CONSOMME, MACCARONI, VERMICELLI, PEA, MUTTON BROTH, etc.

Fish.

CLAMS, CLAM CHOWDER, ANCHOVIES, CRABS FRESH, CRABS DEVILLED, CODFISH BALLS, MACKEREL FRESH, LOBSTER, OYSTERS, PRAWNS, SHRIMP, SALMON, SARDINES, TROUT, TURTLE, KIPPERED HERRING, BLOATERS, etc.

Canned Vegetables.

ASPARAGUS, Baked, Lima, and String BEANS, GREEN CORN, MUSHROOMS, OKRA, ONIONS, PEAS, PUMPKIN, SQUASH, SUCCOTASH, SPINACH, RHUBARB, etc.

Canned Fruits.

APPLES, APRICOTS, BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, CHERRIES, GRAPES, GOOSEBERRIES, PEACHES, PEARS, PLUMS, PINEAPPLES, QUINCES, RASPBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES, etc.

Canned Sundries.

Besides the above, there are “Heaps” of canned delicacies, such, for instance, as TRUFFLES, TRUFFLE PATES, TRUFFLE DU PERIGORD, in tins and glass, PLUM PUDDINGS, PLUM PUDDING SAUCES, etc.

Some of the French vegetables in glass and tin are beautifully green in appearance, but it is evident that they are artificially colored. A more wholesome device is to put the articles up in the intensely green bottles sometimes seen.

THE TIN CANS.—Tin is mainly used for canned goods, and is the least objectionable of all the metals, and better than anything probably, except glass. It does not oxidize easily, and if it does, its soluble salts are less injurious than those of any other available metal.

Jellies, Preserves, etc.

Jellies are made from nearly all the fruits by mixing their juices with sugar, and often with gelatine or isinglass, (four parts of which will convert 100 parts of water into a tremulous jelly) and boiling them down. Jellies are wholesome, cooling, and grateful, provided they are free from adulterations and noxious colorings, and are much used upon the tea table and in the sick room. Among the varieties of jelly in the market are APPLE, CRAB APPLE, BLACKBERRY, CURRANT, GRAPE, LEMON, GUAVA, ORANGE, QUINCE, RASPBERRY, STRAWBERRY, etc. They come in tumblers and jars, and in bulk. There are also CALVES’ FOOT, WINE and SPIRIT jellies.

PRESERVES.—All the above fruits are preserved in sugar, and put up in quart and pint jars. CHERRIES, PEACHES, PEARS, etc., are also preserved in BRANDY, and sold in glass jars. There is also a great variety of JAMS and MARMALADES, both foreign and domestic; GINGER ROOT, boiled in syrup, etc. FRUIT BUTTER is made from various fruits, as, Apple, Cranberry, Peach, Pear, or Raspberry, etc., by stewing them in sugar or molasses. It is usually sold from pails by the pound, and is much used in some sections.

Flavoring Extracts and Essences.

The delicate flavors of fruit and the fragrant principles of spice and other substances, as vanilla, etc., are extracted by pressure or distillation, and dissolved in spirits of wine for culinary purposes. It is found also, that certain ethers and oils may be so combined (as, for instance, potato oil) as to yield the taste and smell of many fruits, such as pears, apples, grapes, pineapples, etc. Flavoring extracts and essences are variously put up in vials and bottles; among them are LEMON, VANILLA, ROSE, ALMOND, PEACH, CELERY, GINGER, CLOVES, NUTMEG, STRAWBERRY, RASPBERRY, PINEAPPLE, NECTARINE, etc.

ISINGLASS AND GELATINE are used to make jellies, and thicken soups and gravies. Isinglass is made from the intestines of fish. Its advantages over gelatine are lighter color, less flavor, and greater thickening power. In cold water it softens, swells, becomes white and opaque. In hot water it smells a little fishy. Gelatine is made from the bones of animals; it also swells in cold water, but becomes glassy and transparent, while in hot water it has somewhat the smell of glue. It is often sold for isinglass. The test of both is in the fineness and clearness of their jelly. CALVES’ FOOT JELLY is delicate, but less firm. Gelatine is sold in sheets and shreds.

HERBS for seasoning, as, SAGE, SUMMER SAVORY, SWEET MARJORAM, THYME, etc., are sold in the leaf, and also powdered, in tins and paper packets.

Spices and Condiments.

Spices are generally understood to be more aromatic and fragrant and less pungent than what are called condiments. Spices are usually added to sweetened food, while condiments, as pepper and mustard, are better suited to meats and food containing salt.

It is impossible to supply genuine articles if the public are not willing to pay for them, and it may be accepted as a general rule, that the lower the price of ground spices and condiments, the more they are adulterated. The materials chiefly used for this purpose are starch, cracker dust and similar harmless substances, and the mixture usually contains as much of the pure material as can reasonably be afforded at the price it sells for. The purchaser may elect whether he will have such articles, or those which are genuine at a higher cost. The grocer does not create wants and demands; he merely supplies them.

PEPPER.—There are two kinds, black and white. Both are from the seeds of the _piper nigrum_, a plant which grows in the East and West Indies. BLACK PEPPER is the seed picked before it is fully ripe, dried and ground. WHITE PEPPER is made from the ripened seed deprived of its black outer shell or pericarp. Pepper is an agreeable addition to many kinds of food, and is said to promote the secretion of the gastric juice; it is more used than any other spice.

CAYENNE PEPPER is the powdered pod of one or more species of capsicum. The sharp taste is due to a camphor like substance found more in the pods than in the seeds.

MUSTARD.—This is the flour of the black or white mustard seed. The black seed contains most volatile oil, is more pungent, and differs from the white in chemical composition. The two are blended in various proportions. Wheat flour is often added, with a little turmeric to bring up the color. Mustard seed contains over 30 per cent. of a fixed oil, and a portion of this is often extracted. This practice is considered beneficial rather than fraudulent.

GINGER.—This is the root-stalk of a plant which grows in Jamaica and other warm countries. The best comes with the skin scraped off. This is ground. The odor of ginger is due to an essential oil; its pungency to a peculiar resin. It is sometimes adulterated with starch, sago, rice, and wheat flour, mustard hulls, cayenne pepper, etc. But, as with all the other spices, there are pure brands.

CLOVES are the dried flower buds of the clove tree. They come from the East Indies, Africa, and South America, ranking in value in the order named. The best contain as much as 16 per cent. of a volatile oil to which their flavor is due. Ground cloves have sometimes a portion of this oil pressed out, with pimento or allspice added, which latter is much less costly. Cloves are best when large, plump, bright in tint, and full of oil, which exudes on pressure with the finger nail.

ALLSPICE OR PIMENTO is the little, round berry of an evergreen tree, common in the West Indies. It contains about 4 per cent. of an aromatic oil. Owing to its cheapness, it is less adulterated than other spices.

CINNAMON is the true bark of a small evergreen tree of Ceylon. The best is very thin, the outer and inner coats of the bark having been removed.

CASSIA is the bark of another species of cinnamon tree; it is thicker, corky, and not so red. It is cheap and not much adulterated. It is often sold for cinnamon, but is less aromatic and valuable. CASSIA BUDS are the unripe buds of the same tree.

NUTMEGS AND MACE.—Nutmegs are the seeds of the _Myristica Fragrans_, a tree which grows in the East Indies. Good nutmegs feel heavy in the hand, and are not worm eaten. They contain about 8 per cent. of volatile oil, and 25 per cent. of fixed oil, which exudes under indentation or pressure with the finger nail. Most people buy whole nutmegs and the ground article has only a limited sale. MACE is the arillus or coating of the nutmeg, and is also sold whole or unground.

CURRY POWDER.—This compound of spices, etc., is much used in India and other hot countries, as an appetizer and stimulant to digestion. There are several excellent brands of curry powder in market, both English and American, made approximately after some one of the following five receipts:

Proportions. Turmeric 6 4 6 3 2 Black pepper 5 4 2 2 1/2 Cayenne 1 1 0 3/4 6 Ginger 0 2 3 0 1/2 Fenugreek 3 2 0 1 1/2 Cummin seed 3 2 2 4 0 Coriander seed 0 6 8 12 6 Cardamom seed 0 0 1/2 1/2 0 Pimento 0 0 1/2 1/4 1/4 Cinnamon 0 0 0 1/4 1/4 Cloves 0 0 0 1/4 1 Nutmeg 0 0 0 0 1/2

Salt.

COMMON SALT varies in purity and sometimes contains salts of lime, magnesia, and potash. But as those are more soluble in water than common salt, it is easy to remove them in the process of manufacture. Our culinary salt comes from several sources; rock salt deposits or mines, sea water, and salt springs.

There are numerous brands of salt which are freed from all impurity, ground to various degrees of fineness, and put up in barrels, sacks, bags and packets of all sizes; also in stone jars.

CELERY SALT is good common salt mingled with the finely ground seeds of celery.

Besides the finer qualities for table use, there are varieties specially adapted for salting and pickling meats, fish, etc.; lump rock salt for cattle, hay salt, etc. The bitter salts of lime, magnesia, etc., attract moisture more than common salt, hence dryness is a sign of purity.

Vinegar.

The sour principle is acetic acid, of which good vinegar contains about four per cent. Vinegar may be obtained by fermentation from the juice of any starchy or sweet fruit or vegetable, from beer, or even from sweetened water, to which “mother” or other vinegar is added. Cider vinegar is most used, as it retains the fruity flavor of the apple, but good vinegar is also made from wine, malt, oranges, raspberries, etc. There are many varieties in market, both domestic and foreign. Stringent laws regulate the purity and strength of vinegar for domestic uses, in New York and some other states.

Pickles.

These are fruits and vegetables preserved in vinegar, after first steeping them in brine. Certain articles require to be pickled in scalding hot vinegar, others with cold; salt, pepper and spices are added to suit the taste. Pickles were formerly extensively colored green with copper, but the ghastly practice has gone out of date. Intelligent people will prefer those which have the more natural and wholesome yellowish, olive green tint. There are all sorts of pickles in market, put up in glass or wood packages of various sizes, as follows:

CUCUMBERS and GHERKINS, CHOW CHOW, CAULIFLOWER, ONIONS, MANGOES, PICALILLI, WALNUTS, PEPPERS, HORSERADISH, MIXED PICKLES, and SWEET PICKLES. Among the best of imported pickles are the reliable Cross and Blackwell goods; some domestic brands are perhaps equally good. OLIVES are in brine, usually in wide-mouthed glass jars. They come from Italy, Spain, and France. The “Queen,” “Crescent,” etc., are favorite brands. There are also French CAPERS, so important as an accompaniment for boiled mutton, etc.

SALAD OIL.—The best is the oil of the OLIVE, which, when pure, is of pale, greenish yellow tint, with an agreeable odor and taste. Refined COTTONSEED OIL has naturally a more reddish tint. It is extensively sold as olive oil or mixed with it, although many grocers keep the genuine olive oil. SALAD DRESSINGS are also in market, some of which are very fine and delicate.

Sauces.

These articles give zest to food and stimulate digestion. Their composition is very varied and embraces many fruits and vegetables, as the tomato, walnut, garlic, shallot; many herbs, as tarragon, chervill, mint, thyme, marjoram; many condiments, as cayenne, black pepper, mustard, and all the spices; many fish, as lobsters, oysters, clams, shrimp, anchovies; the juices of meat, besides salt, sugar, molasses, etc.

PEPPER SAUCE is made from the little Jamaica peppers, the Mexican, Chili pepper, or some other variety of red or green pepper. There are numerous brands, and nearly all are good. The TABASCO PEPPER SAUCE is excellent. TOMATO CATSUP OR KETCHUP is a very wholesome and agreeable addition to the diet. Among the best and most popular varieties is the “SHREWSBURY” TOMATO KETCHUP. Mushroom and Walnut Catsups are less used, but still have many friends.

Among the dainty and well known SAUCES, are the WORCESTERSHIRE, LEICESTERSHIRE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, SULTANA, PICCADILLY, CHUTNEE, SOHO, HARVEY, NORTH OF ENGLAND, etc. There are also various American sauces, some of which are imitations of the above or very similar in composition and flavor. Some of the English sauces are put up in elegant and artistic vases.

DOMESTIC FRUITS AND BERRIES.

The increasing excellence, abundance and cheapness of fruits and berries is full of promise for the health and vigor of the American people. They are wholesome, cooling and nutritious.

APPLES.—This noble fruit is in market the year round; new Southern apples are first marketed in April. APRICOTS are a fine small fruit which ripens in July. CHERRIES reach us from the South in May. NECTARINES come in August. PEACHES are at the height of their season in August and September. Early in the latter month they should be secured for preserving. PEARS.—The choicest are the Dutchess, Bartlett and Virgalieu. CALIFORNIA PEARS are excellent and widely sold through the country. PLUMS ripen in August, and are in season until October. QUINCE is a highly flavored fruit, used only for preserves. GRAPES.—Besides our own abundant and delicious Muscat, Concord, Isabella, Catawba, and other varieties, three-quarters of a million barrels of the hardy and cooling white Almeria grapes are annually imported at New York. They were formerly a costly luxury, but are now abundant and cheap, and will keep through the winter.

STRAWBERRIES.—The season opens with shipments from Florida early in March, and closes six months later with the product of the far North. RASPBERRIES come in June and continue until August. BLACKBERRIES ripen early in July, and are very healthful. CURRANTS ripen in July and continue until September; they are white, red and black, and are wholesome and cooling. GOOSEBERRIES may be had red, yellow, green and white. They are much used unripe, for cooking purposes. CRANBERRIES begin to reach market from Cape Cod, New Jersey, etc., about September first. The largest and darkest are the best. They are healthful and an almost indispensable adjunct to roast turkey, etc.; are also used for sauces, tarts, and pies.

Tropical Fruits.

The increased knowledge in regard to the excellence and healthfulness of these fruits has, within a few years, greatly enlarged the demand for them, and they are now sold at moderate prices in almost every city and town in the land.

ORANGES.—Those from Florida and California are richer and of finer flavor, while the Mediterranean variety are thin skinned, juicy, hardy, and will keep longer. That region sends us annually a million boxes of oranges, and the annual product of Florida and California is two million boxes. Havana oranges are not as good as they used to be, but twenty thousand barrels come to New York yearly from Cuba.

LEMONS.—A million and a half boxes of lemons are consumed yearly in this country, most of which come from Sicily, but lemon culture is increasing in Florida. Lemons vary much more in price than oranges, as a heated term or unusual sickness increases the consumption.