Food and feeding / by Sir Henry Thompson. With an appendix.

  • Thompson, Henry, Sir, bart., 1820-1904.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Food and feeding / by Sir Henry Thompson. With an appendix. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

    118/240 (page 104)
    French and English treatment of vege- tables ; of green peas, for example. Aud here, again, the distinctive principles, already referred to, of French and English cuisine, are illus- trated in relation to the cooldng of vegetables; and again, let me add, not to the disadvantage of our own system. I find it the more necessary to call atten- tion to this subject, as much has of late been said, which may lead many to believe that French usage is invariably right, and English usage invariably wrong. Very far from the truth, I humbly submit, is such an allegation as this, even in regard of our treatment of vegetables. No doubt we are too often guilty of carelessness and inattention to the condition in which vegetables are presented, in the service of our tables, but our principle is in the main correct, and only wants to be pursued with intelligence. When vegetables are really good, well grown, and fresh, no good judge dQsires that their natural qualities of flavour, odour, and consistence, or even colour, should be destroyed by the addition of other materials, and of foreign flavours. Let us take two> in illustration of these remarks, green peas and the tomato. Garden peas, when young, quickly grown, and fresh, have a delicious characteristic flavour of their own, are rather sweet, and almost crisp when and overcooks the bead, diminishing its flavour and consistence, a period of thirty or forty minutes, on the plan recommended, will render fully a third more of the stalk delicious, while the head will be properly cooked by the steam alone. One reason why it is not uncommon to hear the best produce of the fields of Argenteuil in- sufficiently appreciated here, and our own asparagus preferred, is, that the former is rarely sufficiently cooked at English tables.