The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-24
FLOWERS USED FOR FOOD.
Various Kinds that Various People
Eat.
[st. Louis Post-Despatch.l

Animals re ia.,n eats, but the man
of intellect alone knows how to eat"
SO says a man versed in wisdom. And
truly he was wise, for the fate of ma
tons depends upon how they're fed"
Cooking is a science, and the author who
declared that ''thc discovery of a new
dish does more for the happiness OF man
kind than the discovery Of a new planet,
was evidently philosopher, for all men
are interested in cooking.
Flowers. The very word is the quint-
essence Of poetry. fragrance and beauty.
a dinner, novel in the extreme, was
given by an eastern girl, wealthy debu-
tante. The dinner was served in great
magnifcence, and at it 'stewed lilies"
was the most favored dish.
1t didn't matter at all that the ''stewed
lilies" resenlbed inferior greens or cauli-
flowers in appearance, and as to taste
imagination fails to convey its awful
wishy-washness. if the antipodal terms
be allowed, yet every girl at the table
declared as she dipped her fork into the
stewed novelty that they were perfect.
" delicious, you know" and they could
eat them ''every day." No pepper, no
salt. no soupcon of butter defiled this
purity of the lily stew; forbid, god of
fashion, perish the thought, oh, cuisine
of aesthetic food! the lilies were stewed
simply intact and eaten simply and with
tact. For no muscle of the tortured
fashionable gourmande's face betrayed
the feeling that she was eating dish
that was similar to washed out sunshine
or the ghost of stale spongecake. They
were stewed lilies all the same, and if
each partaker turns her head away at the
sight of the flower in full bloom for some
time to come, why inquire further? Is
the mere fact of the effects of a first
cigar 10 Danish forever the habit of smol-
ing others?
DINNER OF LoCUSTS.
Not very long since an article in an
eastern paper spoke of u clever woman's
subterfuge in cooking in following man
ner: "The latest novelty in the vegetable
Lire is the introduction of flowers, that
is edible flowers. The two which are
said to be the most satisfactory belong
absit omen! to the thistle family, and
rejoice in the names calligonum poly
gonordes and bastia latifior The popu-
lar form of both English and French
seems somehow hard to conquer in the
case of these new dishes, but doubtless
all will come in time. 1t is related of a
bright Boston woman that once whilst
she was living in the country abroad, in
q spot where the markets were extreme
w liota hn
by the arrival of several guests near the
hour Of dinner 1t CHANGED, as it usually
does in similar cases, that her harder
that day was especially bare; so she set
to work her wits as her only assistants
to overcome the difficulty. The locust
trees were in full bloom, SO she selected
the finest clusters, dipped them in batter
and fried them in boiling oil. The dish
proved not only AN ornamental one, the
shape of the ordinary clusters being not
unlike that of grapes, but it proved pal
atable as well, and if not very substan-
tial, went no inconsiderable way in the
scanty dinner.
When Rome became the center of rich
es she had every luxury of the table, from
the growing locust in bloom to the os-
trich. "St. Johns bread" is said also to
be species of wild locust, and there are
other methods of cooking in which they
have been used. AS for the dandelions.
they are converted by the skillful cook
into the most palatable dishes. They
are also gathered with care and made
into ahealthful tea as well as into stewed
vegetables. The dandelfon is sometimes
termed not a flower, but it certainly is
entitled and justly so to floral considera-
ton, and belongs to the floral family.
SOM EDIBLE PLANTS.
The nasturtium makes most delight
full salad, the leaves being selected for
the purpose as the most delicious portion.
The peppery, peculiar taste tickles the
taste Of the epicure with its charms, and
the nasturtium salad is favorite dish
on the buffet OF the fastidious epicure.
The seed of this flower makes most
tempting pickle, and invites by its quail
tiles an appetite to the most jaded palate
and stomach.
The cactus is a plant that has been
used with effect by the Indians. When
the Sioux so long defied the government
and were left without food or liquid,
they converted the cactus into nourish-
ing vegetable. Besides this, the liquid
coming from them served in the place Of
water.
Roses have always played an import
ant feature in the high art of cooking.
Under Charlenagne's reign the devices
for cooking into which flowers were in
serted were several, while in the Seven
tenth century the women of the gentlest
birth, greatest wealth and highest posi-
ton in court took the greatest personal
interest in their kitchen and its results.
A favorite method of giving fish the
taste of flowers at this time was to boil
them III rose water. The flavor was SO
thoroughly impregnating that you would
imagine the fish was rose itself. The
mode of dining in this century was one
of great magniticence. The rose as an
article of food has a history which goes
away back. 1t was well known to the
ooa;ort nraaLc a,d Dou,anc