Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1890-11-08
A DINNER OF LoCUsTs

Not very long since an article in an
eastern paper spoke of clever woman's
subterfuge in cooking in following man.
ner: "The latest novelty in the vegetable
line 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
a spot where the markets were extreme
! ly unreliable, she was surprised one dav
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 a 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 healthful tea as well as into stewed
vegetables. The dandelion is sometimes
termed not a flower, but it certainly is
entitled and justly so to floral considera-
ton, and belongs to the floral family.
SOME 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 a favorite dish
on the buffet of the fastidious epicure.
The seed of this flower makes a 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 a 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 Charlemagne's reign the devices
for cooking into which flowers were in
serted were several, while in the Seven
teenth 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 in rose water. The flavor was so
thoroughly impregnating that you would
imagine the fish was a rose itself. The
mode of dining in this century was one
of great magnificence The rose as an
article of food has history which goes
away back. 1t was well known to the
ancient Greeks and Romans