Telegram-herald., 1890-04-03
FLOWERS USED FOR FOOD.
VARIOUS slNos rr4AT are EDIBLE
AID ARE EsTEh.

sss~sa Ilsss. a. . L.4iss LaaShsoa-Ls-
casa FL~-sr. DipPsa n Batter -@1 frisd
IA on - TAs FEissls f---1y- Ess-
C.ks-c>aa5ss BIs.ss@s-
animals feed, uazn eats, Dat the naan
0f intellect alone Knows how - eat,
80 says a naaa vsrsed Ia wisdom. And
truly he was wise. Tor the fate Of IA
tiOns dspends upon how they re fed
Cooking i a science, and the author who
declared thar "the discovery Of a new
dish does more for the happiness Of man
kind than the discovery of new planet,
was evidently q philosopher, for al men
are interested Ia cooking
Flowers! The very word Is the qulnt-
essence Of poetry. fragrance and beauty.
A dinner, novel Ia the exrSme, WAS
given by az eastern girl. wealthy debu-
Iante. The dinner was served ia great
magnihcence, aud at il "stswed lilies"
was the most favored dish.
IL didn't matter 81 al that the ''s.ewed
lilies" resembled inferior greens or caull-
fowers Ia appearance, and as % taste
Imagination fails TO convey its awful
wishy-w washinsss. II the antipodal terms
be allowed. yet every girl at the table
declared a. she dipped her fork into the
stewed novelty that they were perfect.
ly delicious, you know, and they could
eat them every day" No pepper, no
salt, no soupcon of butter dehied 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 feehng that she was eating q dish
that was similar 10 washed out sunshine
or the ghost Of a 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 10 come, why inquire further: Is
the mere fact Of the effects Of first
rigar TO Danish forever Ae habit of sinok-
pg others:
A DINNER or LOCUsTS.
Not very long since an article in an
eastern paper spoke Of a clever woman's
subterfuge in cooking in following man
neT: The latest novelty in the vegetable
lire is the Introduction of flowers, that
is edible flowers The two which are
said 10 be the most satisfactory belong
absit omen, TO the thistle family, and
rejoice in the names calligOnum poly
gonorGes and bastia latiflior. The popu-
lar form Of both English and French
seems somehow hard 10 conquer in the
case OF these new dishes, but doubtless
ali will come In time. IL is related of
bright Boston woman that once whilst
sac was living III the country abroad. in
a spot where the markets were extreme
w unreliable, she was surprised one day
by the arrival Of several guests near the
hour OF dinner. II chanced, as il usually
does in similar cases, that her larder
that day was especially bare: so she set
TO work her wits as hep 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 ahealthful tea as well as into stewed
vegetables. The dandelion is sometimes
termed not q 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 a 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 fsstidious 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 4 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-
I ing vegetable. Besides this, the liquid
I coming from them served Ia the place Of
water.
/ Roses have always played an import
4 ant feature in the high art OF cooking.
Under Chsrlemagnes 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 70 boil
them in rose water. The flavor was 80
thoroughly impregnating that YOU would
imagine the fish was a rose itself. The
mode of dining IN tins century y As one
OF great maCnifcencs. The rose as an
article of food has a history which goes
away back lt vas vel known to the
ancient Greeks and Romans St Louis
Pest DisUatch