Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-15
HOW TO MAKESALADS
Delicacies That Delighted the Epi-
cures of Ancient Times.
DISRAELI AND THE CUCUMBER.
The Famous Prize Recipe in a Contest
Gotten Up by Labouchere.
DIRECTIONS FROM ELLICE SERENA.
WRITTEN FOE THE DISPATCH,

The use of salads, as prepared from herbs,
| is of the highest antiquity, and mention of
them in one form or smother has been made
| by the most eminent writers. Pliny, the
naturalist, gives some recipes for the
preparation of greens; and, of the poets,
| Virgil sings of endive and parsley.
Allusions to salads, both prepared
| and unprepared, are made by Shakes
peare. Among the most familiar and hack
neyed is the expression in which Cleopatra
so artfully reminds Chairman of ''my salad
days; when 1 was green in judgment"
Shakespeare knew all about salads and
heir proper qualities. Hostess Quickly tells
Falstaff that prawns with vinegar were i'll
for green wound.
Indeed, some very eminent literary men
have even gone so far as to prepare recipes
for favorite salads. The Rev. Sydney
Smith reduced one to verse, as follows:
Two large potatoes passed through kitchen
sieve,
| Smoothness and softness to the salad give;
| OF mordaunt mustard add single spoon
| Distrust the condiment that bites too soon
But deem it not. the man of herbs fault
To add double quantity of salt.
| Four times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown,
And twice with vinegar procured from town;
true uaVOT needs III, ana your poet DeRS
The pounded yellow of two well boiled eggs.
Let onion atoms lurk within the howl,
And, scarce suspected, animate the whole.
| And, lastly, in the favored compound toss
| A magic spoonful of anchovy sauce.
o. great and glorious; oh herbaceous treat!
'Twould tempt the dying anchorite to eat.
| Back to the world he'd turn his weary soul,
| And plunge his fingers in the salad bowl.
DIsRAELI's TREATMENT OF CUcUMBERs.
Benjamin Disrseli himself q famous
| epicute, has humorously narrated in
"Vivian Grey" how the Prime Minister
| Beckendorff instructed Mr.. Won Phillipson
to prepare the cucumber, and how to treat 1t
when prepared. Prince Metternich, one of
the most famous of modern diplomats, is
said to have been the original of this char
acter He died not so long ago, in extreme
old age, and in the enjoyment, to the lasG,
of all his faculties. He was noted for being
extremely abstemious in his diet.
"I never eat them myself; but I'll tell
you, ii you like" said Mr.. Beckendorff,
(which 1 think the best way of treating
cucumber. You must be careful to pick out
the straightest, thinnest-skinned. most seed
less cucumber that you can find. Six hours
before you want to eat it, put the stalk in
cold water on O marble slab-not the whole
cucumber-that's nonsense. Then pare it
| very carefully, so as to take off all the green
outside and no more. Slice it as thin as
possible, spread it over your dish and
sprinkle it with good deal of white pepper,
red pepper, salt and mustard seed. Mix
some oil and common vinegar with little
Chill and drown it in them. Open large
window very wide-and throw it all out"
Most will regard the conclusion as a very
unsatisfactory one, and will not by any
means consent to the advice therein given.
A few years ago, in England, a prize was
| e., 81, oa1ad Mr. T,ahounhara
a member OF Parliament and distinguished
journalist, was the moving spiritin this con-
| test. He selected some of the most expert
| connoisseurs to determine which, in their
| Judgment, was the most satisfactory. There
were many competitors, but 1t was decided
that the one below given was entitled to the
prize and their favorable mention.
| THE FAMOUS PRIZE SALAD.
| From cabbage lettuces remove the outer and
| coarse leaves, and strip from the remaining
ones the good part Inc piece S snonia = De 9 from bIt
| not cut.
| Wash them and let them remain in cold water
| about one half hour.
| Rinse in a second water ana swing In a nap
kin until dry.
| For dressing take the yolks of two hard boiled
| eggs and crush them to paste in a bowl, adding
| H tablespoonful Of French vinegar, mustard
| spoons of mustard, ! salt spoon of salt; beat
| well together. then add by degrees or table,
| spoonfuls of Lucca or Provence oil, of vine-
gar, and when thoroughly mixed little tarra-
gon finely chopped, dessert spoon OF coarse
white pepper, as pepper In powder lrrltates the
| palate.
When all is well mixed, place the salad in it
and turn over and over again, thoroughly and
| patiently till there remains not one drop of the
| liquid at the bottom of the bowl
| Put the white OF the eggs in slices on the top
| and serve shortly after IL ls mixed.
There might indeed be gathered quite
quantity of reading on this subject, collated
from the literature, we suppose, of every
people. All the modern Europeans have in
their several languages, proverbial express
sions and honely rules which are pertinent,
pointed and of long standing. The wisdom
which the Spaniards condensed in the cele-
brated proverb which is still current among
| them, could not have been acquired only after
oil, miser for the vinegar, a lawyer for the
seasoning, and mad4an to stir it to-
gether."
The French have a complimentary phrase
which is traceable to a time in which
customs were different from ours. In those
days when the salad was prepared at table
the youngest and prettiest girl had the
honor of stirring it, which, OF course, she
did with her fingers. Hence they say,
Retourner la salade avec les doigts-to
signify that woman is still young and
handsome.
THE USE OF OLIVE OIL.
The necessity among the masses Of the
people throughout England no doubt has
stimulated the inventive faculty in the mat
ter OF devising so many combinations Of
cheap, homely and wholesome food. 1t is
| not to be wondered at that for salad making
these people should be distinguished. Olive
oil, without which no southern European
would thing of making a salad, is with
them very plentiful. The Spaniards use it
more profusely than any others-the Ital-
ians next. The French, however, excel all
for salads which are palatable, and in which
the ingredients better blend. And they,
with their usual economy, are known to put
into the salad bowl herbs we would never
think of using for such purpose. The Ger
| mans are not much given to the use of oil.
Many OF their salads are eaten warm or
wilted, and they often prefer to have one
special ingredient, as onion or garlic, for
instance, predomlnate over the rest. Most
of their salads are made very sour.
The English more tnan any other use vim
egar in their salads, and the quantity they
use is out Of all proportion 10 the oil. It
therefore follows that each Of these people
have a way and method oil their own in the
making OF salads generally, but it will not
be inferred that they differ materially in
making any particular salad. Of the dii-
ferent methods of making salads the un-
doubted preference OF the Americans is for
the French method. By common consent it