The Meeker herald., 1896-05-16
WHY FOOD ID Co"NED.
0aAHaA1y of the ReasoAs from Q
9etentihc Point of Wow.

00AnaA1y of the ReasoAs from .
scientific Point of Wow.
We COOK our food to render n more
agreeable to our sense Of taste and
smell. Cooking develops aavors and
odors not present in the raw state.
This Is particularly true of the animal
foods, but it is also true to greater
or less extent with regard to vege-
table foods. and, indeed, some vege-
tables, as potatoes and beans, would
he repugnant were they uncooked. The
superior flavor, appearance and taste
of q piece Of beefsteak nicely cooked
IL case in point. The development
Of pleasant favors in the coffee berry
and peanut illustrate the same prin-
ciple.
A second reason why we should
COOK our 1ood is to be found in the
fact that thereby we facilitate the pro-
cess OF mastcation. Some foods are
tough or hard and can neither be fine
ly divided nor well mixed with saliva.
Cooking softens these SO that the work
OF the teeth is performed with great
er ease, and the results, SO far as the
digest1Dliify and the amount Of nutri-
ent matter obtained are concerned, are
Again 1t is often desirable that the
food be chemically changed; thus some
foods or portions Of them are absolute
ly indigestible in the uncooked state;
the hbrous tissue Of meat, for example
can not be considered a food until by
the application OF heat II li!is been
changed chemically to gelatin. Sim
llarly starches, though not entirely in
digeStible whel raw, are changed into
q more digest!ble form by cooking.
and the cooked starch, as In bread. is
by the process OF toasting converted
into a new chemical substance called
dextrin. which closely resembles sugar
both In Its chemical properties and In
the ease with which 1t Is digested.
Again sugar is changed into carmel
and fats are partially decomposed into
other more digestible substances.
A fourth reason for cooking food is
that the warmth which Is thus I'M
parted promotes digestion by causing
an increased flow Of blood to the d.
gestive apparatus, and hence more
copious secretion Of the digestive fluids.
II is to stimulate the flow of digestive
Juices that hot soup Ia given as the
first course at dinner. As result of
this increased flow the digestion of the
food u well advanced by the time din
ner II over. The general stimulating
effect of tea and coffee is enhanced
considerably by their warmth.
The general result Of all these
changes mentioned, the development
Of flavor, the increased ease Of masti-
cation, the chemical changes, and the
warmth impaired by cooking, is that
more nutrient matter is obtained from
the food at the same time that its d.
geStiOn is DrOmoted
Finally. cooking destroys any para
sites that may be present in the food.
OF these. trichinae in pork and the
scolex, or encysted head Of the tape
worm, in what is known as mensly
beef, are the most common. To show
that these are not SO rare l may men
ton that between 9 and 3 per cent of
all the hogs slaughtered at the Chi
cago stock yards are found to be In
fected with trichinae. Most food ma
terials serve as favorable media for the
propagation and growth Of bacteria
Many of these are harmless, but We
mllAt rn1nnnlflar- that-nn- dangerous
must remember that We can not bt
sure at any time that no dangerous
ones are present. AS heat destroys
bacteria, we are taking fewer chances
when we cook our food tan when we
do not.-ChautauQuan.