The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-05
FLOWERS AS FOOD.

IIom Aut OHtcdbO news.
Although II is we'll known that many
kinds Of flowers are used in medicine, the
fact may not be known to many that
blossoms of certain plants are employed
as articles OF food. In many parts OF
India the flowers of a saponaceous tree,
bassia latifoia or mahwah, form really
important article of food. These blos-
SONS, which are succulent and very num-
erous fall at night in large quantities
from the tree and are gathered early in
the morning and eaten raw. They have a
sweet but sickly taste and odor. They are
likewise dried in the sun and sold in the
bazars. The Bheels dry them and store
them as a staple article OF food and
so important are they considered for this
purpose that when in expeditions for the
punishment or subsection OF these tribes,
when unruly, a threat Is made by the in
vading force to cut down their bassia
trees the menace most commonly insures
their submission. An ardent spirit like
whisky Is distilled from these flowers,
and is consumed In large quantities by the
natives of Guzerat, etc. The Parsees and
hill people eat the flowers both raw and
cooked, and often with the addition OF
grain, and also make sweatmeats OF them.
single tree will afford from 200 to 400
The blossoms of another species. bassia
longifolia, are employed in a similar man
ner by the natives OF Malabar and Ny
sore, where 1t abounds They are either
dried and roasted and then eaten or are
bruised and boiled to a Jelly and made
into small balls, which are sold or ex-
changed for fish, rice and various sorts
of small grain. The flowers of the Judas
tree OF Europe have an agreeable acid
taste and are sometimes mixed with sal
ads or made into fritters with batter and
flower
The flowers of the American Species the
red bud, are used by the French-Canad-
ians in salads and pickles.
The large and snowy flowers of the In
dian cress or nasturtium are frequently
used along with the young leaves as a
salad. They have a warm taste not I'M
like that Of the common cress, and it is
from this circumstance that the plant
has obtained the name of nasturtium.
The young calices of dillenia scabrela
which are swollen and fieshy have a
pleasant acid taste and are used by the
inhabitants of Chittagong and Bengal in
their curries and also for making Jelly
The cloves Of commerce. are the unex-
panded flower buds of a small evergreen,
native of the Moluccas, but cultivated
in several parts of the East and West
Indies. Before the expansion of the flow
ers, which are produced in branched pani-
cles at the extremity Of the branches and
are of a delicate peach color, the buds
are collected by hand or else sheets and
mats are spread under the tree and the
buds brought down by beating it with
in the sun. A uniform brown color is
impaired by slightly smoking them over
a wood fire.
The caulifiower, which has been known
from remote antiquity, differs in a re-
markable manner from all the other va
rieties of the cabbage tribe, whose leaves
and stalks alone are used for culinary
purposes. Instead of the latter being used
the flower buds and fieshy flower stalks
which form themselves into q firm cluster
or head varying from four 10 eight or
more inches in diameter, here become the
edible portion, and one of the greatest OF
vegetable delicacies The flower buds OF
capparis spinosa, plant which grows on
walls, etc, in the south of Europe, are
picked in vinegar in italy and form what
are commonly known as capers. These
are chiefly imported from Cicily, though
the plant is largely cultivated in some
parts of France.
The flower buds and the berries of the
myrtle were eaten as spices by the an
cients and are still used in Tuscany in
stead of pepper. Long pepper is furnished
by the immature spikes of flowers of cha
vica roxburghii, which are gathered and
dried in the sun. In chemical composition
and qualities 1t resembles ordinary black
pepper and contains piperine.
Almost Impossible.-They were dis
cussing the trials of the missionary in
savage lands, and after an hours sitting
of the obstacles in the way of those who
give up home and comfort for duty, one
Of them rose up to leave. 1T all comes
down 10 one point, after all" he said.
You can't force predestination and shirts