The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27
GAsTRONOMIC NOTES.

GaSTROkONIC NOTES.
No better test OF theoretical skill in the prep
aration of ailments has been devised than that
offered In prize competitions in which a stated
reward is given for the best formulas for the CON
coction of certain dishes This is a favorite
device in England with certain technical journals
which In every issue devote a column or moro
TO this sort OF enterprise The results confirm the
structures Of competent critics upon the wreched
quality OF culinary achievement in Great
Britain. No appreciabe improvement has como
from tho establishment in recent years Of cookery
schools In every town OF the Kingdom Of moderate
population In these competitions first prize
Of SIS Is offered for the best set OF four recipes
for the treatment Of some particular sort Of SOUP
fsh, meat, fowl game, for entrees, desserts
etc. The inducement brings forth very full
response chiefly from people who, in England
| arc called middle classes The outcome dscoses
| that there is no English school Of cookery. for
| almost all the formulas have a Gallo basis to
which are added ing Rodents purely Xperimcntal
and Of practical value except 10 destroy the
| individuality Of the original model Moreover in
| one or two instances in technical journals that
| conduct these competitions the prize winners are
| usually those who indicate in the recipes fire..
| quent use OF special alimentary articles manu-
| featured by proprictors Of these periodicals. II
culinary competition OF the character described
! could be undertaken in this country and be kept
| free of commercial bias. il would develop some
very interesting literature Of our rational cuisine.
| 1t should be confined either TO formulas of indig
enous orgon or those of foreign olIgin natural
| lied and made national through intelligent adap
ton to the treatment of native vegetable flesh and
| marine products Our cookery is modified Dutch
and French. For this amalgam we are indebted
| to the Hoanders who occupied New York, to the
st. ,ho urttt
who settled on the Southern and Middle Atlantic
seaboard and the French colonists of Canada,
to whom New England was behoden for the little
culinary knowledge formerly resident there
The scarcity during with Spain Of
| superior quality OF afterdnner cigar will never
again be felt il the theory advanced in an article
in the Conism pordrp Reriep proves to be OF prac-
| teal utility. A German chemist has discovered
that the subtle and aromatic odor Of tobacco is due
to bacilli developed in the leaves of the plant when
they stacked in the process Of curing. Then
| under the influence of heat and moisture the
| micro org anisms increase enormously and I'M
part to the weed its peculiar characteristics which
| are absent before subsection to this treatment
| The discovery of the bacl of cheese which
! enables any sort to be made anywhere in the world
| in the same perfection in the locality from
which II derives its name promises that the Guilt
walton Of the microbe of tobacco shall be equally
effective in enabling inferior sorts to be raised
| to a standard Of excellence equal to that OF the
| West India and Sumatra plants The German
chemist who has been conducting experiments
to bring about this result has discovered that the
| germ of tropical tobacco transferred to that
of Germany ecvates ii TO the level OF
subtle and delicate aroma This may appear
incredible to those whose misfortune it has been
to smoke German cigars There can be ques-
ton, however, that the process is success, so
much so that fears are entertained by
growers OF Cuban tobacco that their monopoly
Of the trade in the higher quality Of leaf is about
10 suffer eclipse. A patent has been applied for
which the conversion Of all tobaccos, where
soever grown, to the SAME level of merit Ii is even
intimated that the tobacco bac may be cul.
tivated in the leaves of other plants Of similar
texture. and that they be rendered available for
the making Of cheaper grades Of cigars The
bac, as in the case of those of cheese and butter.
can be so packed not TO suffer deterioration
in transportation TO the most distant countries
Moreover any desired flavor aroma peculiar
20 tobacco may be increased or diminished in the
process OF curing at the will of the grower.
| English astronomical publications are at this
moment much disturbed by the latest discovery
of The vegrtarians that.ihe English race is dying
out through over indulgence in meat Since
1876 the birth rate in Great Britain has been stead
lily on the decrease This, an eminent author
ity" attributes to the introduction since then Of
foreign flesh and timed meat products into genera
use in England The price has been reduced Sc
greatly in consequence OF this great abundanc,
that those who were enabled to indulge in mea
diet only on Sundays now enjoy il every day OF
the week. The vegetarian who is responsible fo
this statement predicts that. il the English con
tinuc TO indulge copiously in flesh within a com
paratively brief period the race will become ex
tinct An analogue to This gloomy outlook for car
nivorous BrIons confron,s teetotallers in the al
legged assertion of eminent professor Of chem
istry Of Wesleyan University, that alcohol is jus
as much of a food as sugar starch, or fat and s,
far from being poison, II gives energy and feed
the system.
The adverse criticism of the sausage on th
ground Of the impure materials Of which il il
made, made by medical journal recently
is not warranted by the facts While some OF III,
foreign varieties eaten raw by European peoples
may possess noIious qualities, those OF American
manufacture that are always cooked before beinl
served are harmless so far as the presence Of ma
lignant bacil!i is concerned. When sausage
were first made is not known. Pliny mention.
them under the name of "salsugo" This may
have been corrupted into the modern term
The title on the other hand may have come from
the verb 80 sauce" meaning to intermix with
given pquancy or relish that any edible mix
ture made pungent by the application Of spice,
has been since the sixteenth century called sau
sage There Is no other country in the worlC
in which the sort made Of pork has attained 10 suct
perfection as il has in ours The Italians French
and Germans excel us in those which made Il
be eaten uncooked and in which garlic is pro