Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1909-06-24
The EdIbility Of Mold.

- - -
The fact that some prefer chees.
or ham that has developed more or
less mold. while they would instantly
reject moidy bread. leads the LONDON
Lancet to ask why such a distinction
ID made. The writer thinks that dry
mold Is harmless. while moist mold
may be poisonous. Certainly custom
and an acquired taste are factors.
'aoioy cheese. however. relished by
epicures. Is not universally in favor,
and moldy ham. which IS placed IN
the same category by the Lancet. is
not highly regarded In this country.
we quote from the article as follows:
1t Is little difncult to understand
In what way the human instinct Is
guided In regard to deciding when
moids on foods are Objectionable and
wnen they are acceptable. 1t Is GER
tam at any rate that the same mold
Is both relished and objected t., ac-
cording to the particular food on
which 1t fiourishes. No one eats for
cnoice moldy jam or mo.dy straw.
perry or biscuit. and yet the same
mold growing on a cheese or a ham
may be appreciated. II. again, the
same mold were found on beef or
mutton. the meat would probably be
regarded as UNIT for food. In some
instances. notably certain hams and
cheeses. the mold is cultivated to give
these respective articles of food a ripe
appearance and favor, and when they
attain this condition they as a rule
Increase in value.
1T Is well known, however, that
The digestibility and palatability of
not few foods increase as they
ripen. We have already mentioned
the instances of cheese and ha,, and
there are further instances of hung
mutton and venison and game. BY
ripening we de not mean a state bor-
dering on actual putrefaction, when
such foods are described as high
but seasoned condition, when the
food becomes tender, digestible and
appeuzing. At this period mold may
be found. especially II the seasoning
process has been allowed to develop
In a damp place. 1t seems as though
foods which are palatable only II
eaten comparatively fresh may act
poisonously on the system when
moldy. and conversely It would az
pear that those foods which are eat
en- dried or cured, or which can be
kept In more or less dried state are
unchanged by mold. Cheese. after
all, Is more or less the dried nitroge-
nous portion Of milk; hung mutton
ID mutton that is exposed for some
time to a current of air. so that at
any rate. its surface Is dry: Of hams
the same thing may be said. In the
opposite category would be placed
the moldy fruit or jam, which are. of
course, moist, or the biscuit which
has been lying in a moist place. for
neither biscuit nor -four would 90
moldy II kept dry. The reason partly
why some like mold In Stilton cheese.
while all resent the same mold in a
strawberry, depends probably upon
this question OF moisture. The guild
ing principle appears to be-as far,
at any rate. as the palate goes-that
anything which Is moldy must not be
wet. This conclusion still leaves
open the point RS to whether mold oc-
curing on food, whether wet or cry.
may not be dangerous. having regard
to the relations which have appeared
to exist between low organisms and
disease. On the whole. there is rea-
son for believing that the health
would be better safegrarded IL rnolds
were kept out Of the diet."-Literary
Digest.