New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-10

historic man ate his meat raw during
the first seventy thousand ages of his
existence on earth; then. according to
Confucius, an accidental con1agrauon
taught him the delights Of roast pig
Vide Charles Lamb. AS for the pig, Mr..
Hackwood teaches us to venerate ii for
the nomishment it has provided TO our
ancestors through untold ages. And,
once on the subject. he discourses i'm
partially on that kindred delcacy of hu-
man diet which the South Sea Islanders
are reported to have euphemstically
STYLED '1ong pig" Man probably did
not make meat a regular part Of his food
until after he had mastered the secret
of fire, and most likely he began by eat
ing his burnt offerings to his gods. ami
NAL and human. Being an Englshman,
Mir. lakewood delights I'm recording all
the traditions of Scotch anthropophagy
that he has been able to find, advising
MS readers, however, to take them with
h pinch Of salt, which is only the proper
way OF serving them up in a book on
cookery. Then, with a great show Of
FAIRNESS. he assures us that the abused
shaggiS' was the favorite food Of the
gEnglish Of the Commonwealth.
This is, however, mostly a book Of
Sgood cheer" of the evolution of eating
tnto dining, of the elaboration of Il
physical necessity into a cultivated de-
aight, factor in the advance Of clviliza-
tion. And. once primitive humanity and
ats barbarous ways with food disposed
of, the author unfolds before us the
cookery of antiquity, Of the Middle Ages.
and Of modern history down TO our own
day. The gourmet was slow in rising
from the low level Of mere gluttony.
The Saxons were heavy eaters, partak-
;sDg Of four heavy meals a day. It was
che Normans who taught them that, in
p rhyme Of the period
TO rise at FIVE. 10 dine at nine.
TO sup at five, 20 bed at nine.
Makes man live TO ninety-and-ninc
The table Of the medieval English no
fble was noteworthy rather for its prod
dgality than for its delicacy. open
thouse" was an obligation Of his rank.
Nor were the monasterics behindhand
IN the magnificent scale Of their hospi-
tally. Their kitchens. and those Of the
higher clergy generally were, further
more, the strongholds OF medieval Eng
lish cooking. The table of the monks
of Canterbury consisted daily Of sixteen
covers "of the most costly dainties.
dressed with the most exquisite skill"
Under the Tudors the same splendors
continued, and yet Queen Elizabeth's
breakfast generally consisted Of salt
meat, bread and strong ale Those
hearty sixteenth century deicacies,
whale and porpoise meat, are well re-
membered still. Owing To the scarcity
of fodder animal food was slaughtered
in the fall and sailed, whence constant
prevalence Of scurvy. The discovery Of
the New World added largely to the food
supply Of the Old, while Holland taught
England the cultivation of numerous
vegetables.
Dealing mostly with England, this is
a book Of heavy good cheer, chiefly of
meats. There is the legend Of the sir
loin, which rose to the peerage as a
-baron of beef" Says Mr.. Pepys in his
diary:
6 Jan. 1G52.-To dinner 10 Sir VIM. Pens, it
being a solemn feast day with him-his
wedding day, and we had, besides a good
chine OF beef, and other good cheer. eigh-
seen rnince pies in a dish, the number OF
years that he had been married.
English cookery, which. along with
-cther pleasant things, had decidedly de-
lfertorated under the Commonwealth. re-