The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-04-02
use OF RICE
INCREASING IN
UNITED STATES
High Prices of of Potatoes
Make Tt An Acceptable
Substitute

Washington, D. c., April AL
| though rice has been recognized as
a good food in the United States since
early colonial times, and in some form
or other is generally liked in all parts
OF the country, it has not been given
so important a place as a staple ar
ticle Of diet as it deserves, say spec
ialists of the U. S. Department of Ag-
riculture.
In some sections rice has been used
for the most part as breakfast GER
cal or as foundation for pancakes,
croquettes, or desserts. In regions
where it is grown, however, lit is used
principally as a vegetable like pota-
toes; and in place of dishes like maca-
ROM and spaghetti, combined with
cheese, and similar foods. This use
| well may be extended to regions where
| rice is now used chiefly for making
buildings and other desserts
When rice is used in quantity in
the diet, particularly as substitute
for potatoes, care should be taken to
| supply fruits and vegetables gener-
ously in order that the mineral sub
stances which the body needs may be
| provided.
Rice is nutritious and palatable and
digests well. 1t may be cooked quick
| ly without the necessity of trouble
some preparation, and without waste.
Taking everything into account, rice
| we'll may be given a more important
| place in the diet at this time since
a greater crop was produced in the
| United States last season than ever
| before. Late statistics place the 1916
| crop at .40,702,00O bushels, against
| 28,947, 900 bushels in 1915, and 25,-
| $780, 500 bushels for the five-year av-
| erage 1911 to 1915, inclusive. The
| world crop of rice also is greater than
! for many years. Rice ordinarily can
! be obtained at prices which make it,
| in comparison with other foods, a
! reasonably economical addition to the
| diet. With the present greatly in
| creased stock Of the domestic product
in the country, even a somewhat in
creased demand may not alter greatly
the relation of rice prices to those of
comparable floods.
| AS a staple article of diet rice may
be boiled in sailed water and used like
potato or sweet potato as a vegetable
at meal at which meat, eggs, beans,
| gravy or other foods rich in protein
are served. Wholly or partially cook
| ed rice can be used with cheese, min
ced meat or poultry, fish, eggs, beans,
etc., for variety of made dishes, the
combinations constituting dishes in
most of the needed food elements are
present. 1t also may be used as a
major or minor ingredient in stews
and soups.
Instead Of serving rice plain as a
vegetable it may be stewed with to-
| matoes, cooked in a double boiler
with tomato juice, soup stock, or milk,
or it may be seasoned with curry
| powder, onions or other seasoning
materials. By using skim milk in this
way a particularly economical dish is
| produced.
AS cereal for breakfast, rice may
| be boiled in milk and sweetened, or
eaten with butter and salt. If it is
/ desired, dried fruits such as dates or
raisins may be cooked with the rice.
Cold, boiled rice, mixed with pancake
or muffin batters Of wheat buck
wheat or cron meal, makes a pleasing
addition to such food products, re-
duces the quantities Of other ingre-
dents needed, and furnishes a meth
| cd for using the leftover cereal. Cold
boiled rice also may be used with or
without little meat, chicken, or sea-
| soning vegetable for croquettes: and
with eggs, sugar milk or other ingre-
| dents for making a variety of pud-
dings and other desserts, as an ex-
animation of almost any good cook
| book will show.