willing to pay for them, and it may be accepted as a general rule, that
the lower the price of ground spices and condiments, the more they are
adulterated. The materials chiefly used for this purpose are starch,
cracker dust and similar harmless substances, and the mixture usually
contains as much of the pure material as can reasonably be afforded at
the price it sells for. The purchaser may elect whether he will have
such articles, or those which are genuine at a higher cost. The grocer
does not create wants and demands; he merely supplies them.
PEPPER.—There are two kinds, black and white. Both are from the seeds of
the _piper nigrum_, a plant which grows in the East and West Indies.
BLACK PEPPER is the seed picked before it is fully ripe, dried and
ground. WHITE PEPPER is made from the ripened seed deprived of its black
outer shell or pericarp. Pepper is an agreeable addition to many kinds
of food, and is said to promote the secretion of the gastric juice; it
is more used than any other spice.
CAYENNE PEPPER is the powdered pod of one or more species of capsicum.
The sharp taste is due to a camphor like substance found more in the
pods than in the seeds.
MUSTARD.—This is the flour of the black or white mustard seed. The black
seed contains most volatile oil, is more pungent, and differs from the
white in chemical composition. The two are blended in various
proportions. Wheat flour is often added, with a little turmeric to bring
up the color. Mustard seed contains over 30 per cent. of a fixed oil,
and a portion of this is often extracted. This practice is considered
beneficial rather than fraudulent.
GINGER.—This is the root-stalk of a plant which grows in Jamaica and
other warm countries. The best comes with the skin scraped off. This is
ground. The odor of ginger is due to an essential oil; its pungency to a
peculiar resin. It is sometimes adulterated with starch, sago, rice, and
wheat flour, mustard hulls, cayenne pepper, etc. But, as with all the
other spices, there are pure brands.
CLOVES are the dried flower buds of the clove tree. They come from the
East Indies, Africa, and South America, ranking in value in the order
named. The best contain as much as 16 per cent. of a volatile oil to
which their flavor is due. Ground cloves have sometimes a portion of
this oil pressed out, with pimento or allspice added, which latter is
much less costly. Cloves are best when large, plump, bright in tint, and
full of oil, which exudes on pressure with the finger nail.
ALLSPICE OR PIMENTO is the little, round berry of an evergreen tree,
common in the West Indies. It contains about 4 per cent. of an aromatic
oil. Owing to its cheapness, it is less adulterated than other spices.
CINNAMON is the true bark of a small evergreen tree of Ceylon. The best
is very thin, the outer and inner coats of the bark having been removed.
CASSIA is the bark of another species of cinnamon tree; it is thicker,
corky, and not so red. It is cheap and not much adulterated. It is often
sold for cinnamon, but is less aromatic and valuable. CASSIA BUDS are
the unripe buds of the same tree.
NUTMEGS AND MACE.—Nutmegs are the seeds of the _Myristica Fragrans_, a
tree which grows in the East Indies. Good nutmegs feel heavy in the
hand, and are not worm eaten. They contain about 8 per cent. of volatile
oil, and 25 per cent. of fixed oil, which exudes under indentation or
pressure with the finger nail. Most people buy whole nutmegs and the
ground article has only a limited sale. MACE is the arillus or coating
of the nutmeg, and is also sold whole or unground.
CURRY POWDER.—This compound of spices, etc., is much used in India and
other hot countries, as an appetizer and stimulant to digestion. There
are several excellent brands of curry powder in market, both English and
American, made approximately after some one of the following five
receipts:
Proportions.
Turmeric 6 4 6 3 2
Black pepper 5 4 2 2 1/2
Cayenne 1 1 0 3/4 6
Ginger 0 2 3 0 1/2
Fenugreek 3 2 0 1 1/2
Cummin seed 3 2 2 4 0
Coriander seed 0 6 8 12 6
Cardamom seed 0 0 1/2 1/2 0
Pimento 0 0 1/2 1/4 1/4
Cinnamon 0 0 0 1/4 1/4
Cloves 0 0 0 1/4 1
Nutmeg 0 0 0 0 1/2
Salt.
COMMON SALT varies in purity and sometimes contains salts of lime,
magnesia, and potash. But as those are more soluble in water than common
salt, it is easy to remove them in the process of manufacture. Our
culinary salt comes from several sources; rock salt deposits or mines,
sea water, and salt springs.
There are numerous brands of salt which are freed from all impurity,
ground to various degrees of fineness, and put up in barrels, sacks,
bags and packets of all sizes; also in stone jars.
CELERY SALT is good common salt mingled with the finely ground seeds of
celery.
Besides the finer qualities for table use, there are varieties specially
adapted for salting and pickling meats, fish, etc.; lump rock salt for
cattle, hay salt, etc. The bitter salts of lime, magnesia, etc., attract
moisture more than common salt, hence dryness is a sign of purity.
Vinegar.
The sour principle is acetic acid, of which good vinegar contains about
four per cent. Vinegar may be obtained by fermentation from the juice of
any starchy or sweet fruit or vegetable, from beer, or even from
sweetened water, to which “mother” or other vinegar is added. Cider
vinegar is most used, as it retains the fruity flavor of the apple, but
good vinegar is also made from wine, malt, oranges, raspberries, etc.
There are many varieties in market, both domestic and foreign. Stringent
laws regulate the purity and strength of vinegar for domestic uses, in
New York and some other states.
Pickles.
These are fruits and vegetables preserved in vinegar, after first
steeping them in brine. Certain articles require to be pickled in
scalding hot vinegar, others with cold; salt, pepper and spices are
added to suit the taste. Pickles were formerly extensively colored green
with copper, but the ghastly practice has gone out of date. Intelligent
people will prefer those which have the more natural and wholesome
yellowish, olive green tint. There are all sorts of pickles in market,
put up in glass or wood packages of various sizes, as follows:
CUCUMBERS and GHERKINS, CHOW CHOW, CAULIFLOWER, ONIONS, MANGOES,
PICALILLI, WALNUTS, PEPPERS, HORSERADISH, MIXED PICKLES, and SWEET
PICKLES. Among the best of imported pickles are the reliable Cross and
Blackwell goods; some domestic brands are perhaps equally good. OLIVES
are in brine, usually in wide-mouthed glass jars. They come from Italy,
Spain, and France. The “Queen,” “Crescent,” etc., are favorite brands.
There are also French CAPERS, so important as an accompaniment for
boiled mutton, etc.
SALAD OIL.—The best is the oil of the OLIVE, which, when pure, is of
pale, greenish yellow tint, with an agreeable odor and taste. Refined
COTTONSEED OIL has naturally a more reddish tint. It is extensively sold
as olive oil or mixed with it, although many grocers keep the genuine
olive oil. SALAD DRESSINGS are also in market, some of which are very
fine and delicate.
Sauces.
These articles give zest to food and stimulate digestion. Their
composition is very varied and embraces many fruits and vegetables, as
the tomato, walnut, garlic, shallot; many herbs, as tarragon, chervill,
mint, thyme, marjoram; many condiments, as cayenne, black pepper,
mustard, and all the spices; many fish, as lobsters, oysters, clams,
shrimp, anchovies; the juices of meat, besides salt, sugar, molasses,
etc.
PEPPER SAUCE is made from the little Jamaica peppers, the Mexican, Chili
pepper, or some other variety of red or green pepper. There are numerous
brands, and nearly all are good. The TABASCO PEPPER SAUCE is excellent.
TOMATO CATSUP OR KETCHUP is a very wholesome and agreeable addition to
the diet. Among the best and most popular varieties is the “SHREWSBURY”
TOMATO KETCHUP. Mushroom and Walnut Catsups are less used, but still
have many friends.
Among the dainty and well known SAUCES, are the WORCESTERSHIRE,
LEICESTERSHIRE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE, SULTANA, PICCADILLY, CHUTNEE, SOHO,
HARVEY, NORTH OF ENGLAND, etc. There are also various American sauces,
some of which are imitations of the above or very similar in composition
and flavor. Some of the English sauces are put up in elegant and
artistic vases.
DOMESTIC FRUITS AND BERRIES.
The increasing excellence, abundance and cheapness of fruits and berries
is full of promise for the health and vigor of the American people. They
are wholesome, cooling and nutritious.
APPLES.—This noble fruit is in market the year round; new Southern
apples are first marketed in April. APRICOTS are a fine small fruit
which ripens in July. CHERRIES reach us from the South in May.
NECTARINES come in August. PEACHES are at the height of their season in
August and September. Early in the latter month they should be secured
for preserving. PEARS.—The choicest are the Dutchess, Bartlett and
Virgalieu. CALIFORNIA PEARS are excellent and widely sold through the
country. PLUMS ripen in August, and are in season until October. QUINCE
is a highly flavored fruit, used only for preserves. GRAPES.—Besides our
own abundant and delicious Muscat, Concord, Isabella, Catawba, and other
varieties, three-quarters of a million barrels of the hardy and cooling
white Almeria grapes are annually imported at New York. They were
formerly a costly luxury, but are now abundant and cheap, and will keep
through the winter.
STRAWBERRIES.—The season opens with shipments from Florida early in
March, and closes six months later with the product of the far North.
RASPBERRIES come in June and continue until August. BLACKBERRIES ripen
early in July, and are very healthful. CURRANTS ripen in July and
continue until September; they are white, red and black, and are
wholesome and cooling. GOOSEBERRIES may be had red, yellow, green and
white. They are much used unripe, for cooking purposes. CRANBERRIES
begin to reach market from Cape Cod, New Jersey, etc., about September
first. The largest and darkest are the best. They are healthful and an
almost indispensable adjunct to roast turkey, etc.; are also used for
sauces, tarts, and pies.
Tropical Fruits.
The increased knowledge in regard to the excellence and healthfulness of
these fruits has, within a few years, greatly enlarged the demand for
them, and they are now sold at moderate prices in almost every city and
town in the land.
ORANGES.—Those from Florida and California are richer and of finer
flavor, while the Mediterranean variety are thin skinned, juicy, hardy,
and will keep longer. That region sends us annually a million boxes of
oranges, and the annual product of Florida and California is two million
boxes. Havana oranges are not as good as they used to be, but twenty
thousand barrels come to New York yearly from Cuba.
LEMONS.—A million and a half boxes of lemons are consumed yearly in this
country, most of which come from Sicily, but lemon culture is increasing
in Florida. Lemons vary much more in price than oranges, as a heated
term or unusual sickness increases the consumption.
BANANAS AND OTHER FRUITS.—There are two varieties, the red from Cuba,
and the yellow from Jamaica and the Spanish Main. The latter are the
better. Bananas are in market all the year, but the season is from March
to August. PINEAPPLES are exquisitely flavored fruit, much used sliced
for the tea table. The season is from May to August. COCOANUTS are used
grated, for making pies and puddings; they are delicious, but rather
indigestible. DESSICATED COCOANUT is the meat of cocoanuts ground and
dried, and mixed with powdered sugar; sometimes, also, rice, flour, or
corn starch is added. It comes in packets, cans, etc.
FRESH VEGETABLES.
In the Spring and Summer months the appetite craves fresh vegetables;
and their free use, especially in those seasons, will be found excellent
for the general health of the family. Spinach, for instance, is said to
be beneficial in kidney complaints; Dandelion greens are good for
biliousness; Tomatoes act upon the liver; Celery upon the nerves; Onion
soup restores a debilitated stomach, etc., etc. In fact, it would be
easy thus to go through the whole vegetable list and find each one
possessing some special mission of healthfulness.
Where Early Vegetables Come From.
The Bermudas send annually about $400,000 worth of potatoes, onions,
beets and tomatoes to New York, during the months of March, April and
May. Florida garden produce finds its way North very early in the
Spring, and later, in regular order, Georgia, South and North Carolina,
and Virginia, wheel into line with their numerous productions, until,
finally, our home gardeners have their season. During all this time our
vegetables on sale are improving in freshness as they are drawn from
sources nearer home, and prices are falling.
The Varieties.
POTATOES.—The heavier ones are more mealy and nutritious than those
which are waxy and soft. There are many favorite varieties. Some are
early but less mealy, others prolific but lacking in flavor, etc.—hence
prices vary. SWEET POTATOES.—There are two varieties—the red and
yellow—with but little difference in price. CABBAGE.—A standard
vegetable the year round; the heaviest are the best. CAULIFLOWER, best
from April to December; the large, creamy white, solid heads are
preferred; dark or soft spots indicate staleness. ONIONS are very
nutritious; their powerful odor is due to a strong smelling, volatile,
sulphurized oil. There are the white or silver skinned, yellow and red.
Spanish Onions are milder, and much eaten raw. GARLIC, a pungent species
of the onion tribe, and very healthful; used for flavoring. LEEKS and
CHIVES are allies of the onion. Leeks have large leaves, a thick stalk
and small root; Chives, used as salads, have small, spine-like leaves.
CARROTS, TURNIPS, BEETS and PARSNIPS are standard vegetables to be had
throughout the year; frost improves the latter.
ASPARAGUS.—A choice and health giving vegetable. Season begins in March,
and it grows fibrous in July. CELERY is improved by frost, and is in its
prime and cheapest during the winter months, after which it becomes
tougher and stringy. CUCUMBERS.—A pleasant, cooling vegetable, but
difficult of digestion, and containing little nourishment. TOMATOES are
excellent food for people with weak stomachs or liver difficulties; is a
vegetable that could ill be spared. Millions of bushels are canned every
year, and if properly put up are nearly as good as the fresh article.
PEAS.—The smaller varieties are best, should be purchased in the pods,
which should be cool, crisp and green. A black spot on the pea indicates
that it is too old to be at its best. BEANS, shelled and string.—The
former embrace the Lima sorts. The Neapolitan or snap is considered best
of the String beans. GREEN CORN comes from the South in May, and the
home supply lasts till October. Ears should be well filled and milky,
and not too old. Green sweet corn is the best.
RHUBARB.—Much used for sauce and pies. The leaves are said to contain
oxalic acid, and must not be eaten. RADISH, said to be difficult of
digestion itself, but helps to digest other food. There are two
varieties, the small bulbous, or round, and the long. ARTICHOKE, a tuber
like the potato; is pickled, used as a salad and as a vegetable.
SQUASH.—The summer squash is in market from April to September. Winter
squash is more substantial but less delicate. OYSTER PLANT has a grassy
top, and a long, tapering, white root like a carrot; its flavor suggests
that of oysters. EGG PLANT, called GUINEA SQUASH at the South, should be
firm, hard, and rather under ripe, it also tastes somewhat like an
oyster; the large, purple, oval shaped, is the better variety. OKRA or
GUMBO.—The green seed pods are much esteemed for soups and stews,
especially in the South, and are growing in favor at the North. The long
green variety is considered best. LETTUCE, SPINACH, BRUSSELS SPROUTS,
KALE, BEET-TOPS, DANDELION LEAVES, ETC., are used as salads and for
greens.
MELONS.—MUSK-MELON, the stronger the musk odor, the finer it is; but if
it appears quite ripe all over, it is over ripe and decomposing. If it
has no odor, it is only fit for cattle. WATER-MELON, if pressed near its
center, should yield a little, and the indentation disappear when the
finger is removed. If no indent can be made, the melon is too green, if
the depression remains, the melon is over ripe.
BEANS, PEAS, and LENTILS.—These leguminous seeds are very nutritious and
palatable, and rank high among strength-giving foods. They contain
vegetable casein in place of gluten, and hence are not suitable for
making bread; all these articles are more digestible if eaten with fat,
and the American staple dish of Pork and Beans is really the marriage of
two articles which agree very well with each other. Dried PEAS, split,
or ground into meal, are much used for soups. LENTILS, which are round
seeds like flattened peas, are excellent used as a vegetable, but are
comparatively little known. The most popular varieties of the white
beans are the Marrow, Kidney and Pea beans. There are also _Frijoles_ or
black beans, Lima beans, etc.
DRIED FRUITS.
The chief consideration with articles in this line is, that they should
be as fresh as possible, and free from vermin and traces of vermin.
Worms in dried fruits are never in sight, even though they may swarm
below the surface. DRIED APPLES should be light colored, plump and acid.
Evaporated fruit (by the Alden process, etc.) is preferred to sun-dried.
It is often bleached in the fumes of sulphurous acid, which has a
tendency to keep the fruit free from worms, and does not injure the
flavor. DRIED PEACHES should be pealed, clear and dark. DRIED PLUMS
should be pitted, clear and bright. DRIED BERRIES—the chief danger is
from worms.
Raisins.
Raisins are dried grapes. The finest are the Dehesa “Layers;” next are
the CLUSTER, or BUNCH raisins, and the “LOOSE,” which are without stems.
They are better in proportion to the number of crowns in the brand, as
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Crowns. The small seedless raisins are called “SULTANA,”
and come from Smyrna. VALENCIAS are the common cooking raisins.
CALIFORNIA RAISINS (Muscatel) are excellent, very fast growing in
popular favor, and are the coming summer raisin. The best raisins are of
the “Last crop.” Age tends to crystallize the grape sugar in raisins,
and they are also liable to the attacks of vermin.
DRIED CURRANTS are the small dried grapes of the Ionian Islands. The
“_Vostizza_” come in cases, and are considered better in proportion as
they are larger in size. There are a number of varieties of currants.
They should be bright and clean.
FIGS are said to be easier of digestion than any other dried sweet
fruit, and are slightly laxative. “_Eleme_,” signifies superior, or hand
picked. Generally the last crop “Layers” (as distinguished from those in
kegs) are the best; they should be fresh, moist, thin skinned,
semi-transparent, and free from vermin. There are many varieties, and
they are put up in all sorts of packages.
PRUNES are dried plums, or “French plums,” as they are sometimes called.
They are extensively raised in the valley of the Loire, in France; also
in Germany, and about Bosnia, in Turkey. California prunes are also
excellent, and very popular wherever they are known. The largest and
freshest prunes are the best. They come in bottles, tins, bags, boxes
and casks.
DATES.—This “Bread of the Desert” is the sun-dried fruit of the date
palm, and is both nourishing and palatable. Dates were formerly packed
in frails, but now come usually in boxes. Among the best varieties of
Persian and Egyptian dates are the “Hallowee” and the “_Sair_;” some are
large, yellow, moist, and little wrinkled, others are smaller, dark in
color, with small pits; some are very sweet and insipid, and others
almost aromatic in flavor.
TAMARINDS are the pods of a tree, growing in the East and West Indies,
gathered when ripe, and preserved in sugar or molasses. They are acid,
pleasant, healthful, and cooling. They come in bottles, stone jars and
kegs.
NUTS.
ALMONDS are of two kinds, the sweet and bitter; the latter are only used
for making extracts. Among the edible varieties are the Tarragona,
Valencia, “Jordan,” a corruption of _Jardin_ (garden), etc. There are
hard, soft, and “paper shell” almonds, and almond meats freed from their
shells. FILBERTS are cultivated hazel nuts and come mainly from Sicily.
PECANS come from Texas. WALNUTS from Italy, France, and Chili. BRAZIL
NUTS grow along the Amazon in clusters on high trees. They are oily and
rich. PEANUTS come from Virginia, and CHESTNUTS from Italy and our own
Northern States.
TOBACCO.
The active principle of tobacco is the alkaloid nicotine, but it cannot
be said that the effects of tobacco are solely due to this substance,
for some varieties, as the Syrian, etc., contains little or no nicotine,
yet are considered strong. The quantity of nicotine varies much in
tobacco, or from one-half of one per cent. to eight per cent. As a rule,
the finer the quality and flavor, the less nicotine the tobacco
contains.
There are many varieties of tobacco, as those of Virginia, Kentucky,
Maryland, etc., which are used mainly for chewing, while the Cuban,
Turkish, Connecticut, Sumatra, etc., are considered better for cigars.
All these tobaccos may vary again in species, as, for instance, there
are the Orinoco, Cienfuegos, White Stem, One Sucker, Isabella, White
Barley, Fiji Orinoco, Cubani, and many others. Havana or Cuban tobacco
has long held the palm over all the world for making the most
exquisitely flavored cigars. The aromatic principles on which its value
depends can only be developed under a warm, moist climate.
Chewing Tobacco
Is used both in the “PLUG” form and as “FINE CUT,” and in some
localities preference is given to the one, while little of the other is
sold. The New England and some of the Western States take their chewing
tobacco largely in plugs, while the Middle States take more kindly to
the fine cut. Detroit has a national reputation for the manufacture of
fine cut tobaccos, which are extensively sold in tin foil and paper
packages, and in bulk, in pails, etc. There are many hundreds of brands
of chewing tobacco, both plug and fine cut. Some are the natural leaf,
while others are sweetened; so that the most diversified tastes may be
satisfied.
Smoking Tobacco.
North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky are foremost among the States in
the manufacture of the smoking tobaccos, which are almost infinite in
variety and sold in all sorts of packages. Among them are the “Long” and
“Short cut,” “Navy Clippings,” “Granulated,” “Nigger Head,” “Sweet Spun
Roll,” “Golden Cavendish,” “Durham,” “Fruits and Flowers,” “Seal of
North Carolina,” “Seal of Virginia,” and many others, besides imported
varieties, as Persian, Latakia, Havana, etc. In addition to smoking
tobaccos, many grocers keep a full assortment of PIPES, from the common
clay up, through all kinds of briar and applewood pipes to the genuine
meerschaum goods of every style and quality.
Cigars.
The value of a cigar depends not only on the quality of the leaf, but
largely also on the mode of manufacture. If rolled too hard or too
loosely, it will burn badly.
Why a Cigar Should Burn Well.
The best burning leaves must be used for wraps; if not, the air has no
access to the inside burning parts, and the empyreumatical substances
are volatilized without being decomposed. Such cigars make much smoke
and smell disagreeably. If the cigar burns well, more of the nicotine is
consumed and decomposed. Cigars, therefore, which contain little
nicotine and burn poorly, are more narcotic in their effects than well
burning cigars which contain a greater quantity of nicotine. Hence, the
leaves of the Connecticut or “Seed leaf” tobacco, which burn freely and
well, are much used for wrappers for cigars filled with Havana tobacco.
Within recent years, however, the handsome leaved Sumatra tobacco is
quite largely used for wrappers upon medium priced cigars, as it burns
better than Cuban tobacco.
Quality of Cigars.