FoodNetArchive

Cookery for every household

1914

Page 1010

Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Curry (cari). — The name given to a powder or paste made from a mixture of various spices, in- cluding chillies, coriander, ginger, turmeric, &c. It is only to be had in perfection in the East, where it is manufactured from the fresh ingredients. The name is also applied to any dish flavoured with curry. Ginger (gingembre). — The dried and scraped root or underground stem of the ginger plant, which grows principally in Brazil and the West Indies. It has an agreeable and aromatic odour and strong pungent taste, and is one of the most valuable of spices. It is of a pale yellowish brown colour and striated in appearance. It can be obtained whole or in a ground form, and is also very good when crystallised or preserved in syrup. Mustard (moutarde). — Made from the seeds of the mustard plant, of which there are two kinds, the black and the white. Table mustard is made from both kinds of seeds ground together. The seed- lings of the white mustard plant are also used in salads. Nutmeg and Mace (muscade). — A nutmeg is the kernel of the stone of a pear-shaped fruit belonging to a tree which grows in the Moluccas and other hot climates. It is used in a grated form, and is useful for flavouring both sweet and savoury dishes. As it is strongly aromatic, it must be used with caution. Mace is the outer covering of the nutmeg flattened and dried. It is of an orange-yellow colour, and is used both whole and in a ground form. Pepper (poivre). — Made from the dried berries of a plant, which is cultivated in most tropical countries. The berries, which grow in clusters, are first green, then turn to red, and then to yellow. When the red berries are dried they become black. Black pepper is made by grinding the berries just as they are. To make white pepper, the dried berries are soaked and the skin and fleshy parts removed, the seed alone being ground. Mignonette pepper is white pepper coarsely ground or crushed. Cayenne. — The name given to a very strong pepper made from the dried pods and seeds of various kinds of capsicums. It is bright red in colour, very pungent and stimulating. It takes its name from Cayenne in South America, from whence it came originally. Paprika or Krona pepper. — This is also a red pepper which is made from the Hungarian paprika, a capsicum pod, which is much less strong and pungent than cayenne. Turmeric (curcuma) is obtained from the tuber of a plant belonging to the same family as ginger, which is dried and ground. It has a rather peculiar odour, and yields a large quantity of yellow matter. It is much used in the making of curry, and it is to turmeric that the colour of curry powder is largely due. Vanilla (vanille). — The dried fruit or pod of a kind of climbing orchid, which grows in the tropics. It is much valued on account of its delicious aro- matic fragrance, and is largely used for flavouring puddings, cakes, chocolates, and liqueurs.