LVI.PULSE.
MANY of the most useful and important of farinaceous or mealy kinds of vegetables are known under the name ofpulse. All the large varieties of thebean,pea,lentil,tare, andvetchbelong to this family.
TheVetchandTareare chiefly used for cattle; very seldom in this country or England are they seen on our tables, even among the poorest class of people; but thelentil, a kind of bean, is greatly esteemed among the French and Germans, and, when properly and carefully prepared and seasoned, is more highly esteemed by them than the common pea and bean. They consider the flavor better, and the vegetable itself more nourishing. In France it is extensively used for seasoning soups, but in England and America is not much known except as food for cattle.
Next to nuts and fruits, all kinds of pulse were important articles of food in the earlier ages, for it required little labor and skill to produce or raise them. When fresh and tender, many kinds of pulse can be employed in cooking, particularly for soups, and many that we know nothing of except through books, would flourish in our climate, both North and South, and might be profitably cultivated. Year by year we find something new in our agricultural catalogues, as well as in the horticultural and floral.
PeasandBeanswhen dried are less digestible and healthful than when eaten green, as the skin becomes hard, and unless removed, as it can be by rubbing through a sieve for soups, will, with many people, produce flatulency, constipation, and often severe colic. But green or dried, almostevery sort of pulse will furnish excellent food for most of our domestic animals, and is also considered very desirable to alternate with other crops, for, if corn or grain is raised year after year, on the same piece of land, it will in a short time wear out the soil; but pulse does not impoverish the land, and therefore may be grown on fields that require rest from more exhausting crops.
We learn that the time of the discovery of peas and beans has not been satisfactorily ascertained, but they were in early times extensively cultivated, especially thepea, in India, China and Japan, although evidently not a native of any of the extreme warm climates. When the English were besieging a castle in Lathian, in 1299, they were well pleased to supply their exhausted stores with this kind of pulse, which grew in that vicinity abundantly, and doubtless, on learning its nutritious properties, gladly introduced it into their own country. During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, her table was supplied with peas from Holland; fit food, says one of the writers of that time, for royal ladies, because “it was brought so far and cost so dear.”
Now, under careful and more enlightened culture, the varieties of peas raised in this country and throughout Europe are numerous. To speak of them all and of the whole family of pulse would require a volume. But much depends on the section in which the different varieties are raised, for, as with most kinds of produce, that which in one locality would prove most excellent, when transferred to another will become quite inferior.
TheChick-peais small and not very digestible. It will not boil soft, but, like some of the lentils, is parched, and in Egypt and Syria sold in the shops to travellers, by whom it is greatly esteemed, because while passing through the deserts it occupies little room and needs no preparation. Youmans says that it will sustain more life, weight for weight,than any other kind of food, and that peas and beans are ranked first among the concentrated, strength-imparting food; but although strength-giving, we do not think it easily digested, unless eaten while fresh and tender, and cooked with care. Some kinds of peas are prepared by the Chinese as avegetable cheese.
It would be useless to attempt to mention the best varieties of either peas or beans. Some seek for the earliest, some the largest or most prolific. In selecting, it is always wise to go to some intelligent seedsman, keeping a large assortment of all kinds of seeds, and learn his opinion; then, from the information thus obtained, decide which variety will best meet your wishes and locality. Some kinds of peas, like the string bean, have the pod and seed cut up and cooked together.
TheTurnipwas introduced into England from Hanover. It now grows wild in many parts of England, but the wild kind cannot, by cultivating, be brought up to the excellency of our garden and farm turnip. The turnip tops are brought into market forgreens. The medium-sized roots are better than the largest, which are liable to become corky or spongy.
TheCarrotwas brought to England by Flemish refugees, during the reign of Elizabeth, and the leaves were in great demand by her court ladies as ornaments for the hair. The ladies of the present day are not satisfied to use it for that purpose, but by putting a root into a glass of water, and hanging in a window, in a few weeks they have a pretty, graceful window ornament, as young leaves will start out and form a green ball, very delightful to the eye in mid-winter. Both turnips and carrots are largely used on the table, and are very desirable to season soups or stews, or garnish fancy dishes. The carrot makes a very good pie, and with a judicious use of eggs and cream can be made quite palatable.When boiled and prepared for the table, the young and tender roots should be selected, as when large or old they become woody and fibrous. The carrot is excellent food for horses and cows. Unlike the turnip, it imparts no unpleasant taste to the milk, and is, therefore, very desirable for winter feed. The carrot contains a much larger proportion of sugar than most of the esculent roots; a large quantity of spirits can be distilled from it, and it is sometimes used instead of malt for beer.
TheParsnipis also a native of Britain, and largely used, not only for soups and garnishing dishes, but as a vegetable; or, dipped in a batter of butter, flour, and white of eggs, it is fried a delicate brown, and sent to the table as a side-dish. During Lent, it is much eaten with fish. It is even sweeter than the carrot,—much too sweet to please all tastes. Like the carrot, it is excellent in soups, and is sometimes made into bread. A kind of wine, said to resemble the Malmsley wine of Madeira, can be made from the parsnip. In Ireland, they brew it with hops, and make what they consider an agreeable drink. Parsnips and potatoes, in Scotland, are often beaten up with butter, and a nice dish for children prepared from them.
The varieties of theOniontribe are more widely spread over the whole world than any other article of food. Theonion,leek,chive,garlic, andshallotare the kinds in most universal use. In Egypt and many parts of Africa, it is noted for its very delicate taste, being less pungent and the odor less offensive than those raised with us. Two thousand years before Christ, it had, in the estimation of the Egyptians, some mysterious signification, and was worshipped by them as possessing wonderful efficacy. The onion is much pleasanter for food or seasoning in warm climates than with us. Those raised in Spain, Portugal, and Strasburg are famous for their great delicacy. They are everywhere used,cooked, raw, or made into salads. When eaten raw the odor imparted to the breath is exceedingly disagreeable, and, even cooked or prepared in salads, is not at all pleasant. It is said that chewing a little raw parsley will remove this annoyance, or a few kernels of roasted coffee, but we have never known anything but time and abstinence that did remedy the evil. It is to be regretted that it should be so, for they would otherwise be great favorites with all, and are, no doubt, very wholesome.
TheLeekis more used in Switzerland and Scotland,—indeed, in all cold, mountainous regions, both on account of its being hardy, and because its exceeding pungency is a recommendation in these cold regions. It is a very important ingredient in two Scotch dishes that were the noted favorites of King James I., the “Cock-a-leekie” and “Haggis.” They claim in Wales and Scotland that the leek was brought to them by St. David. The blanched stem is the best for soups and stews, and is more esteemed in France than with us.
TheChiveis a native of Britain and France. It is sometimes found wild in the pastures, and, if eaten by cows, imparts a very offensive taste to the milk. It is milder than the onion or leek. The leaves are the part used for broths and soups, and in some kinds of omelets, especially in France, it is thought to be indispensable. With us, it is more frequently found in the dishes at restaurants and hotels than at our private tables.
TheGarlicis the most offensive of the onion tribe. It grows naturally in Sicily and the South of France, and from there found its way into Britain and America. It is very little used with us, but is found at almost all tables in Italy, though the root is only boiled to season soups and other dishes, and removed as soon as it has imparted a sufficiently strong flavor.
TheShallotgrows wild in Palestine, and was introduced into England by the Crusaders. It is still more pungent in taste than the garlic, but not as offensive. Used in pickles, soups, and made dishes.
TheRosamboleis a native of Denmark. It partakes of the character of both the garlic and the shallot, and is used in a similar manner.