582 



Missouri Agricultural Report. 



as possible the natural flavor of the vegetables themselves. 

 As usually cooked, there is a similarity of flavor between most 

 of our boiled vegetables. The usual method is to boil in a 

 large amount of water. This water is drained off and the 

 vegetable is served. Looking at the composition of vegetables, 

 especially green vegetables, we are struck with the large pro- 

 portion of water and cellulose. They do not furnish any con- 

 siderable amount of energy-yielding food. That material 

 present which does yield energy is principally in the form of 

 sugar or soluble carbohydrates. We eat such vegetables 

 chiefly for their fresh flavors and the mineral salts which they 

 contain. 



Now what happens when we boil vegetables? The mineral 

 salts are soluble and so are the sugars which are present. A 

 glance at the table below will show how large a proportion of 

 these two constituents comes out in the water during the cook- 

 ing process. 



This water in most cases is thrown away. In it we find is 

 contained a large part of the material for which we eat the 

 vegetable in connection with a large proportion of the flavoring 

 material. It seems quite likely that the strong, white teeth for 

 which the negro was noted during slavery time were due to the 

 pot liquor left in the kitchen as refuse, while the indigestible 

 portion of the vegetable or the cellulose with any small amount 

 of flavor which might be left clinging to it was sent into the 

 white folks' table. 



Nor is this the only way in which the flavor of our vege- 

 tables is decreased by boiling. Some of the flavor is due to 

 volatile compounds or compounds which are given off in the 

 steam. When vegetables are cooked or boiled in an open 

 kettle a large proportion of the flavor will escape in this way. 



A familiar classification of vegetables from the cooking 

 standpoint is into strong flavor and weak-flavored. Just where 

 the line is drawn between the two depends upon individual 



