362 SEASONINGS. 



11 Flavors or Seasonings. So far we have had chiefly in mind 

 the real working constituents of food, if we may so speak. But many 

 things cannot be studied or classified in the above way; they must be 

 looked at from another point of view. 



" Thus, a pinch of pepper, a cup of coffee, a fine juicy strawberry 

 what of these ? They may contain all five of the food principles, 

 but who cares for the proteid action or carbohydrate effects of his cup 

 of good coffee at breakfast, or what interest for us has the heating 

 effects of the volatile oil to which the strawberry owes a part of its 

 delicious taste ? 



" Surely the economical housekeeper who would throw out of the 

 list of necessaries all of the things that tickle the palate, that rouse the 

 sense of smell, that please the eye and stimulate our tired nerves, just 

 because these things contain but little food, would make a mistake. 

 She may know just what cuts of meat to buy, what vegetables are 

 most healthful and economical, but if she does not understand how to 

 ' make the mouth water,' her labor is largely lost. Especially if she 

 has but little money should she pay great attention to this subject, for 

 it is the only way to induce the body to take up plain food with relish. 



" The list of these spices, flavors, harmless drinks, and the like, is 

 a long one. Unfortunately we have no comprehensive word that will 

 include everything of the sort, from a sprig of parsley to a cup of 

 coffee; the Germans call them * Genuss-mittel ' 'pleasure-giving 

 things.' 



"Without doubt 'hunger is the best sauce;' but it is not true, as 

 many think, that a craving for variety is the sign of a pampered and 

 unnatural appetite. Even animals, whom we cannot accuse of having 

 ' notions,' have been known to starve in the experimenter's hands rather 

 than eat a perfectly nutritious food of whose flavor they had wearied, 

 and prisoners become so tired of a too often repeated dish that they are 

 made sick at the sight and smell of it. 



' What we call flavors may or may not be associated with a real 

 food. Meats are rich in flavors, and each fruit has its peculiar taste; 

 then there are the spices and aromatic herbs which are not parts of a 

 real food; and it is most important that the cook should understand the 

 art of adding these as seasonings to mild-tasting foods, so as to make 

 new dishes which shall be both nutritious and appetizing. The bulk of 

 our nourishment must be made up of the flesh of a few animals, a half- 

 dozen grains, and as many garden vegetables ; but the skillful cook can 



