Of Food. 483 



and, if my suspicions with regard to the part which 

 water acts in nutrition are founded, this will enable 

 us to account not only for the nutritive quality of 

 barley, but also for the same quality in a still higher 

 degree which sago and salop are known to possess. 

 Sago and salop thicken and change to the consistency 

 of a jelly (and, as I suppose, prepare for decomposition) 

 a greater quantity of water than barley, and both sago 

 and salop are known to be nutritious in a very extraor- 

 dinary degree. 



Barley will thicken and change to a jelly much more 

 water than any other grain with which we are acquainted, 

 rice even not excepted ; and I have found reason to 

 conclude from the result of innumerable experiments, 

 which in the course of several years have been made 

 under my direction in the public kitchen of the House 

 of Industry at Munich, that for making soups barley 

 is by far the best grain that can be employed. 



Were I called upon to give an opinion in regard to 

 the comparative nutritiousness of barley-meal and wheat- 

 flour when used in soups, I should not hesitate to say 

 that I think the former at least three or four times as 

 nutritious as the latter. 



Scotch broth is known to be one of the most nourish- 

 ing dishes in common use ; and there is no doubt but 

 it owes its extraordinary nutritive quality to the Scotch 

 (or pearl) barley which is always used in preparing it. If 

 the barley be omitted, the broth will be found to be poor 

 and washy, and will afford little nourishment; but 

 any of the other ingredients may be retrenched, even 

 the meat, without impairing very sensibly the nutritive 

 quality of the food. Its flavour and palatableness may 

 be impaired by such retrenchments ; but, if the water 



