EXTENSION COURSE IN VEGETABLE FOODS. 45 



by the large amount of fat which the peanut contains, and which 

 differentiates it from other legumes. 



COTTON SEED. 



Cottonseed meal is being experimented upon for human food. It 

 has long been used for animals. The meal or flour remains after the 

 oil has been extracted. Cottonseed oil is used in many ways like olive 

 oil and similar oils, and in the manufacture of culinary fats. 



WHEAT, OATS, AND RICE. 



The seeds of the common cereals are often used in preparing dishes 

 served as vegetables, such as boiled rice, macaroni dishes, oatmeal 

 fritters, farina cake, etc. 



Cereals do not possess very distinctive flavors, so it is a common 

 practice when using cereal products in this way to season the dishes 

 highly with cheese, with tomato, or with onion, or else to cook them 

 in ways which will give flavor as, for instance, by browning in fat. 

 Rice cooked with tomatoes, macaroni with cheese, and noodles sea- 

 soned with fried onions are familiar examples of well-seasoned 

 cereal dishes made tasty by the use of seasoning, while rice cro- 

 quettes, mock oysters (made of sweet corn), and farina fritters are 

 examples of foods made savory by browning in deep fat. 



CORN. 



Corn is a native of the New World and has been cultivated for cen- 

 turies before America was discovered. Originally a tropical plant, 

 it had been developed and changed by selection and culture until it 

 would mature a crop as far north as Montreal, a remarkable achieve- 

 ment for an uncivilized people like the Indians. 



Corn is commonly regarded as a distinctively American foodstuff, 

 but it was long ago introduced into other countries and is now exten- 

 sively used in the Mediterranean regions of Europe, in Africa, in 

 Australia, and in China. In the United States it is — as it has been 

 since colonial times— a staple and very important foodstuff. 



Corn is a very important breadstuff and is served in more forms as 

 a vegetable than perhaps any other grain. The Mexicans use the corn 

 husk to wrap the combination of corn, meat, and seasoning known as 

 tamales. The hulled corn or lye hominy is used not only as a break- 

 fast cereal but also as a vegetable, and so is the cracked corn or hominy. 



But the sweet or green corn is most used and is one of the most 

 highly esteemed of American fresh vegetables. Enormous quantities 

 are eaten fresh, and its canning is a great industry. The ears are 

 roasted or boiled and served on the cobs ; or the raw or boiled corn is 

 cut from the cob and stewed or fried alone or in combination with 



