PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 



505 



chased was thrown away, and a correspond- 

 ingly large proportion of the other nutri- 

 ents. The figures for waste do not include 

 the refuse, such as bone, etc., but represent 

 the edible material rejected either in the 

 kitchen or at the table. Such a practice in 

 the ordinary household would be ruinous. 

 In the case of the fooball team one ex- 

 planation of the large waste is that the 

 materials which left the table could not be 

 served again, especially animal foods. 

 Meats were always freshly cooked for each 

 meal. 



The average daily cost, 83 cents a day for 

 each man, greatly exceeds the amount paid 

 by the majority of housekeepers. The 

 cost of the meat alone was 35 cents a day 

 for each man. Another large item of ex- 

 pense was ale, which cost nearly 20 cents 

 a day for each man. The excessive cost 

 of the diet may, therefore, be said to be due, 

 in considerable measure, to the cost of bev- 

 erage, the large quantity of animal food 

 purchased, and the great waste. 



BANANA FLOUR. 



During the past few years many state- 

 ments have appeared concerning banana 

 flour, or meal. Little reliable information, 

 however, has apparently been available on 

 this subject. Banana flour is prepared by 

 cutting the fruit into suitable pieces, dry- 

 ing, and grinding. Several years ago the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew, England, published 

 a somewhat extended discussion of the food 

 value of bananas and banana flour, and 

 stated that the latter article, according to 

 the testimony of travelers, had been pre- 

 pared by native inhabitants of tropical 

 countries since early times. American an- 

 alyses of banana flour made from different 

 sorts of bananas have been recently report- 

 ed. The banana flour was found to contain 

 about 10 per cent, water, 3 per cent, protein, 

 87 per cent, carbohydrates, and a little fat, 

 crude fiber, and ash. The fresh fruit con- 

 tains about 75 per cent, water, 1 per cent, 

 protein, and 21 per cent, carbohydrates. In 

 composition bananas do not differ much 

 from apples, which contain about 84 per 

 cent, water, 0.4 per cent, protein, and 13 

 per cent, carbohydrates. Dried apples con- 

 tain about 28 per cent, water, 2 per cent, 

 protein, and 66 per cent, carbohydrates. 



Dried, ground bananas contain, in the 

 same bulk, more nutritive material than the 

 fresh. This would naturally be the case 

 since a large part of the water in them is 

 removed in drying. The same is true of 

 dried apples and other dried fruit. The 

 dried apples contain somewhat more water, 

 hence less nutritive material than the dried 

 and ground bananas. Both are inferior to 

 wheat flour, which contains about the same 

 amount of water as the dried bananas, but 



considerably more protein. Of this, wheat 

 flour contains nearly 12 per cent, on the 

 average and 75 per cent, carbohydrates. 

 The nutritive value of the banana flour 

 rests almost wholly in the materials which 

 constitute the carbohydrate group. In those 

 countries where banana flour is prepared 

 in considerable quantity it is used in com- 

 bination with milk, sugar, etc., in the prep- 

 aration of cakes, custards, and similar ar- 

 ticles. It is said to 'be very palatable, and 

 would doubtless prove an acceptable addi- 

 tion to our food materials if it should be 

 placed on the American market. 



CHRISTMAS IN OLD VIRGINIA. 



In all regions Christmas is the time for 

 hospitality. The great event of the day 

 is the Christmas dinner. This is always 

 abundant, and in the old days in Virginia 

 a long list of good things was considered 

 necessary. Roast turkey, stuffed with oys- 

 ters or pecans, baked ham, and possibly 

 roast pig, were accompanied by many vege- 

 tables, corn pone, and a host of cakes and 

 sweets ; nor was the plum pudding of old 

 England wanting. A feature of the holiday 

 season in the South is the egg nog, which 

 everyone must taste. Every guest is offered 

 a glass of egg nog and pound cake or plum 

 cake. Though a round of visits be paid, 

 there is more danger from indigestion than 

 from bad effects due to over indulgence in 

 intoxicants, as may be readily seen from the 

 way in which the egg nog is made. The 

 following recipe, which antedates the Civil 

 War by many years, has been often tested 

 by a family famous for good cheer : 



Beat into the yolks of 6 eggs 6 table- 

 spoonfuls of powdered sugar, and stir in 

 one quart of new milk. Add slowly, while 

 stirring rapidly, % pint of French brandy 

 and one pint of Madeira wine. Beat the 

 whites of the eggs separately and stir into 

 the mixture just before serving. The egg 

 nog should be made some hours before it is 

 used, and is best if allowed to stand over 

 night in the cold. Egg nog is most com- 

 monly made with good whisky instead of 

 brandy and wine, as above, the mixture 

 being dashed with a gill of rum. 



In Virginia, and doubtless other regions 

 of the South, it is the custom for the fam- 

 ily, early on Christmas morning, to ex- 

 change good wishes and pledge one an- 

 other in a glass of egg nog. 



You can earn for yourself a Primus 

 cooking stove by sending me a small club. 

 Write f»r particulars to 



G. O. Shields, 

 23 West 24th St., 

 New York 



