J40 The ^raElical Kitchen Gardiner. 



Its proper- The roots of the red beet cut into 

 thin flices and boil'd, as Mr. Evelyn has 

 it, are, when cold, a grateful winter 

 fallet 5 it is of quality cold and moift, 

 and naturally fomewhat laxative 5 and, 

 however Martial"^ ^ who knew its virtues, 

 calls it a difh for fools, and the food 

 . of flaves 5 it was, as ^liny tells us, lib, 

 19. cap. 8. cfteem'd by the antients the 

 1110ft innocent of all boil'd fallets 5 and 

 was ufed, as the aforefaid Epigrammift 

 tells us, to be eaten with wine and pep- 

 per. There were fome, the leaves of 

 which, as our oft-quoted naturalift de- 

 fcribes, were two foot broad, accounted 

 of excellent ufe amongft the antients, 

 and eaten by them on a religious ac- 

 count, as difpofing of them to be more 

 pious and devout. 



It is, of all others, the eafieft plant to 



9ffo-x'mg. f^^ed and fpring up amongft us, though 

 heretofore brought from a very diftant 

 region 5 they need not be fown on hot- 

 beds, as fome others have intimated, 

 Ibut will do very well in the open ground, 



* Ut fapiunt fatui, fabrorum prandrea betse 

 O quam fepe petet vina, piperque cocus. 



Martial^ Epigram. 



fown 



