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011 (landing, depo'fits a-fine powder. This,'being dried, is 
with )iir either Imell or tafte, and very fit for aliment. The 
roots of bryony, when treated in the fame manner, yield 
a fimiiar white powder. By tlie fame treatment alfo, fine, 
white, infipid, inodorous, powders, may be procured from 
the roots ot flower-de-luce, corn-flag, crow-foot, fumi¬ 
tory, cuckoo-pin’, dragon, meadow - faffron, dropwort, 
hellebore, and mod of the bulbous-rooted plants, which 
grow every where fpoutaneoufly in great quantity-, from 
which powders or flour a wholefome nutritious bread may 
be compounded. Of acorns bread has frequently been 
made ; and to this day, in fome countries, they are in com¬ 
mon life. The method of preparation recommended is, 
that they be deprived of their cover by boiling, then dried 
and powdered, and afterwards baked in the fame manner 
as the flour of wheat. When fully ripe, and made into a 
pafte, they are deprived of their aflringency by merely 
prefling their juice from them. The gramcn carrnum ar- 
vcnfe, in its appearance, approaches to corn ; and fome bo- 
tanifts have confidered it as the original fpecies from which 
all our grain is produced. Its roots are fweet-tafted, and 
have long been employed in making ptifans. In the pre¬ 
paration of them for bread, it is only neceflary that the 
roots fhould be cleanfed, cut final!, dried, and pounded. 
This powder does not diflolve in cold water or fpirits.; but 
it does in boiling water, which it renders thick and cloudy, 
and, upon cooling, the whole mafs obtains a gelatinous 
confidence. Upon a chemical analyfis, it yields an acid 
cmpyreumatic oil, which polTelfes a Angular odour, refem- 
bling that which is perceived on burning the plant. The 
fpongy refiduum, calcined in the air, gives a fixed alkali. 
Thefe properties inconteffibly prove, that it contains an 
amylaceous matterfirnilar to that of grain. This amylaceous 
part, or, as fome have termed it, tire fccula , of wheat and 
other vegetables, is a peculiar gum, not foiuble in fpirit 
of wine, vinegar, or cold water. It is found in many of 
thofe plants that make the neurifhment of men and other 
animals; and, though we are not to conlider this gluti¬ 
nous matter as the nutritious part of vegetables, yet it is 
a very neceflary ingredient. It is that which preserves the 
cohefion of the pafle in fermenting bread : it is that which 
forms the vifeid pellicle,"and flops the air in fermentation; 
gives the favoury tafle to bread ; occaflons it to be light,’ to 
ferment, and which forms the fmall cells feen in it. It is 
found efpecially near the cortical part of grain; and this 
accounts for its being found in the greateft quantity in 
coarfe brown meal. It is this gluten which renders wheat 
a fuperior aliment to the other grains and roots. 
Dr. Townfou, in his Travels through Hungary, men¬ 
tions an ingenious method of making a delicate fermented 
bread without yeaft. The ferment is thus made: two 
good handfuls of hops are boiled in four quarts of water; 
this is poured upon as much wheaten bran as can be well 
moiflened by it; to this are added four or five pounds of 
leaven : when this is only warm, the mafs is well worked 
together to mix the different parts. This mafs is then 
put in a warm place for twenty-four hours, and after that 
it is divided into fmall pieces about the fize of a hen’s egg 
or a fmall orange, which are dried by being placed upon 
a board and expofed to a dry air, but not to the fun : when 
dry they are laid by for ufe, and may bekept half ayear. 
This is the ferment, and it is to be ufed in the following 
manner: For a baking of fix large loaves, fix good hand¬ 
fuls of thefe balls are taken and diflolved in feven or eight 
quarts of warm water. This is poured through a fieve 
into one end of the bread-trough, and three quarts more 
of warm water are poured through the fieve after it, and 
what remains in theTiev.d is well prefled out: this liquor 
is mixed up with fo much flour as to form a mafs of the 
fize of a large loaf: this is ftrewed over with flour, the 
fieve with its contents is pat upon it, and then the whole 
is covered up warm, and left till it has rifen enough, and 
its furface has begun to crack: this forms the leaven. 
Then fifteen quarts of .warm water, in which fix handfuls 
of lalt have been diflolved, are poured through the fieve 
upon it, and the neceflary quantity of flour is added, and 
mixed and kneaded with the leaven ; this is covered up 
warm, and left for about an hour. It is then formed into 
loaves, wdiich are kept in a warm room half an.hour; 
and after that they are put in the oven, where they remain 
two or three hours according to the (ize. The great ad¬ 
vantage of this ferment is, that it may be made in great 
quantities at a time, and ke'pt for ufe. 
In a medical view, bread may be confidered as polfdT. 
ing the following properties : unfermented bread is vifeid 
and glutinous; but fermentation deftroys this vifeidity, 
and renders it more eafily digeftible, yet at the fame time 
inclines the fubftances fermented to acidity; whence un¬ 
fermented bread, as bifeuit, &c. is 1110ft proper where aci¬ 
dity abounds in the ftomach. That bread which is the 
lightefl, and mod eafily diflolved in water, is the mod 
wholefome, digefied with the greatefl facility, and fooneft 
converted to laudable nutrition : the additions of lime, 
chalk, or alum, oppofe diflblution; whence the evil of 
fuch adulterations. The bell bread for general ufe, is 
that made from wheat all ground down together; for the 
bran, confifting chiefly of the hulks of the grain, is fup- 
pofed to have a laxative and detergent quality. 
Bread ufed for the facrament, in the Proteflant church¬ 
es, is common leavened bread, in conformity to the ancient 
practice. In the Romilh church, unleavened bread is ufed 
made of the pure ft wheaten flour prefied between two iron 
plates graven like wafer-moulds, being firft rubbed with 
white wax to prevent the pafte from flicking. Ecclefiaf- 
tical writers alfo enumerate feveral other fpecies of bread 
allotted for the purpofes of religion; as, 1. Calendarius, 
that anciently offered to the prieft at the kalends. 2. Pre. 
bendarius, the fame with cepitularis, that diftributed daily 
to each prebendary or canon. 3. Bencdibfus, that ufually 
given to catechumens before baptifm, in lieu of the eu- 
chariftic bread, which they were incapable of receiving. 
The panis benedidius, was called alfo panagium and eulogium , 
being confecrated by the prieft to prepare the catechumens 
for the reception of the body of Chrift. The fame was 
ufed afterwards, not only by catechumens, but by believ¬ 
ers, as a token of their mutual communion and friendfliip. 
Its origin is dated from the 7th century, at the council of 
Nantz. In the Galilean church we (till find panis benedic- 
tus, pain benit, ufed for that offered for benediction, and af¬ 
terwards diftributed to pious perfons who attend divine 
fervice in chapels. 4. Confecrated bread, or a piece of 
wax, pafle, or even earth, over which feveral ceremonies 
have been performed, with benedictions, &c. to be lent in 
an agnus dei, or relic-box, and prefented for veneration. 
5. Unleavened bread, panis azymus. The Jews ate no 
other bread during their paflover; and exadt fearch was 
made in every houfe, to fee that no leavened bread was 
left. The ufage was introduced in memory of their hafty 
departure from Egypt, when they had not leifure to bake 
leavened. 6. Shew-bread was that offered every fabbath- 
day, being placed on the golden table in the holy of holies. 
The price and weight of bread in England, is regulated 
by the magiftrates according to the price of wheat. This 
regulation is enjoined by adl of parliament, and is called the 
ajfize of bread. The moft interefting part of the .prefent 
exifting laws relative to baking and felling bread, areas 
follow. The ftatute of the 31 Geo. II. c. 29, regulates 
the aflize.of bread; and enadfs, That the feveral forts of 
bread which fhall be made for fale, fhall always be well 
made, according to the goodnefs of'the feveral forts of 
meal or flour whereof the fame ought to be made; and 
that no alum, or preparation or mixture in which alum 
fhall be an ingredient, or any other ingredient or mixture 
whatfoever, except only the genuine meal or flour, and 
common fait, pure water,-eggs, milk, y.eaft, and barm, or 
fuch leaven as (hall be allowed to be put therein by thofe 
who have fet the aflize, and where no aflize (hall be fet, 
then fuch leaven as any maglftrate or juflice within his ju.- 
rifdidtion (ball allow to be ufed in making of bread, fhall be 
put into, or in any wife ufed in making dough, or any bread 
