A*m£ST  iP9hi8rm'i    New  Vegetable  Foods  and  Fruits.  171 
known  to  the  civilized  world  until  after  the  discovery  of  America 
and  then  only  in  an  imperfect  and  half  wild  form.  The  development 
of  these  to  a  point  where  they  have  become  of  enormous  economic 
importance  in  many  parts  of  the  world  makes  us  wonder  at  the 
possibilities  for  the  future  of  some  of  our  as  yet  undeveloped  vege- 
table foods. 
The  names  of  many  of  the  following  foods  cannot  be  found  in 
present-day  dictionaries  or  works  of  reference.  They  are  exam- 
ples of  language  in  the  making. 
We  shall  begin  with  alfalfa.  This  is  the  Spanish  name  of  the 
leguminous  plant  Medicago  saliva,  also  known  as  lucerne;  Spanish 
trefoil ;  French,  Brazilian  or  Chilean  clover ;  medic  or  purple  medic. 
It  has  been  largely  grown  as  a  forage  crop  and  soil  improver  and 
has  been  suggested  in  the  finely  ground  form,  called  alfalfa  flour, 
for  humrm  food.  Its  high  and  complex  protein  content,  together 
with  the  amount  of  mineral  constituents  and  of  crude  fiber,  make 
it  available  when  mixed  with  wheat  flour,  for  the  preparation  of 
griddle  cakes,  cake  and  even  bread.  The  State  College  of  Kansas 
has  issued  a  bulletin  upon  the  subject  and  articles  have  appeared  in 
the  Forecast  Magazine  for  March,  191 5,  and  the  National  Food 
Magazine  for  November,  191 7.  Alfalfa  flour  has  also  appeared 
upon  the  market  in  package  form  with  recipes  for  its  use. 
As  a  factor  in  releasing  wheat  flour  for  export  it  may  come  to 
play  an  important  part  before  the  war  is  over,  as  the  cost  is  low  and 
the  nutritive  value  high,  although  the  high  amount  of  crude  fiber 
might  make  it  irritating  to  some.  The  composition  of  alfalfa  flour 
is  as  follows : 
Alfalfa  in  the  herb  form  has  also  been  recommended  for  prepar- 
ing an  infusion  to  take  the  place  of  tea  as  a  table  beverage. 
Artichoke. — Under  this  name  two  different  foods  are  found  in 
our  market.  One  is  the  flower  head  of  Cynara  Scolymus,  a  plant 
of  the  aster  family,  which  bears  numerous  fleshy,  imbricated  scales, 
which,  with  the  large  receptacle,  constitute  the  edible  portion  of  the 
plant.    They  have  been  known  and  used  in  Europe  for  centuries 
Fat   
Protein   
Carbohydrate 
Crude  Fiber 
Ash   
Per  Cent, 
3-77 
16.30 
36.07 
25.01 
8-79 
