i74  Nezv  Vegetable  Foods  and  Fruits.    {A™IaTrX  i^ll""" 
C derive. — Turnip-rooted  Celery.  The  plant  Apium  graveolens 
var.  rapaceitm,  is  used  both  for  its  leafstalks,  like  celery,  and  its 
large  roots,  which  are  cooked  and  eaten  like  turnips  or  sliced  raw 
and  used  in  salads.  This  vegetable  is  frequently  seen  in  Philadelphia 
markets  during  the  fall  and  winter  months.  The  composition  of 
celeriac,  according  to  the  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  is  as  follows : 
Water,  84.1  per  cent.;  protein,  1.5  per  cent.;  fat,  0.4  per  cent.; 
carbohydrates,  13.2  per  cent.;  ash,  0.8  per  cent.  The  fuel  value  is 
285  calories  per  pound. 
Chayote. — This  vegetable,  which  is  being  introduced  into  north- 
ern markets  by  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  a  bulletin  being 
issued  on  it,  is  the  fruit  of  a  cucurbitaceous  plant,  Chayota  ednlis. 
The  fruit  is  pear-shaped,  conspicuously  furrowed,  weighing  from 
4  to  8  ounces.  It  is  somewhat  prickly  when  fresh ;  the  outer  surface 
is  green  and  shining,  the  inner  portion  white,  and  about  of  the  con- 
sistency and  insipidity  of  squash.  It  is  called  vegetable-pear  in  the 
British  colonies.  It  is  prepared  by  cooking  like  squash,  and  may 
be  fried,  creamed,  stewed  or  made  into  salad  or  fritters.  It  is  of 
low  nutritive  value  and  considerably  higher  in  price  than  squash, 
with  no  advantage  over  the  latter. 
Chard. — The  leafy  tops  of  a  variety  of  the  common  sugar  beet 
{Beta  vulgaris),  grown  only  for  its  leaves  and  stalks.  The  leaves 
are  prepared  as  greens,  as  the  leaf  midribs  may  be  cooked  and  served 
like  asparagus  stalks.  Swiss  chard  is  the  name  applied  to  a  variety 
with  especially  large  leaves  and  midribs.  The  term  chard  is  also 
applied  to  the  blanched  stalks  of  the  artichoke,  cardoon  and  several 
other  plants.  The  composition  is  as  follows :  Water,  89.5  per  cent. ; 
protein,  2.2  per  cent.;  fat,  3.4  per  cent.;  carbohydrates,  3.2  per 
cent. ;  ash,  1.7  per  cent. 
Chicory. — The  fresh  root  of  "Succory"  or  chicory,  Cichorium 
Intybus,  is  used  as  a  vegetable,  particularly  by  the  Italians  in  our 
country  and  is  sold  in  large  quantities  in  New  York  City.  It  con- 
tains about  4  per  cent,  sugar,  with  little  protein  and  fat.  No  starch 
is  present,  but  instead  there  is  found  the  carbohydrate  principle 
inulin,  which  takes  the  place  of  starch  in  members  of  the  composite 
family  and  which  presumably  possesses  similar  food  value.  The 
price  of  10  cents  a  pound,  at  which  fresh  chicory  root  is  sold,  places 
it  in  the  class  of  luxuries,  for  it  possesses  little  fuel  value.  Its 
bitter  taste  makes  it  unpalatable  to  those  who  have  not  cultivated  a 
liking  for  it. 
