Ami Jrch'  fjil™' }    New  Vegetable  Foods  and  Fruits.  177 
avocado,  the  pungency  of  the  strawberry  guava  with  a  tang  of 
sassafras.  The  fruit  is  green  in  color,  oval  in  shape  and  about  2^/2 
inches  in  length. 
Figs. — The  "  Eleme  "  or  layer  figs  are  packed  in  the  American 
form  known  as  "pulled"  figs  or  in  the  square,  plumped-up  form 
known  as  "Loucoum"  figs.  These  are  both  well  known  and  have 
been  on  the  market  for  many  years.  The  only  comment  that  need 
be  made  concerning  them  is  to  condemn  the  practice  followed  by 
California  fig  packers,  of  sulphuring  the  figs  to  keep  them  light 
colored  and  enable  them  to  be  packed  in  a  much  more  moist  con- 
dition. For  this  reason  the  imported  figs  are  much  to  be  preferred 
when  flavor  and  not  appearance  alone  is  the  criterion  of  value. 
There  have  appeared  on  the  market  in  the  larger  cities,  at  cer- 
tain seasons,  fresh  figs ;  also  there  is  sold  a  form  of  loose,  sun-dried 
figs,  which  are  intended  to  be  cooked  as  are  most  other  sun-dried 
fruits.  Figs  possess  a  high  nutritive  value  on  account  of  their  high 
sugar  content.  The  fuel  value  is  about  1,500  calories  to  the  pound 
and  the  composition  is  as  follows:  Water,  18.8  per  cent.;  protein, 
4.3  per  cent. ;  fat,  0.3  per  cent. ;  sugars,  68  per  cent. ;  crude  fiber, 
6.2  per  cent. ;  ash,  2.4  per  cent. 
Kale. — This  cabbage-like  vegetable,  Brassica  oleracea,  is  also 
known  as  borecole  and  winter  greens.  It  does  not  form  heads,  but 
grows  in  open-leaved  style  and  is  cooked  as  "  greens  "  like  spinach. 
There  are  many  varieties,  differing  in  leaf  texture,  some  plain,  others 
wavy  or  curved  and  variously  veined.  It  varies  in  color  also,  from 
green,  through  red  and  brown  to  purple.  The  composition  is : 
Water,  82.9  per  cent. ;  protein,  3.8  per  cent. ;  fat,  0.9  per  cent. ; 
carbohydrates,  9.9  per.  cent;  crude  fiber,  1.5  per  cent.;  ash,  0.65 
per  cent. 
Kohl  Rabi. — This  is  another  of  the  many  species  of  the  cabbage 
family  and  is  derived  from  Brassica  Caulo-rapa.  It  is  also  known 
as  turnip  cabbage  or  cabbage  turnip.  The  leaves  are  sometimes 
used  as  greens,  but  the  fleshy  portion,  which  is  really  a  thickened 
stem  and  grows  above  the  ground  instead  of  in  it  like  the  turnip,  is 
the  real  food  part  and  is  cooked  and  served  like  the  turnip.  The 
analysis,  according  to  the  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  is  as  fol- 
lows :  Water,  91. 1  per  cent. ;  protein,  2.0  per  cent. ;  fat,  0.1  per  cent. ; 
carbohydrates,  5.5  per  cent.;  ash,  1.3  per  cent.  It  is  a  vegetable 
of  rather  low  food  value,  yielding  only  140  calories  to  the  pound. 
Kumquat. — This  is  a  fruit  of  the  citrus  family  {Citrus  Jap onica) , 
