Guide for nut cookeryAlmeda Lambert fern 3ty V £, i n 3*) THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AffTOB. LENOX AND T1LKEN CUI ND4T1UN8 / J L_J A MCRALO PM'Q C0. - -TlS CHEEK. MiCH. GUIDE FOR NUT COOKERY Together with a Brief History of Nuts and Their Food Values BY MRS. ALMEDA LAMBERT ILLUSTRATED JOSEPH LAMBERT & COMPANY Battle Creek, Michigan 1899 TOE HEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY 265174R mhos, Unox and TlUJtM rOUNIUtlONS I 194* L Copyright, 1898, By MRS. ALMEDA LAMBERT. CONTENTS. Page. Introduction 5 Nuts and Their History 7 Foods 59 Combinations of Foods 6i Nuts : Their Properties and Food Values 64 Nut Butter 7° Nut Meai 76 Sausages 79 Nut Oil 82 Nutmeatose, Nutora, Etc 84 Nutmeato 91 Malt Extract 134 Grains l43 Unleavened Breads 156 Yeast Breads 168 Sandwiches ^3 Crackers 188 Fruit '94 Fresh F"ruit 208 > To Can Fruit 213 "Cooked Fruit 222 Dried Fruits 225 ^ Fruit Juices 228 Jellies 233 Legumes 24<> ; Vegetables 253 4 CONTENTS. Sours 290 Gravies 311 Pies 320 Puddings 333 Sauces for Puddings 344 Fillings 350 Cakes 354 Icing 376 Drinks 381 Salads 3^4 Toasts 391 Food for the Sick 40° Creams, Ices, Etc 411 To Blanch Nuts 4!S To Salt Nuts 417 Confectionery 4J9 Menus 42S Composition of Foods 434 INTRODUCTION. OR nearly six thousand years, one of the choicest, most JL healthful, and most nutritious articles of food that was assigned by the Creator for man's diet, has been but little used, at least by the civilized portion of the world. This long-neglected article of diet some call "shell fruit," but the common name is "nuts." "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." Nuts, which are only the shelled fruit of a tree or seeds of a plant, are certainly included in man's original bill of fare. It is indeed strange that man should so lightly esteem and refuse to partake of these choice, God-given viands, which, judiciously used with grains and fruits, would supply all nature's requirements, and turn from the healthful diet to that which is less wholesome and more liable to disease — such as flesh meats of all kinds. The probable reason for this is, first, they are usually eaten as desserts after one has already eaten a sufficient amount, or they are eaten as titbits between meals, and then, if indigestion follows, the nuts get the credit. Secondly, they are somewhat hard of mastication, and very few people of this generation have teeth sound enough to masticate them sufficiently for easy digestion. Historians and travelers tell us that the natives of Africa and British Guiana, also the North American Indians, use nuts as one of the principal articles of their diet. Missionaries [5 I 6 INTRODUCTION. who have lately returned from these lands, inform us that the natives still use nuts in the preparation of their foods; and that with their crude utensils, they can grind and emulsify nuts nearly as well as the more modern perfected machinery. A little over fifteen years ago, the German army began experimenting quite extensively on the use of peanuts as an article of diet for the army, and at the present time, there are annually many thousand tons of peanuts exported from this country to Germany and France. They extract the oil and make the residue into flour or meal, and apportion it to the soldiers. It is made into soups and other foods, and con- sidered very nutritious. In the last few years, there has been a great awakening in regard to healthful living, and great strides have been made in the methods of emulsifying nuts into a paste or butter,— a convenient form for cooking purposes and much easier to digest. But the majority of those who have adopted nut butter, use it instead of the dairy product only to spread on bread. It is the object of the author to place before the public a book treating upon the use of nuts as short- ening, seasoning, etc., to be used in every way in which milk, cream, butter, or lard can be used, and fully to take their place. To the best of the author's knowledge, there has hitherto been no book which treats upon this subject. The recipes are those which have been carefully tested by the author or some of her friends. Perfection is not claimed in this work, but it is sincerely hoped that this book is only a forerunner of other and better works on this subject, and that further experiments will bring out other and more valuable recipes. Mrs. Almeda Lambert, Battle Creek, Mich. NUTS AND THEIR HISTORY. ALMONDS. THE name of this nut is supposed to be derived from the word amysso, meaning to lacerate, on account of the prominent, sharp, knife-like margin of one edge of the nut. The English name is from the Latin amandola and from the Greek amaygdale. The almond tree is a tropical evergreen, and was originally a native of Barbary and Morocco, but is now widely cultivated throughout the warmer temperate zones of the Old World, and also in California and in the southern United States. Botanically it belongs to the Rose family, Rosacece. In most of our modern botanical works, it is classed as a sub- section of Prunus, the plum. The plum, peach, and almond are generally considered to be only varieties of one species. Our cultivated peaches and nectarines are undoubtedly de- scendants of the wild almond tree. However, they differ greatly in the size and color of the blossoms as well as the shape and size of the leaf. The almond blossoms are usually somewhat larger than the blossoms of the peach, and of a pale rose color, appearing in early spring before or with the unfolding leaves. The leaves are three or four inches long, tapering and finely serrate. The fruit of the almond, like the peach, is covered with a soft, velvety down; but the pulpy envelope becomes dry and fibrous at maturity, cracking open and allowing the rough, deeply pitted, and wrinkled nut to drop out, while in the peach, the pulpy envelope becomes soft, juicy, and edible. The plum is only a peach with a smooth skin. [7] 8 GUIDE FOR NUT COOKERY. '' As with most of the long-cultivated fruit and nut trees, very little is known of the early history or origin of the almond, and even its native country has not been positively determined, although it is supposed to be indigenous to north- ern Africa, and the mountainous regions of Asia. Theo- phrastus, who wrote the history of plants three centuries before the Christian era, mentions the almond as the only tree in Greece that produces blossoms before the leaves.'' The almond thrives throughout the Mediterranean coun- tries both in Europe and Africa, and has long been exten- sively cultivated. It forms an important article of commerce, immense quantities being exported from Spain, mostly from Valencia, while the so-called Jordan almond comes from Malaga, as very few are raised in the valley of the Jordan. The almond ranks high in nutritive value, and is highly esteemed for culinary purposes, being employed in the prepa- ration of numerous dainty and appetizing dishes for the table. In the countries where the almond is grown, it is considered a dainty dish to serve in the half-open green husks; in this state, the kernels are just passing from the milky stage, and are more easily digested than they are when fully ripe. But those found in the markets are fully matured, and have been thoroughly dried before shipping; most of them are already shelled, as labor is much cheaper in those countries where they grow, and the shipping expense to this country is less. The sweet almond contains fifty-three per cent. of fats, twenty-three and five-tenths per cent. of albuminous elements, seven and eight-tenths per cent. of starch, and three per cent. of salts, making a total nutritive value of eighty-seven and three-tenths per cent. . The rough brown skin which covers the kernel of the almond is bitter, and somewhat irritating to the stomach. This should be removed by blanching. 8 9 ALMONDS. I. Languedoc; la. I.anguedoc Kernel; 2. Languedoc with Double Kernel; 3. Ne Plus Ultra; 3a. Ne Plus Ultra Kernel; 4. IXL; 4a. IXL Kernel; 5. La Prima; 5a. La Prima Kernel; 6. Nonpareil; 6a. Nonpareil Kernel; 7. Golden State; 7a. Golden State Kernel; 8. Bitter; 8a. Bitter Kernel; 9. Jordan; 9a. Jordan Kernel. [9]' 10 GUIDE FOR NUT COOKERY. When formed into an emulsion, they are considered an excellent medicine for persons suffering with diabetes and pul- monary disorders. Almond oil is a standard article in the stock of druggists, entering into the composition of various kinds of powders, paste, syrups, and cosmetics. But the most important use is to take the place of dairy milk and butter. Almonds are usually divided into three groups ; the soft, or paper-shelled, the hard-shelled, and the bitter. There are many varieties of each group, although they are generally called by the name of the group to which they belong. Soft, or Paper-shelled Almonds.— In this group there are many varieties, the most common being the widely known sweet-kerneled, thin-shelled nut. It is one of the oldest in cultivation in European countries. The blossoms are pale rose in color and very large. Hard-shelled Almonds.— This variety differs from the pre- ceding only in the hardness of its shell and its hardiness to endure the cold. It can be grown where the peach can, and is very productive. Its shell is quite firm and smooth, but deeply pitted. The kernels are fully as large as the paper- shelled, and equally valuable for food. Most of the names of the different varieties are the names of the country or city from which they were exported. The Sicily almond from Sicily, Valencia almond from Valencia, while the Jordan almond comes from Malaga, a very few being raised in the valley of the Jordan. Bitter Almonds.— As regards the shell, this class is not distinct from the other two, as some have soft and some have hard shells; but the kernels are very bitter, and contain a poisonous acid, known as hydrocyanic, or Prussic, acid. Although it is often used as flavoring in confectionery and cake, it is unsafe to do so. NUTS AND THEIR HISTORY. The kernel of the sweet almond varieties does not contain this poison, but it is found in their leaves and bark. BEECHNUT. The Latin and bo- tanical name for the tree is fagus, and was de- rived from the Greek word p h a go, which means to eat, alluding to the fact that the nuts have been considered good eating by the in- habitants of the coun- tries where the beechnut grows. Botanically, it belongs to the Cupidif- era, or Oak family. The flowers appear in the spring, with the straight-veined and ser- rate leaves. The calyx of the sterile flowers are bell shaped and five cleft, containing many stamens. The fertile flowers appear in pairs on the summit of a scaly bracted peduncle. The seed- Beechnut Leaf, Bur, and Nut. pod, which at maturity, becomes a prickly, scaly bur, con- tains a pair of three-sided nuts, whose kernels are tender and sweet flavored. The common beech of Europe is 9 Chinkapin.— 5. Tree Chinkapin Bur; 6, 7, 8, 9. Nuts of Tree Chinkapin. Beech — 10. Twig, Leaf, Bur, and Nut; 11, 12. Beech Burs. ['31 GUIDE FOR NUT COOKERY. very similar to the American beech, excepting its leaves are broader, but not so long and pointed. The trees are usu- ally large, with smooth ash-gray bark. The early writers of Greece and Rome frequently refer to this nut. Vergil and Pliny speak highly of the beechnut as an article of food. Pliny informs us that at the siege of Chios, the besieged inhabitants lived upon the beechnut alone for some time. There are many species of the bee u, but the are all similar, some having larger leaves and nuts *hai others. Among them are the following: the Americai \ the European beech, and the Evergreen beech. Th*/" -taut is quite small, and hard to gather, making it unproi '•> to gather them for sale. For this reason very few of *hen re sold in the markets. (. The beech-wheat, more commonly' Vbuckwh . so named on account of its kernels ha* c^e shape of the beechnut. The kernels are small ai df ^Ck-brown color, on the outside, and three-sided, but m J&> «£ion it is more like ordinary wheat. '• tf 9 In the forests, the beechnut affords tc jr many wild animals and birds. The nut contains considerable oil, and i. y have experimented on extracting it for salads and cook- in, purposes. Formerly beechnut oil was made in France in c -isiderable quantities and used for frying fish and as a (.: ssing on salads. The country people of Silesia use it i' ;tead of butter, and that which remains after the oil is .ken out, they feed to swine, poultry, and cattle. NUTS AND THEIR HISTORY. BRAZII^NUT. Brazil-nuts are also called Para-nuts and cream nuts. They are the triangular edible seeds of a South American tree, belonging to the Myrtle family (Bertholletin excessa). The tree attains a height of one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet, and the trunks are three to four feet in diam- eter. The leaves are broad, smooth, and about two feet long, thick and leathery . The fruit is globula t\ form and from four to six inch (ii<.»nei^r, with a brit- tle husk p ^r'ng a hard, woody sheU,irr>