which would mislead any meat eater into the belief
that suet or, at any rate, baking powder had been used.
Baking powder, tartaric acid, soda and bicarbonate
of soda, are all most injurious to the system, and
these chemicals have been left out of this book entirely.
In breads and cakes I have used a small quantity of
yeast for the rising of the dough; those who once have
got accustomed to the use of yeast will not find it
any more trouble than using baking powder. It
may here be beneficial to give a few hints as to the
harm done by the use of the most commonly introduced
chemicals, namely, soda, bicarbonate of soda, baking
powder, tartaric acid, and citric acid. Not only
do they delay the digestion of the foods in which
they are used, and give rise to various stomach troubles,
but also cause rheumatism and gout, and often are
the primary cause of stone in the kidney and bladder.
Another danger lies in the fact that these chemicals
are too dear to be supplied pure to the public, which
always demands cheap goods, and the result is that
many of the chemicals in the market are mixed with
other still worse poisons, like arsenic, for instance.
Self-raising flour, which is liked by so many on account
of its convenience, is nothing but ordinary flour mixed
with some sort of baking powder; in the same way egg
powders are simply starch powders, coloured and flavoured,
mixed with baking powder. Tartaric acid and citric
acid also belong to the class of injurious chemicals.
They are often used in the making of acid drinks,
when lemons are not handy. They irritate the stomach
violently, and often cause acute dyspepsia. These
few remarks will, I hope, convince the readers that
all these chemicals are best avoided in culinary preparations.
Even salt and spices are best used in great moderation;
if our dishes could be prepared without them it would
be far the best; but it takes a long time to wean
people entirely from the use of condiments; the first
step towards it is to use them as sparingly as possible.
I have tried to make this a hygienic cookery book;
but there are a number of dishes introduced which
can hardly claim to be hygienic; it has to be left
to the good judgment of the readers to use them on
rare occasions only, and it will be better for the
health of each individual if the plainer dishes only
are prepared for the daily table. I wish here
to impress on vegetarians, and those who wish to give
the diet a trial, not to eat much pulse; this is the
rock on which many “would-be vegetarians”
come to grief. They take these very concentrated,
nitrogenous foods in rather large quantities, because
they have an idea that only they will support them
when the use of meat is abandoned. They are foods
which, to be beneficial to the system of the consumer,
require a great deal of muscular exertion on his part.
The results to persons of sedentary habits of eating
pulse foods often are indigestion, heavy and dull
feelings, and general discomfort. In my own household