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Broths

Ir was about the year 1820 that the term Broth was for the first time given to an essential solution of meat, the strength thereof being determined by the weights of the principal ingredients used. In 1740, according to Le Cuisinier Moderne, an extract of meat was prepared in dry tablets "which might be easily transported, and preserved during a year, or longer." These dissolved into excellent Broth, though half their solid matter was gelatine. The 66 French Chemist, Chevreul, who examined this extract of meat in 1835, discovered therein the crystallized substance "creatin," and thus originated a chemical knowledge of the principles of flesh. The Germans call such an evaporated extract of the stock-pot pocket-bouillon," and the French style it "bouillon sec." Prout surmised that the active element of sapid meat-extract is an acid, probably the "inosinic acid" of Liebig. The French School of Cookery has unanimously adopted the principle that Broth is the foundation of this art, because it is the basis of all sauces; since, according to the French system, the sauce is the prime element, if not the actual raison d'être of the entrée which it supplements. For extemporizing, or strengthening Broths "Le Saveur des Potages" (known in this country as "Maggi's Essence") is of great value, and importance. It is a highly concentrated liquid essence, which has to be as sparingly employed as though one were making up a prescription; it is therefore supplied in small bottles which have little curved spouts fitted in the neck, and thus enable the liquid to be dispensed drop by drop; the effect of a few drops on a thin Broth, or Soup is almost magical. To make therewith a good cup of Broth: Beat up the yolk of an egg in a basin previously warmed ; add an eggspoonful of the said essence, and fill up the basin with boiling water, stirring well all the time. The "Maggi" may be had either plain, concentrated, or slightly flavoured with fine herbs. "French cookery," said Dumas, "owes its superiority over that of other nations only to the excellence of its bouillon." In Devonshire the peasantry make "Tay-kittle Brath" (or "sop"), its ingredients being one slice of bread cut in dice-shaped pieces, one "spit" (i.e., very small piece) of butter, one tablespoonful of milk, one pint of boiling water, with pepper and salt to taste; sometimes chopped leeks being added, when it is called "licky Brath." "I allays likes," says a Devon peasant, "tu put a vew spits ov butter 'pon the tap ov a rice pudden; et kep'th'n vrom burning." A West Devon farmer was invited to dinner, together with one or two other tenants, by his landlord, who noticed that Mr. Tibbs did not eat his soup (vermicelli), but stirred it backwards and forwards with the spoon, whilst a look of disgust overspread his face. The host, addressing him, said, "I fear you do not care for your soup, Mr. Tibbs; let John take your plate away." Mr. Tibbs smiled somewhat grimly, and replied, “Well, zir! I likes a dish of licky-brath, or tay-kittle brath, ov a vrasty mornin'; but, burnish it awl! I niver cüde stomick maggity brath like this es." Beef gives the weakest Broth; mutton Broth is a little stronger; and chicken Broth strongest of all. "Broth can be made, cold in quality, without the application of heat, by digesting half a pound of finely-minced beef with a pint of cold water to which four drops of hydrochloric acid (the basis of table-salt) have been added. The product thus furnished is richer in soluble albumin than when heat is employed. By using rather more of the same acid, but no salt, heat can be applied up to 130° F., and by this method nearly 50 per cent of the meat can be obtained in the broth." (Yeo) "About 80 per cent of the meat-salts pass into the Broth, and all the chlorides, with most of the phosphates." Poached egg Soup (Thudicum) is a pure soup quickly procurable, and a very desirable form of nourishment for persons suffering from an irritable, or sore state of the intestinal canal, as in typhoid, or enteric fever. Prepare some standard Broth, delicately flavoured; then poach some eggs (contained in immersion-moulds) in boiling water; trim them, and transfer them to the tureen, and pour the Broth over them. Dice of toast may be added if approved.

To prepare an instantaneous Broth, or Bouillon à la minute, as for cases of urgent illness (the cost being then a secondary consideration), cut up one pound of very lean gravy beef, and half a boned chicken; pound these well, and put into a stewpan, with ten grains of salt; pour over the same three pints of water, and heat to the boil, while stirring; as soon as the boiling has commenced, add shredded carrots, turnips, onions, leeks, and celery; boil for twenty minutes, and pass it through a cloth. In this way the bones are omitted, fat is excluded, the meat is much subdivided, and perfectly exhausted of its juices, whilst the time of boiling is confined to twenty minutes. The saucepan must be kept covered during this boiling, else the adage may become unpleasantly verified-" He who boils his pot with chips makes his Broth smell of smoke." Chicken Broth, for women, or children, can be rendered emollient," says Dr. Thudicum, by boiling in it some marshmallow root, and barley, sweetening it with Narbonne honey; boil, skim, and filter." A remarkable Broth, or Soup is to be made from the cockroach, or blackbeetle, of kitchen familiarity, for proving beneficial against albuminuria, or what is known as Bright's disease of the kidneys. M. Dagin's recipe orders thus: "Pound your cockroaches in a mortar, put them in a sieve, and pour over them boiling water, or hot beef-stock; this constitutes a delicious, and nutritive plât, preferable to bisque."

Plain Broths, and Soups may be poured over crusts (croutons) which have been prepared as follows for weakly persons needing "Remove fat, and bodily warmth, whilst the digestion is fair : the crusts from slices of stale loaves, cut into small dice, and then drop them into boiling butter; shake very gently, but thoroughly, till of a light golden brown; when done, which will be in about a minute, take them up with a skimmer, and lay them in the mouth of the oven on brown paper to dry. The butter must nearly cover the bread, and must be boiling."

Herrick mentions a quaint belief which persons formerly entertained that it is lucky to carry a small piece of dry consecrated bread in the pocket against terrors by day or night :- "If ye fear to be affrighted, If ye are by chance benighted, In your pocket for a trust Carry nothing but a crust:

For, that holy piece of bread Charms the danger, and the dread."

BUN. 66 THE ordinary sweet Bun was originally "Bugne," a sort of fritter, a kind of bread made with sugar in it, and baked in cakes, generally round. The first mention of Buns occurs in a comedy of 1676; and eighteenth-century literature makes many allusions to this new form of pastry. The name bugne" signified "a lump," and (absit omen!) "a bunion." Nowadays this popular comestible as a makeshift form of food is spongy, and filling at the price. A plain penny Bun is to be considered more wholesome than the spiced varieties of Bath, and Chelsea. Specially taxing to digestion is the British Museum Bun. In Devon, large, satisfying Buns, made yellow with saffron, are known as stodgers," or "busters." Mr. Tom Ward, a baker at Tiverton, used some years ago to manufacture a batch of these Buns, very big, which he sold at one penny each; children, on going into his shop, would invariably say, "Plaize I wants a penny stodger"; or others would ask for a penny buster." Bath Buns date back to Roman times as to both composition, and shape, the latter being that of the classic "placenta." 66 BUN Formerly in England the famous Chelsea Bun house, at the corner of Jews' Row, (now Pimlico Road), was kept by a Mrs. Hands. So many persons were in the habit of flocking thither on a Good Friday for eating "hot cross Buns," that on one occasion fifty thousand assembled there, and two hundred and fifty pounds were taken in the day for these Buns only. The Royal Family, and many of the aristocracy used to frequent this house in the mornings; and Queen Charlotte even presented Mrs. Hands with a silver half-gallon mug containing five guineas. Sir Charles Phillips, writing a few years before the destruction of the Chelsea Bun house, after admitting that for thirty years he never passed the house without filling his pockets, goes on to say: "These Buns have afforded a competency, and even wealth, to four generations of the same family; and it is singular about the Buns that their delicate flavour, lightness, and richness, have never been successfully imitated." Even as late as in 1839 twenty-four thousand Buns were sold there on a Good Friday alone. In many households at the present time a Good Friday Bun is superstitiously kept for ensuring a healthy, and prosperous time until another such Bun comes to be made in the following year. Moreover, the crossed Bun is believed to protect the house from fire, whilst serving to cure diarrhea, as well as all manner of other ailments, in men, and cattle. When used as a remedy the Bun is grated into a warm drink, or a mash, and given at night. A special virtue of this Bun, as the allegation goes, is that it will not grow mouldy like ordinary bread. Loaves of consecrated bread, each marked with a cross, were found at Herculaneum, showing that the hot cross Buns of our day had really a Pagan origin. The Romans called them quadra."

Earlier still, cakes dedicated by the Jewish women to Astarte, Queen of Heaven (afterwards the Roman Diana), were marked with a cross, which was the symbol of the goddess; or with horns, in allusion to the crescent moon. "In April, 1902" (Pall Mall Gazette), " a baker in a large way of business confessed to making a free use of the cheapest sherry in his manufacture of Good Friday Buns, also intermixing therein spices of various sorts, and small currants; but the compound proved abominably indigestible, and the idea of thus eating the Cross seemed little short of barbaric." 66 66 In South Africa, at the Cape, is compounded the delicious, and wholesome Grape Bun, “Moss Bolletje (bun)," moss being the juice وو of the grape in its early stages of fermentation. This Bun is of excellent service against atrophy, and the wasting effects of consumptive disease. During the wine-making season freshly-fermented grape-juice is commonly used instead of yeast by the countryfolk at Stellenbosch, French Hoek, etc, and very nice Buns are prepared therewith. Or, if grapes cannot be had, then raisins are taken, and put in a jar which is previously seasoned by having had fermenting grapes, or raisins, within it; the jar is not washed with water when about to be used, but generally dried in the sun, and kept closely covered from dust, being only employed for making the "moss therein, so as to ensure its fermenting in a given time when thus prepared in the seasoned jar, or calabash. Again, for these Grape Buns the following is another old Dutch recipe: "A good batch": Take two pounds of raisins, sixteen pounds of flour,, three and a half pounds of sugar, eight eggs, one and a half pounds of butter, one pound of fat, two tablespoonfuls of aniseed, two grated nutmegs, one tablespoonful of finely-powdered cinnamon; cut the raisins, or mince them, put them into a jar, or calabash, with twelve cupfuls of lukewarm water, on the stove, or in the warmest part of your kitchen for twenty-four hours, till they ferment; have ready the flour, in which, after it is well mixed with the sugar, spices, etc., make a hole, and strain into it the fermented juice of the raisins; sprinkle some flour over the top, and set to rise for some hours in a warm place; then melt the butter and fat, warm the milk, whisk the eight eggs (yolks and whites separately), mix the whole well together into a stiff dough, and knead with the hand for quite three-quarters of an hour; let it stand overnight to rise; in the morning roll into Buns; set in buttered pans in a warm place; let them rise for half-an-hour; brush with the yolk of an egg, and some milk, and sugar; bake for half-an-hour in an oven heated as for bread.