Cereals. Continued

Oats

The cultivation of oats is as old as the cultivation of wheat.

Oats are grown chiefly as food for beasts, and form an important human food, especially in Scotland.

Dr. Johnson, in his dictionary, defines oats as "a grain which in England is given to horses, but which in Scotland supports the people."

Oatmeal is very nutritious, but on account of its lack of gluten, is unsuitable for bread making. It is manufactured into breakfast foods.

Most of the American breakfast foods have been partially steam cooked in the process of manufacture. This somewhat simplifies the cooking of them in the home. However, it is well to cook them twice as long as the directions call for. A long, slow cooking will improve the flavor.

Corn

Indian corn, commonly called maize, is a native of America and Central Mexico. The early explorers found the Indians using it as a staple food. The prehistoric cliff dwellers of Colorado also cultivated it.

Corn is cultivated very little in Europe. The climatic conditions there are unfavorable for its growth. There is, however, a very fine grade of corn which is grown along certain portions of the Mediterranean. The Italians use the corn meal in the preparation of many of their dishes and cakes.

Certain grades of corn are grown chiefly as food for beasts. The finer grades form an important human food.

Corn, like oats, is also deficient in gluten, so cannot be used in making lightbread. It is, however, five times richer in fat than wheat, and for this reason it deteriorates very quickly and should only be bought in small quantities.

If in the process of milling corn it has not been well cured, either in the ear or the meal, it deteriorates in flavor and loses much of its sweetness. This is the reason why corn is not exported to any great extent into Europe.

Rye

In appearance the rye plant resembles both wheat and barley. It is grown extensively in Russia and Germany.

It contains sufficient amount of gluten to make lightbread.

It is used very little in this country except in the distilling of liquors.

Barkey

The origin of barley is unknown. It is mentioned by Pliny as "the first grain to have been used for the nourishment of man." Long before the Christian era the grain was cultivated by the Egyptians.

Barley, unlike other grains, is cultivated in both warm and cold climates.

Barley is rich in starch but deficient in gluten, and so is not adaptable for bread making.

In this country we use the pearl barley, which is the whole grain decorticated and polished. In European countries it is used both as coarse and fine meal.

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is cultivated extensively in America and Russia. The flour is deficient in gluten and does not compare with any of the other cereals in point of nutrition. It is used particularly in the making of small cakes. In Russia the seeds are often used by simply removing the hull or outer coating, then cooked whole in butter or oil. This method is used mostly by the peasant element.

Rice

Rice, the origin of which is unknown, has been cultivated for years in India, China, and the Malayan Islands.

Rice contains 75 per cent of starchy substance, but is completely deficient in albuminoids.

In its appearance the rice grain resembles barley.

The cultivation of rice in America dates back to the year 1700. It is claimed that by mere chance it was planted in South Carolina where now the finest quality of rice is grown.

The unpolished rice used by the Chinese and Japanese is far more nutritious than the polished rice used in this country. Paraffin and glucose are used in the polishing of rice. These substances are hard to remove in cooking.

The Cooking Of Cereals

Most cereals should be cooked by steam, and for this purpose a double boiler is used; the upper one holding the food, fits tightly halfway down into the lower one, which contains the boiling water.

Rice may be cooked in a steamer, which is a covered perforated pan. This pan is placed over boiling water, the rice being kept out of the water, but in direct contact with the steam.

In cooking flaky breakfast food it is well not to stir it too often, as it will spoil its flaky appearance.

Table For Cooking Cereals