M

MALT EXTRACT.

Malt is the product of germinating barley. The grains are allowed to germinate on a hot damp floor and the process is stopped at a certain stage by means of kiln drying. Diastase, a powerful digestive ferment, is formed in abundance so that malt extract of good quality is able to convert starch into a digestible and easily assimilated sugar. Malt is also rich in phosphates, which makes it an excellent bone and teeth former. Malt is usually sold as malt flour, which consists of the kiln dried grains in a powdered form. Derived from this, is the thick sticky substance resembling glue, called “malt extract.” If this extract is further dried, we get the dry malt extract in powdered form, which is the most convenient to use in a general way for sweetening purposes.

Malt Tea.

This can be prepared from malted barley, malt flour or extract of malt, by dilution with water to a suitable consistency.

Sweet Wort.

Let malted barley stew and soak and infuse in hot water until all the goodness has been extracted therefrom. This constitutes a form of strong sweet non-alcoholic beer and is an excellent drink which was much used in olden days. With added hops it is the actual material from which beer is made.

Malt Soups.

Take any ordinary vegetable soup and thicken it with malt flour or malt extract.

MARROW (VEGETABLE).

The marrow is practically all water, containing only a very small percentage of organic mineral matter. It is an excellent cure for obesity because the person taking it thinks he is getting a lot of food, whereas he is practically drinking water. As the salts of vegetable marrow are chiefly in, and immediately under, the skin, it is obvious that, when peeled and boiled in the usual unenlightened way, this vegetable is reduced to so much cellulose and water. When baked whole in the oven its flavour is a revelation to those who have never tasted it except in a boiled form.

Marrow Juice.

This can be extracted by the Fruit Juice Press and may be taken freely as a cooling drink, seasoned to taste.

Marrow Tea.

Cook one or more marrows with a minimum amount of distilled water until soft, strain, and take freely. This is a pleasant substitute for hot water. Do not add salt to it.

MILK.

The use of cow’s milk at meals or between meals as a beverage is one of the greatest dietetic blunders which could be perpetrated. Human milk is a nutritive fluid, very useful for the fast-growing young mammal and perfectly adapted as such for young infants.

But for adults who have ceased to grow, cow’s milk is needless and injurious. It is also one of the best culture media for tuberculosis and other germs. Therefore, it is better to use acid fruits, and fruit or vegetable juices, instead of milk when beverages are called for.

Milk is a fluid, containing its various food constituents ideally balanced for the purpose of building up the young body. With the sole exception of man, however, every animal in a state of nature ceases using milk as a food when once the period of infancy has passed. Speaking recently at the Working Men’s College on “Wild Parts of China,” Professor A. Henry mentioned as a curious fact that the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, who number one-third of the human race, abstain from the use of milk, cheese and butter. This probably accounted for the absence among them of zymotic diseases.

Buttermilk.

This is an excellent beverage if it agrees; or dried separated milk, diluted with water to the proper consistency, can be used as a substitute. It should be quite sweet and fresh from the churn.

Koumys and Kefir.

These are fermented forms of milk beverage made by adding yeast or other organisms, with sugar, to induce fermentation with the consequent production of alcohol.

Curdled Milk.

This is a form of buttermilk made by allowing pure preservative free milk to go sour naturally. The natural process is often aided by means of the addition of the cultivated germs natural to the curdling process. When this is done the finished article is more regular in taste and composition. It is a much “overrated” beverage.

Milk and Soda.

A mixture of milk and soda water in equal parts is a favourite beverage with many people. The soda water has the effect of delaying the curdling process, and so the milk becomes more digestible. The soda water should be added to the milk and not vice versa. The right proportion for making milk and soda is 1 part of soda water to 2 of milk. Lime water can be used in its place in the same proportion and 15 grains of bicarbonate of soda diluted with water is the equivalent to a third of a tumblerful of soda water. But it should be clearly understood that inorganic mineral substances such as are contained in soda water and lime water are not capable of assimilation by the human body and have to be excreted, or retained at the peril of health.

Casein Stock.

Casein is the proteid part of milk and as such it is a valuable food, provided it is combined with other foods rich in mineral salts, such as the juices of vegetables, which replace the whey that has been removed in the production of the casein.

Casein given alone, owing to its freedom from all organic matter, is useless as a nutrient, because without the addition of the mineral salts it is just a chemical substance.

Casein is prepared from milk in the process of making whey, the curd part (rejected in the process) being precipitated, washed, and dried to form a white powder. Casein is, of course, the material from which cheese is made, and the “cottage cheese” made from milk curdled with lemon juice is one of the finest proteid foods extant, being much more nutritious and more easily digested and assimilated than ordinary cheese which contains animal rennet and is mixed with common salt and other constituents.

To prepare casein stock, add 1 oz. of casein to ½ pint of water and boil until dissolved. When cold it appears as a thin transparent jelly and will keep good for a day. This stock may be used for making soups or as an addition to coffee, tea and other beverages to increase their nutritive value. It gives body and makes them more invigorating.

MINT.

The common Spearmint of our gardens is a useful addition to salad. It has a strong refreshing smell which stirs up the appetite. Mint is chiefly used for making mint sauce, which is a useful dressing for salads. To make it, wash half a handful of freshly picked mint, add to it a third part of parsley, pick stalks from leaves, mince the leaves very fine, add a little honey to taste and 4 tablespoonfuls of lemon juice (not vinegar).