BUTTERMILK

Buttermilk is, strictly speaking, the liquid which remains after the separation of butter from soured cream, but much of that consumed to-day is ‘‘ripened’’ skim or whole milk, chiefly the former—the milk being soured by the addition of cultures of lactie acid bacteria after centrifugal separation of the cream and then churned to break up the curd. When produced under sanitary conditions and drunk fresh, it is both nutritious and, to many palates, an exceedingly agreeable beverage. In Scotland and Ireland it is consumed in enormous quantities as an accompaniment to porridge and potatoes, and its use, principally as a beverage, has in the last few years been greatly extended in this country. True buttermilk is similar to skim-milk in chemical components but ranks higher in nutriment value and is more easily disposed of by the average stomach because of the division of the casein by both the souring and churning. A pint of average richne contains about as much nourishment as 214 ounces of beef. As a cheap source of easily digested protein—which comprises nearly half of its percentage of food value—it is deserving of still more general use. Like fresh milk, it is an especially valuable addition to the dietary when there is a deficiency of other nitrogenous food and therefore combines well with a farinaceous diet, supplying the protein lacking in potatoes and cereals (see Foop Vauv ). Though buttermilk (except of course the ‘‘ripened milk’’ kind made from whole milk) contains as a rule very little milk-fat, it is seldom entirely free from it, and it frequently happens that where milk is abundant and rich a considerable quantity of: fat is allowed to remain in the buttermilk in the form of butter. This increases its food value, but a careful skimming may be nece ary if the milk is intended for special dietaries. Buttermilk is best kept in gla or china ve els as its lactic acid is liable to affect other receptacles.; In addition to its service plain, it is excellent as ‘‘buttermilk ]lemonade’’—lemon and sugar being added as for ordinary lemonade; as ‘‘lac to,’’ or sherbet--sugar, eggs, and fruit juices added before freezing; and as ‘‘buttermilk cheese,’’ made in the same manner as cottage cheese. Powdered buttermilk is used by bakers in bread and cake baking. BUTTERNUT (see the second color-page of Nurs facing 346), the nut of the “‘White,’’ or ‘‘Long,’’ walnut of the Northeast, ripening in September. It is typieally oblong and with an irregularly ridged, rough shell--which is exceedingly tough but which encloses meat that is rich, oily, and agreeable in flavor. When young and tender, the whole fruit makes a delicious pickle and eatchup. See also the Watnut article. For the tropical butternut, see Souvart. Béche de Mer, or Sea-slug, or Sea-cucumber, commercial and local names for several holothurians—tropical sea-slugs, varying in length from six inches to two feet—sedentary, slow-moving creatures—taken chiefly on coral reefs in southern-Pacifie waters, and enjoyed as food in China, the Philippines, and other Oriental countries, as well as by Oriental residents in California and elsewhere in the United States. They are found also on our Pacific coast, but are there grievously slighted. They are usually of eueumber-shape—some smooth, others covered with prickles; and of various colors—brown, black, red-bellied, and white; some with ‘‘teats’’--rows of starfish-style feet—some without them. Their gathering and preparation constitute an important industry. The most highly valued commercially are the brown slugs with ‘‘teats’’; their wholesale market-price frequently exceeds #1000 a ton. Locally, others may have the preference, as in the Phihppines, where the highest priced is usually the ‘‘great black trepang,’’ the oh nycow sam, devoid of both prickles and ‘‘teats.’’ The slugs are prepared by slitting open the back and eviscerating, then boiling and long drying-—both in the sun and in smoke-sheds. They are especially popular in the form of a thick, gelatinous soup which is so pleasing to the palate and soothing to the stomach that it has become an accepted part of invalid dietaries in Australia. The dried trepang varies from a tough, leathery product to one that is literally as dry and hard as a rock. It is in the latter form that one finds it in Oriental stores in this country. Its culinary preparation calls for twenty-four hours soaking in cold water, to be followed by several hours boiling until gelatinously tender (with two or three intermediate cleansings and changes of water), then cutting and grinding very small, and adding to soup-stock for a final, short boiling--or being served separate as an entrée, variously seasoned and garnished. IMG:pg-464.jpg:illustration, p. 464 IMG:pg-469.jpg:illustration, p. 469 IMG:pg-475.jpg:illustration, p. 475 IMG:pg-483.jpg:illustration, p. 483 IMG:pg-493.jpg:illustration, p. 493 IMG:pg-496.jpg:illustration, p. 496 IMG:pg-498.jpg:illustration, p. 498 IMG:pg-501.jpg:illustration, p. 501 IMG:pg-506.jpg:illustration, p. 506 IMG:pg-509.jpg:illustration, p. 509 IMG:pg-513.jpg:illustration, p. 513 IMG:pg-519.jpg:illustration, p. 519 IMG:pg-523.jpg:illustration, p. 523 IMG:pg-527.jpg:illustration, p. 527 IMG:pg-539.jpg:illustration, p. 539 IMG:pg-545.jpg:illustration, p. 545 IMG:pg-548.jpg:illustration, p. 548 IMG:pg-555.jpg:illustration, p. 555 IMG:pg-563.jpg:illustration, p. 563 IMG:pg-568.jpg:illustration, p. 568 IMG:pg-575.jpg:illustration, p. 575 IMG:pg-581.jpg:illustration, p. 581 IMG:pg-585.jpg:illustration, p. 585 IMG:pg-589.jpg:illustration, p. 589 IMG:pg-593.jpg:illustration, p. 593 IMG:pg-595.jpg:illustration, p. 595 IMG:pg-610.jpg:illustration, p. 610 IMG:pg-614.jpg:illustration, p. 614 IMG:pg-619.jpg:illustration, p. 619 IMG:pg-622.jpg:illustration, p. 622 IMG:pg-657.jpg:illustration, p. 657 IMG:pg-661.jpg:illustration, p. 661 IMG:pg-674.jpg:illustration, p. 674 IMG:pg-682.jpg:illustration, p. 682 IMG:pg-685.jpg:illustration, p. 685 IMG:pg-691.jpg:illustration, p. 691 IMG:pg-694.jpg:illustration, p. 694 IMG:pg-697.jpg:illustration, p. 697 The Encyclopedia of Food — I **I**