Evolution.— The evolution of cookery, as traced in food, would be something after this order: The first foods were natural,- milk, wild fruits, and vegetables, flesh and fish, eggs and animal fats, honey and salt, oily seeds and beverages made from simple fermentation of fruit-juices and of milk. The second stage might be called one of cultivated and manufac tured or combined foods: the cereals, grains and legumes were developed into bread, cakes, puddings and malted drinks, milk into butter and cheese; intercourse with other nations brought a great variety of vegetables, fruits, con diments and beverages. The present stage is one of refined foods. The refinement of flour and yeast, the concentration of the sapid prin ciple in meat and its use in soups and sauces, the refinement of fruit and vegetable juices into sugar, and its increased use in fancy cakes, pastry, desserts and artistic confectionery, are typical of the most advanced and refined forms of cookery.
In tradng the evolution of cookery among different nations, we find it has had the cus tomary rise and fall of all the arts; increasing in variety, magnitude and indulgence with the growth and prosperity of each nation; its na tional characteristics always largely determined by climate and natural advantages, but varied by invasion, intermarriage of rulers and no bility, and the advance of civilization. Persia with her fruits, sweets, wines and her lavish display modified the simplicity of the Greelcs; the luxury and extravagance of the Romans disappeared under the invasion of the Goths, who cared only for wild fruits, fowl, venison, horseflesh and curdled milk. During the Mid dle Ages the best cooking was done in the monasteries. They had ample means and their many fast days incited them to the invention of many disguises. In Italy during the Renais sance, cookery, with the other arts, became more refined, and France soon felt the influ ence, through the Medid. She had early learned ec,onomy through necessity from famine and the exactions of her rulers; her many revolutions compelled every peasant to learn to make something savory of weeds, acorns, snails, rats and other things which many nations reject Modern French cookery dates from Louis XIV and attained great height under his successors. The nobility and even royalty spent much time concocting new dishes; Richelieu ma& may onnaise, and Bechamel the sauce bearing his name. The French made great use of meat es sence as a dressing for meats, and it was con sidered a great improvement over the oil of the south and the animal fats of the north. Large amounts of meat, poultry and game were often used solely to secure a small amount of glaze with which to dress an entree; this shows an extravagant as well as an economical side to French cookery. Under Napoleon French influence was widely extended and it is said he left a French chef in every land he invaded. There are more chefs from
France in America than from any other country. Austria and Switzerland rank next to France m excellence of home cookery. England's love for pork began with the Saxon invasion, and though condemned by some of her colonists, it is yet the mainstay of her laboring classes. The coarse tastes of the Danes were modified by the soups and stews of the Normans. Many of our culinary terms are of Norman origin, and the surnames Cook and Butler came from professionals in that time. After groaning for centuries under saddles and sirloins, England's tables became more simple, for after the Refor mation rich cooking was considered popish. Although modified by the modern French, Eng land is still the great meat-eating nation. aThe English do their culinary work at the table with their palate-scorching table sauces, but the French do theirs in their saucepans.D Scotland with her barren hills lacked vegetables, but mutton, game and fish were abundant; her cock-a-leekie and haggis show the influence of France.
There are still a few distinctly American dishes, many of them borrowed from the In dians, some made from native products, but a large number are but modifications of the cus toms in the homes of the earliest settlers. The Yankee's love for pie may be traced to the mother country, and for the doughnut to Hol land. The Dutch left a strong impress on New York and the Germans in die middle States. Extravagance in methods, great waste of fuel and material and the indigestibility of some of our national dishes have been our defects, but a large part of genuine American cookery .will compare favorably with that of other nations. Within the last half century travel and wealth have changed our tastes in a measure, enabling many to have chefs from abroad who command very high salaries. We have gained much of value from China and Japan. France has done more than any other nation in teaching us econom3.7 and artistic effect, and the influence of Spain is apparent on our western coast and our new possessions. The advantage of this influx of foreign elements into our cui sine has been greatest in cities and among trav eled classes. In remote country places and everyw.here iunong native laboring communities, there is need of knowledge of some of the economical foreign methods. Cooking teachers find it wise to accept some of the suggestions from their pupils of German and Italian parent age, instead of insisting that our methods are always the best. No doubt many foreign na tions would derive equal benefit and enjoyment from some of our dishes which are seldom seen there. Canvasback ducks, sof tshell crabs, strawberry shortcake, fish balls, pumpkin pie, prairie chicken, red-snapper, cranberries and oyster in many ways are eagerly welcomed by the returning traveler.