Page:Foods and their adulteration; origin, manufacture, and composition of food products; description of common adulterations, food standards, and national food laws and regulations (IA foodstheiradulte02wile).pdf/316

 Composition of the Cucumber.—

Water,                                                95.99 percent Ash,                                                    .46    " Protein,                                                 .81    " Fiber,                                                  .69    " Starch, sugar, etc.,                                    1.83    " Fat,                                                    .22    "

The above data show that the cucumber is not much more than solid water, there being just enough of other material to give it a flavor and consistence.

Egg Plant.—Another vegetable which is highly prized for the table is the egg plant, Solanum melongena L. French, aubergine; German, Eierpflanze; Italian, petronciano; Spanish, berengena.

The egg plant is indigenous to India. Its name is derived from the shape of some of its varieties, though many of them have ceased to resemble the egg in appearance. There is a large number of varieties, but the one which is known as the white egg plant looks more like an egg both in shape and color than most of the others.

Composition.—

Water,                                             92.93 percent Ash,                                                 .50    " Protein,                                             1.15    " Fiber,                                               .77    " Starch, sugar, etc.,                                 4.34    " Fat,                                                 .31    "

The egg plant is a highly succulent vegetable containing only a little more than 7 percent of solid matter, and this is chiefly sugar, starch, and other digestible carbohydrates.

Garlic.—The botanical name of garlic is Allium sativum L. French, ail ordinaire; German, Gewöhnlicher Knoblauch; Italian, aglio; Spanish, ajo vulgar.

This highly prized aromatic vegetable is indigenous to southern Europe. It is a perennial plant, and the edible bulbous portion grows chiefly underground. This part is used for spicing food. It is eaten in large quantities by the Latin nations of southern Europe, and is employed throughout the world as a seasoning or flavoring for many dishes. When eaten in excess it makes the breath extremely disagreeable, as can be witnessed by all who have traveled in the Latin countries of Europe and even among the South Germans. Garlic is not eaten to any extent by our native citizens, but is used by our first-class cooks extensively as a seasoning. A little of it is known to go a great way. Its composition is very much like that of the onion. A wild garlic grows in the United States over wide areas. It is often eaten by cows, and it imparts to the milk a very disagreeable flavor and smell.

Gourds.—Gourds themselves are not very much used for edible purposes, but the varieties which include all the species of pumpkin and squash belong