Page:Inside Canton.djvu/29

28 The rice was like that of the young girl's: very dry and much swelled. In bursting, the farinaceous matter had spread into silvery lumps, but the condiment accompanying it was not the same: it was a thick substance, of a yellowish colour, and a very decided cheesy taste. This mess was a real Italian rizzoto, the Parmesan of which was very strongly flavoured. I ate every grain of it.

When I asked the name of this seasoning, I was informed that it was also tao-fou. I owe my readers the recipe of a production, which, alternately cream and cheese, is nevertheless made without the intervention of any lacteal substance. Haricots are steeped in cold water till they yield to the pressure of the finger; when they are in this state, they are pounded with a millstone, and the clear liquid which results from them is boiled. After this operation, it is thrown into a sieve, which retains the impure parts, the milk-like liquid which flows through is received in a bowl, and a small quantity. of baked plaster of Paris, reduced to very fine powder, and mixed with water, is added to it. An abundant precipitate is immediately formed, of a dull white colour, like alabaster, or of a rather yellowish-white, according to the haricots which have been used. That is tao-fou. This substance is eaten fresh or fermented. When it is fresh, it is very like the white cheeses called touma in Provence. It was in