THE ART OF COOKERY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22405, 29 April 1936, Page 6

THE ART OF COOKERY

VIEWS OF AN AUTHORITY The editor of the South African Medical Journal, Dr. Leipoldt, is well known by reason of his many interests and as an authority on the art of cookery, states a South African writer. He has written several books on the subject. Since 1889 Dr. Leipoldt lias been experimenting in cookery, and for six years, between 1902 and 1908, ho worked with two chefs. Having travelled all over the world Dr. Leipoldt has come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as national cookery.' Methods of preparing food are an historical evolution of the human race, and the fact is well illustrated. Almost 100 years ago Junghuhn described the method bv which cannibals cooked human flesh, and last year Seabrooke published a cookery book in which tho recipes for preparing meats are practically the same. In his own experience Dr. Leipoldt lias found the same dish and the same ways of cooking throughout the world, though they may be called by different names. For instance, Scottish haggis is paralleled in East and South America by dishes which have no Scottish influence. _ But there arc certain dishes which may be met with only in one or two places in tho world. South African soesaties, cooked according to the recipe in Dr. Leipoldt's book, may be found in Vera Cruz, and karmenaadjies (little chops) broiled over glowing coals is a South African dish from the banks of the Amazon. "Plank" cookery, a method which comes from the Southern United States of America, which used to be a favourite way of preparing food in the Cape, still exists in North Germany and parts of Holland. For this method a circle of live oak or poplar wood is cut and saturated in oil. This acts as the dish on which the fish or meat is to be cooked, and is stood directly over the heat. The oil spreads through the _ food, and Dr. .Leipoldt speaks of this old method os one of the most satisfactory ways of cooking. . Asparagus was unknown in Europe, savs Dr. Leipoldt, until the Cape navigators took the seeds of our wild variety to Holland. Very probably the now famous giant Californian asparagus was derived from the seeds of this country's plants. Dr. Leipoldt has some disconcerting things to sav about invalid cookery, for he insists that "cookery for the sick is arrant nonsense, founded on sheer ignorance of food value. * ror example, chicken is not more digestible than beef, and to be really digestible ah egg should be boiled for at least half an hour. , Ice cream he considers one of tbo most valuable foods in an invalid s dietary, although housewives should not leave the cream to make itself in a refrigerator. To be really good it needs "hard work and plenty of elbow-grease."