Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well (94 page)

Tea is cultivated almost exclusively in China and Japan, and is one of the chief exports of those countries. Teas from Java, the Indies and Brazil are considered of much inferior quality.

Its small leaves, rolled up and dried to be sold, are produced by an evergreen shrub with many branches, which does not grow higher than two meters. The leaves are harvested three times a year: first in April, then at the beginning of the summer and finally towards the middle of autumn.

The first harvest yields leaves that are small and very delicate, because they have just sprouted a few days earlier. With these
imperial tea
is produced, which is not exported but stays in the country for use by the highest echelons of the local aristocracy; the third harvest yields leaves which, having grown to their fullest extent, are of an inferior quality.

All of the tea that is in circulation can be divided into two main categories: green or black. These two categories can then be subdivided into many types: but the most commonly used are
pearl, souchong
, and
white tail pekoe
, whose fragrance is the most aromatic and pleasing. Green tea, which is obtained by a more rapid drying process that prevents fermentation, is the most rich in essential oil, and thus more stimulating; therefore it is better to abstain from it or use it in small doses mixed with black tea.

In China, the use of tea dates back to many centuries before the Christian Era; but in Europe it was introduced by the Holland Company of the East Indies at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Alexandre Dumas
père
maintains that it was in 1666, under the reign of Louis XIV, that tea, after an opposition no less strenuous than that against coffee, was introduced in France.

Tea is made by steeping and is best when made in English metal teapots. A heaping teaspoon is more than enough for a regular cup. Put the tea into a teapot which has been first warmed with boiling water and then pour in just enough boiling water to cover the leaves; after five or six minutes, sufficient time for the leaves to unfold, add the rest of the boiling water, stir, and after a few minutes the infusion is done. If you leave it too long, it becomes dark and bitter because with time the leaves give off tannic acid, which is an astringent. If for the first five or six minutes you can keep the teapot over the steam of boiling water, you will get the best flavor. And if it seems too strong, you can dilute it with boiling water.

The use of tea in some Italian provinces, especially in small towns, is still rare. Not many years ago I sent one of my young servants to the spa town of Porretta in the province of Bologna to see if he could learn something from the capable mastery of Bolognese cooks. If what
he told me is true, some foreigners happened by and asked for tea; since they had everything there but tea, it was immediately ordered from Bologna. The tea arrived but the foreigners complained that the infusion had no taste. Can you guess why? They had made tea without steeping it and by merely pouring boiling water over the leaves in a colander. The young servant, who had prepared tea many times in my house, corrected the error and it was found to be done right.

Tea, like coffee, excites the nerves and causes insomnia; but its effect, in most cases, is less powerful than coffee’s. I would also say that its effect is less poetical, since it seems to me that tea depresses and coffee excites. However, the Chinese leaf has this advantage over the Aleppo
¹⁴³
bean: it opens the skin’s pores, and helps one to endure the cold in harsh winters. For this reason, those who can go without wine with their midday meal, might find that tea, alone or with milk, is a most delightful beverage. I use a blend of leaves: half Souchong and half Pekoe.

It is not easy to satisfy everyone, much less on the subject of food and cooking, so many and varied are people’s tastes. I could not have supposed that a gentleman would have noticed in this book of mine a lacuna that tormented him. “How can you”—he said—“waste so many words of praise on coffee and tea and not mention the ‘food of the gods,’ chocolate, which is my passion, my favorite drink?” I will say to that gentleman that I had not talked about it first of all because if I had to recount its history, as well as the many ways in which this product is adulterated by manufacturers, I would have gone on too long; and secondly, because everyone knows how to make hot chocolate more or less well.

The cocoa tree (
Theobrotna cacao
) grows naturally in South America, especially in Mexico, where its fruit has been used for food and beverages from time immemorial, and where the Spanish tasted it the first time they landed there.

The two most valued varieties are Caracas and Marignone cocoa which, mixed together in the right proportions, make the best chocolate. To guarantee the best quality it is best to avoid the lowest prices and give preference to the most trustworthy manufacturers. For a generous cup use no less than 60 grams (about 2 ounces) of chocolate, dissolved in 2 deciliters (about 4/5 of a cup) of water; but you can also use 50 grams (about 1-2/3 ounces) if you prefer it light, or as much as 80 grams (about 2-2/3 ounces) if you prefer it very thick.

Toss the chocolate, in small pieces, into the water in the chocolate pot and when it begins to get hot, stir it so that it does not stick and melts completely. As soon as it begins to boil, remove it from the fire and whisk it for five minutes. Then bring it back to a boil and serve.

Like other foods that stimulate the nervous system, chocolate also excites the intellectual faculties and enhances sensitivity; but, as it is rich in albumin and fat (cocoa butter), chocolate is also very nourishing, acts as an aphrodisiac, and is not easily digested, and for this last reason it is flavored with cinnamon or vanilla. For those who have the stomach to tolerate it, “chocolate is good”—says Professor Mante-gazza
¹⁴⁴
—“for the elderly, for weak, emaciated youths, and for persons prostrated by a long illness and the abuses of life.” For those who are engaged in intellectual work and want to avoid tiring their stomach early in the morning with a rich breakfast, chocolate offers an excellent morning food.

Those who enjoy fruit preserved in spirits may find that they like this way of preparing it.

Begin with the first fruits of the season: strawberries, red currants, and raspberries. Place in a container, using 50 or 100 grams (about 1-2/3 or 3-1/2 ounces) of each kind; add half their weight in sugar and enough brandy or cognac to cover them completely. Then prepare cherries, plums, apricots, and peaches. Remove the stones, cut all the fruit (except the cherries) into slices, and cover with the appropriate amount of sugar and brandy.

You can also use gooseberry and salamanna
¹⁴⁴
grapes and some nice pears; but taste the liquid, and add sugar or brandy to obtain the flavor you like.

Once the container has been filled, set it aside for a few months before serving.

                 n (about 2 pounds) of clingstone peaches, not too ripe

                 s (about 15-1/2 ounces) of white sugar

1 liter (about 1 quart) of water

a finger-length piece of cinnamon

a few cloves

wine spirits, as needed

Clingstone peaches are red-yellow or simply yellow, with die flesh attached to the stone. Wipe the peaches with a cloth to remove the fuzz, and prick them four or five times with a toothpick.

Boil the sugar in the water for twenty minutes in an uncovered saucepan, then add the whole peaches, stirring them frequently if the syrup does not cover them. Bring the liquid back to a boil and boil the peaches for twenty minutes, then strain them from the syrup using a slotted spoon.

Once the syrup and the peaches have cooled, or preferably the next day, place them in a glass jar or, better yet, in a new glass-lined earthenware jar, pouring the syrup over the peaches along with enough wine spirits or cognac to cover them completely. Add the spices and see to it that the peaches remain covered in liquid, adding some more spirits if necessary.

Keep the jar hermetically sealed and do not eat them before one month’s time.

This is the only recipe in this collection that I hadn’t tried because, when an English lady spontaneously offered it to me, peach season had already passed and the publishing date of this reprint was imminent. However, the lady recommended it and assured me that in her country it was quite well liked and thus I hazard to publish it.

Take freestone peaches, ripe and in good condition, and place them two at a time in boiling water for one minute; remove them from the water and peel them, leaving the flesh intact. Roll them thoroughly in white powdered sugar and place them in a deep, attractive bowl. Then take as many sugar cubes as there are peaches and rub them against the peel of a ripe garden lemon until the cubes are saturated with lemon essence, and then nestle them among the peaches. Leave them like this for at least two hours (longer won’t hurt). Keep the jar sealed, surrounded with a good amount of ice, for two to three hours before serving.

Once peaches came back in season I quickly put this recipe to the test and I can tell you straight off that it is worthwhile. I used a metal container, a generous amount of confectioners’ sugar, and I mixed salt with the ice.

When these cherries are prepared like this they do not need spirits, for they make their own.

1 kilogram (about 2 pounds) of sour cherries

300 grams (about 10-1/2 ounces) of white sugar

1 small piece cinnamon

Separate out 200 grams (about 7 ounces) of the cherries, choosing the ones that are the most crushed or unattractive looking. Crush them, extract the juice and strain it. Remove the stems from the rest of the cherries and layer them in a crystal jar, alternating one layer of cherries and one of sugar, then pour in the juice. Remove the kernels from some of the stones of the crushed cherries and add these and the cinnamon to the jar, which you will then seal and set aside for at least two months. You will see that little by little the sugar will dissolve and the cherries will begin to float. Then, as the liquid converts to alcohol, the cherries will sink and this will be a sign that they are ready to be eaten.

Dissolve some powdered gum Arabic
¹⁴⁵
in water. Take some fresh red currants and, holding a bunch between your fingers, dip it in the liquid, then sprinkle with powdered sugar. Arrange the little clusters on a platter where the sparkling red currants will make a beautiful display among the fruit served at a fancy dinner, and will delight the ladies.

You can also alternate red currant with white currant clusters.

This is an invigorating punch, which may come in handy when you need to calm your stomach between meals.

Take a cup that holds about 2 deciliters (about 4/5 of a cup) of liquid. Whisk in it an egg yolk with two teaspoons of sugar. Keep stirring until the egg turns almost white. Then add two or three tablespoons (according to taste) of cognac, rum or some other spirit you like. Then fill the cup with boiling water, which you will add a little at a time, whisking constantly to make a nice foam.

200 grams (about 7 ounces) of sweet almonds

200 grams (about 7 ounces) of sugar

Rub the almonds with a kitchen towel. Put the sugar on the fire in an untinned saucepan with two fingers of water. When the sugar has melted, pour in the almonds, stirring constantly. When the almonds begin to crackle, move the saucepan away from the fire and place it at the edge of the hearth. You will note that the sugar begins to crystallize, acquiring the consistency of sand. Then remove the pan from the hearth altogether, and separate out the almonds. Put half of the sugar back on the fire with another two fingers of water, and when it turns to caramel (you will know by the distinctive smell), pour in the almonds, stir and remove from the fire as soon as they have soaked up the sugar. Then put on the fire the other half of the sugar, with yet another two fingers of water, and repeat the operation for the third and last time. Pour the almonds onto a platter and separate the ones that have become stuck together.