Sugar is the concentrated juice of a plant which grows in hot climates, and is also to be obtained from other trees and vegetables, especially from beet-root. It is used very extensively in cookery, imparting a mellow flavor to all dishes; it is of an antiseptic nature, and ought to be employed more abundantly in preserving animal substances than it is. This condiment was unknown to the ancients, who employed honey in place of it.

Orange is the fruit of a tree originally a native of China, but now grown extensively in all warm climates. The juice of this fruit is a sweet acid, differing greatly in flavor from the lemon; its peel is of use in cookery. The Seville and Malta oranges are a variety of this fruit.

Orange-flower, a distillation from the flower, is used a great deal in cookery.

Verjuice is the juice of a grape of that name, and on the European continent was used to a great extent, until the introduction of the lemon. The grape is gathered unripe, pressed, allowed to ferment, and then put into large vats to mature; the older it is, the better the flavor. It enters into the composition of several of the sauces in use at the present day; if pure, it may be preferable for several dishes to vinegar.

Olive is a fruit not much used in cookery; it grows on a low tree with long narrow leaves, rough underneath; the fruit contains a long and small kernel; the fruit, when pressed, yields the oil known as olive oil. This is a most valuable article in cookery; it ought to be tasteless and inodorous, but when long exposed to the air becomes rank and unfit for use.

Arrow-root is the powder of the root of a tree growing in very warm and moist climates, of about two to three feet in height, known in botany as the maranta arundinarea. In some countries, the flour of this root is mixed with that of Indian corn, and makes excellent bread. It is produced in the same way as the starch from potatoes.

Tapioca is also a starch, produced from the roots of a Brazilian plant called Cassava, a very elegant but poisonous plant, with beautiful white and pink flowers. It is now in general use, as it is found, when mixed with a little wine or spirits, to be an excellent stimulant to an invalid, without possessing any heating qualities. It should be well washed in water, and boiled until it becomes transparent, when it should be well stirred, and whatever is required to be mixed with it should be added. It will, when mixed with other flour, make very good bread.

Salsop is another root of a plant called orchis morio, a native of the East, where it is used as an article of food to a great extent; it is reduced to powder, and readily dissolves in boiling water. It is a light, pleasant drink, and, to persons of a feverish constitution, is exceedingly wholesome.

Sago is another of these starches, similar to Tapioca, made from the pith of the palm-tree, a native of the Indies. It is prepared precisely in the same way as Tapioca.

Soy is obtained from the seed or fruit of an Indian plant, called dolichos soja, or soya; it is made like ketchup; it enters greatly into use in the variety of sauces that are made for the table, being of a very strong, sweet-bitter taste; it should be used in moderation in cookery.

Chetney is a production of the East Indies, which, of late years, has come considerably into use; it is made by mixing together a variety of fruits, and allowing them to ferment until they become acid: some spices are then mixed with them - and it is bottled for use; the older it is, the better it becomes. That made in the Vale of Cashmere is considered the best.

Curry-powder is another of those Indian condiments which have latterly come much into use, and it is only to be regretted that it is not cheaper, to allow it to be more generally used, as it is one of those stimulating condiments which would be invaluable to the poor; its use would prevent the habit of taking other stimulants which produce intoxication.

Lemon is the fruit of a tree, a native of the South of Europe and the Indies; it is a most valuable production, not only for cookery, but for the health of the human race. Its juice, when diluted with water, and sweetened, makes a most refreshing and wholesome drink. The peel contains an essential oil. which imparts a strong pungent flavor to those dishes to which it is added. The true flavor of this fruit can only be had when fresh and ripe. In the time of Henry VIII., this fruit was a great rarity, and was partaken of at dessert with a quantity of sugar mixed with it.

The Lime is a species of lemon, the juice of which is more acid.

The Citron is also another species; the juice is sweeter.

Vinegar derives its name from the French vin aigre, or sour wine, and is known in chemistry as acetic acid. This antiseptic liquor can be produced from all herbs, plants, vegetables, and fruits, which produce sugar, and even that singular production of nature known as honey, and of which the juices will go into fermentation. These juices, when first expressed, are called wine, or syrup; they undergo a fermentation known as the vinous, after which, when exposed to a certain degree of heat, they enter into the acetous fermentation, and produce that acid pungent liquor known as vinegar. Of late years, it has also been produced by the distillation of wood, more particularly oak, and known as pyrcligne-ous acid, which is intensely acid, and highly stimulating. When employed in cookery, it should be used judiciously, and with great care. The best vinegar is that which contains the least vegetable matter, such as coloring, etc, and which has the strongest acid taste, without being hot.

The different flavored vinegars may be made by infusion, without the aid of heat, of the different substances from which the flavor is required.