Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Farmers' Bulletins: Nos. 301-325, With Contents and Index
Of the starchy group, the common potato is by far the most impor tant as regards both its nutritive value and the extent of its cultivation. In the United States the sweet potato ranks next to it. What a prominent place these two together hold in the diet may be seen from the fact that in the average of 376 American dietary studies they were found to furnish per cent, or about one-eighth of the total food material, and per cent, or about one-twelfth of the carbohydrates. All other vegetables together furnished only per cent of the total food and per cent of the carbohydrates. There are no starchy tubers or roots except these in general use in this country, though a few are frequently seen in city markets. In other parts of the world, especially in eastern Asia and the Tropics, others to a large extent occupy the place which potatoes hold in Europe and America.
The succulent roots are less important as human food than the starchy ones. Beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and onions are the most common. Many of them are characterized by strong ?avors and odors due to volatile oils which they contain. Like potatoes, they can be stored for months without serious deterioration, and being comparatively low-priced occupy an important place in the list of winter vegetables. Some highly ?avored roots, such as the horse radish and ginger, serve mainly as condiments, their food value in the quantities in which they are used being too small to be of any practical importance.
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