The Health Cookery Book

Phiroz Mehta wrote four chapters of The Health Cookery Book, probably in the early years after the Second World War. He seemed to have intended it for publication, but it does not appear ever to have been printed

Continued from part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 and part 5

How to serve a salad

1. Serve up all the ingredients separately — lettuce leaves arranged in a circle with the hearts in the middle: water-cress in little bunches, or loose: grated carrot in a heap: beetroot sliced thin: cucumber either sliced thin or grated (with the skin): little red radishes in a heap: tomatoes, whole, or cut into halves or quarters only, not sliced: celery in long stalks, the hearts sliced lengthwise into as many parts as there are people to serve. Except the green leaf ingredients and tomatoes, all the others may be grated and placed in separate little heaps on a single large plate, or in separate little bowls. These bowls may be arranged in a pretty symmetrical pattern round the central glass bowl of the green stuffs.
2. Serve in a single large flat dish — a nest of large and small lettuce leaves alternately placed round the dish: three or four bunches of water-cress at the corners: celery stalks between them pointing towards the centre: two heaps of grated carrot at right angles to two heaps of beetroot (the four forming a square): a pile of red radishes in the middle with a circle of sliced cucumber: and whole tomatoes fringing the edge of the dish.
3. Serve in a large glass bowl all mixed together — break the lettuce up with your hands (avoid using a knife), mix up with grated cabbage, water-cress, and celery cut fine, slice up tomatoes, cucumber, and radishes, grate the carrot, add the desired amount of oil and lemon, or any special salad dressing, put in a bit of mint and parsley, and mix thoroughly. Prepare about 15 minutes before serving.
4. Egg mayonnaise — nest of lettuce leaves with a little water-cress, chopped celery, grated carrot and beetroot, sliced tomatoes and sliced hard-boiled eggs. Place the carrot and beetroot in two heaps and ring them round with alternate slices of tomatoes and eggs. Pour the mayonnaise over them. Asparagus, cooked green peas of French beans or mushrooms taste well in an egg mayonnaise.

How often should salads be taken?

The average person should take four large salads, and three or four small ones (taken with an entrée for instance) during the course of the week. They may be taken at lunch or dinner, as desired.

If the digestion is very weak, or if you are suffering from duodenal or gastric ulcers, or other similar severe complaint, you should consult a dietician after you have consulted your doctor, and know exactly what is wrong with you. The dietician will give you proper advice regarding your food. As you improve and the organs become normal again, they will be able to deal adequately with the normal amount of salads.

The objection to salads in cases of duodenal or gastric ulcers, etc., is that the raw vegetables are too highly irritant.

It must also be remembered that raw vegetable and fruit salads are without exception the most powerful influence in maintaining health and vitality, for helping towards curing you of most diseases (with very few exceptions), and keeping you fit in body and clear in brain (for these salads are the purifiers of the whole system, immeasurably superior to any drugs or medicines or mechanical means).

So, under conditions of certain illnesses, you must lessen, or for a few weeks even avoid salads. For other illnesses (except of course where all food must be avoided and a strict fast observed), you should increase salads to one good salad meal a day.

Also, if your digestion is quite strong, and your natural inclinations are in favour of it, take a large salad meal every day, i.e. a raw vegetable salad or a mixed fruit and vegetable salad every day.

Mixed cooked and raw vegetable salads, and all salads containing flesh foods of any sort should be taken sparingly only.

Grow your own vegetables

Whenever possible, grow your own vegetables. The difference between home grown vegetables freshly picked, and those bought in a shop is great, the former producing superior results, and having the more delicious taste. If you have the opportunity to grow your own vegetables, pay attention to the right culture of the soil. The main principle to remember here is that you should return to the soil as much as you possibly can of decaying vegetable matter, and avoid all excess of animal or artificial manure.

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