Vegetable Flavors And Smells

.bwjrbody hm probably noticod a rosamblanoo in the strong pungent tasto and odor of tho highly osteemed condimenta to food, mustard aud horse-radish. It U worth notice tht tboae substancos, 80 (Hsaimilar in their appoarance, oontaiu the saine ohemioal compouiid, allyle, whioh imparta to both their penetrating odor, buruing taste and blistoring quality. The oheinioal oompouud, allyle, combined ■rcith sulphur, imparta tho trong disagreoable odor to tbs onion, garlic, and aven to asaaf'outida, thougli tiio lattor ia muoh gtrongor and more diaagroenble to Europeana, owing to its peculiar fetid ïmoll, In horse-radish the allylo is combinod not ouly with eulphur, but filso with anotLer organic substanoe; cyanogen or pnissio acid. Prussio acid is well known aa one of the most virulont poisona in oxistenoe, a vory small dosc boing sufficiont to oauso dcath ; but evory one kuows that houo-radish oau bo eaten with porfect impuiiity. We iuuiition tkis partioularly booauae wo have often called tha atteution of our readen to the f act that inany substances whioh are poisououa iu themaolvos, when in oombiuatiou with other ubstanoes, becomo perfectly harmless. The presnnce of prussic acid in the horse radish deprives the volatilo oil which may be distilled fc-oin thi3 plant of the futid odor so characteristiu of the onion, garlic and assafoetida, whilo at the same time it -woulü appear to imtiart the pungont taste. The planta which may bo designated as the onion fainily upondistilhition yiold the eamo esscntjitl oils which givo off au odor similar to the original plant in a highly conoentr-.tcd and consequent highly disagreeable fona. The inten6ity of tho odor of thia oil mav le ferred from the tact that from tlnrty to forty pounds of the most highly üavored garlic are necessafy to producá a single ounce of tho oil. A much larger amount of onion and a smaller puiouut of assafoedita would bo requiicd to give tie same amount of this oil. Natural instinct seoins to haro led the inhabitants of different oountriea to eat those plants moro for their medicinal propcritiea than beoauso they wera especially ploasant to the taste. Thora aro thousands of pcople in this oountry -ïrho cannot endure the taste or smell of onions ; but, on the other hand.'a large number, more particulerly of the Torking classes, are very fond of tiiem. In Eugland tho onion is more highly esteomed, as a general thing, tima in this country but not ono .hnglisliinan m a thoueanrt is fond of garlic. In Franoe a considerable portion of the population aro fond of garlic, and it ia very frequently used in small quantities to give a mild garlic fiavor to various dishes. In Spain and Portugal garlio is almost as cominon a dish as potatoes with us ; and in the oountrins lying on the borders of Asia tho sap of the assafcotida plant is carefully collected aud highly esteemed as a condimont or flavoi-ing for food. The Eastorn Asiática used assafcetida to the entire exclusión of both the railder forms of onion and garlic. Froin the Bible we lcarn thnt the ar.cient Israelitas were fond of ouíoes and güiüc ; for we read that in the wilderness thoy murmured, r.yiug : " We romember the cucuinbers and thö melons, tho loeks, the oniong and the garlic ;" while the Egyptians regarded llie onion as a sacrod plant and worhipped it.