OCR Text |
Show CHESTNUT FLOUR OF CORSICA. Much Used but Produces Inferior Kind of Uread. Tho chestnut Is the wheat or Cor-nlca, Cor-nlca, and Its (lour Is used In tho form of bread or polentn by tho peasants throughout the Island Tho chestnuts nre slowly dried over n small wood fire and stored until required for grinding. The mills aro of tho simplest sim-plest construction, and consist of a wooden water wheel whoso axis turns a mlllstono which crushes the shelled chestnuts against a fixed stone. The cheaper grades of Hour aro of a dirty rolor owing to tho presence pres-ence of particles of the shells and contain between 11 and 12 per cent of moisture. Tho composition of different differ-ent vnrletinn of the flour has been determined recently by M Comto. who finds that chestnut flour closel) approximates wheat flour In Its find value. It contains about the same amount nf starch, more fat nnd cellu lose, but less nitrogenous substances (7 to 0 per cent, as against 12 to 10 per cent In wheat flour). Chestnut flour attracts moisture very rapidly, and thorefoie soon becomes mouldy unlrss kept In airtight vessels. It has also the drawback of not being easily Influenced by the action of )enBt, and thus produces au inferior kind of bread. |