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Show What to Eat and Why C. Houston Goudlss Relates the Romance of Wheat and Discusses Flour, the Basic Food By C. HOUSTON GOUDISS THE story of wheat flour is the story of civilization. Before man learned to cultivate this golden grain, he was obliged 1 to move from place to place, with the seasons, in search of food to sustain and nourish his body. Then, on one happy and momontous occasion, perhaps 6,000 years ago, an inspired nomad plucked the kernels clus tered at the top of some wav- ing grasses, observed that they had a nut-like taste, and passed along the far-reaching discovery to his fellow-tribesmen. The beginnings of wheat cultivation cultiva-tion are lost in antiquity. But we do know that for thousands of ' " " years, it has been I,' ' one of the most If" t important crops in p ' Vi he wr'd s nec- I ; t essary to man's I r weI1 being that the 1 , 4 ; supplication, "Give I v daily bread," has I k' summed up his i k vjj most fervent desires. de-sires. Food for the World Today, nearly three quarters of a billion people use -wheat as food. And modern methods of milling have developed flours of such superlative su-perlative quality that breads are more appetizing and more attractive attrac-tive than ever before; special flours make cakes and pastries light as the proverbial feather; and there are prepared mixes available for biscuits, waffles, muffins, griddle cakes, pie crust and gingerbread. For Energy and Vitality The form in which wheat flour makes its appearance on the table is of less importance than the fact , that it is and should be an essential essen-tial item in the family food supply. That is because it offers a rich i supply of fuel value at little cost. I The different types of flour contain from 61 to 76 per cent carbohydrates, carbohy-drates, from 11 to 15 per cent protein, pro-tein, and varying amounts of mineral min-eral salts and vitamins. It is necessary to know something some-thing of the structure of the wheat kernel and to understand how the various flours differ, in order to select the flour best suited for each purpose. A kernel is made up of several outer layers of bran; a layer of cells high in phosphorus phos-phorus and protein, just inside the bran; the endosperm, composed com-posed of cells in which starch granules are held together by proteins; pro-teins; and the germ. The starch cells are so small that one kernel of wheat may contain as many as 20,000,000 granules. White and Whole Wheat Flours White flour is made chiefly from the endosperm. Whole-wheat, entire-wheat and graham flours are loosely applied terms which refer both to products made by grinding grind-ing the wheat berry without the removal or addition of any ingredient, ingre-dient, and also to a flour from which part of the bran has been removed or to which bran has been added. One of the most prolonged discussions dis-cussions of the last two decades has involved arguments for and against the use of white or whole wheat flour in making various j types of bread and muffins. As a result, many people have been confused and misled often at the expense of their enjoyment in meals. Here are the facts: White bread contains important energy values, proteins, some minerals, chiefly potassium and phosphorus, and when made with milk, it also supplies sup-plies some calcium. It is easily and almost completely digested, tests indicating an average digestibility di-gestibility of 96 per cent. Bread and other bakery products prod-ucts made from whole wheat flour also contain proteins and carbohydrates, carbohy-drates, plus good amounts of iron, copper, phosphorus and potassium; potassi-um; and vitamins A, B and G. The whole grain products are less completely digested than those which are highly refined, however,, so some of their nutrients nutri-ents may be lost to the body. When the two types of flour are considered as sources of protein and energy alone, they are regarded re-garded by nutritionists as practically practi-cally interchangeable. Whole wheat flour is conceded to be richer rich-er in minerals and vitamins, but where white bread is preferred, these elements easily can be supplied sup-plied from other sources. As a matter of fact, foods made from both types of flour belong in the well-balanced diet, where they add variety and splendid food values val-ues at minimum cost. And it goes without saying that for many purposes, only white flour is suitable. suit-able. Bread Versus Pastry Flour Different types of wheat differ in their proportions of protein and carbohydrates, and that accounts for the difference between bread and pastry flours. Bread flour is made from wheat containing a large amount of gluten, which gives elasticity to a dough and helps to make a well-piled loaf. Pastry flour contains less gluten and more starch and has a lighter texture that produces fine-grained cakes. All-purpose flours, as their name implies, are usually a blend of different types of wheat and are designed for general household house-hold use. A Symbol of Progress It is a tribute to American enterprise en-terprise that the world's largest flour mills are now to be found in this country, and that tremendous staffs of technicians and research chemists supervise every step in the preparation of the flour which may pass through as many as 17 grindings and be subjected to 180 separations. Experts begin by checking the quality of the grain while it is in transit to the mill. But their work does not end when the flour emerges pure white in color and unbelievably fine in texture, after having passed through silk bolting cloths of 100 mesh or finer. After that, there are baking tests, day after day, to be sure that every sack which is sold is of uniformly high quality. r , 7 Self-Rising Flours An interesting development of recent years has been the self-rising flours and other ready-to-use mixtures. Some of these contain only a leavener; others include dried milk and eggs; fat; and baking bak-ing powder, so that only a liquid is needed. All are planned to save the homemaker's time and maintain main-tain her family's interest in their most important energy food the products of wheat the foremost cereal grain. WNU C. Houston Goudlss 1938 31. |