GLUE BEEF TEA

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 12 April 1917, Page 3

GLUE BEEF TEA

WEIRD CONCOCTIONS WHICH BERLIN CONSUMES. INTERESTING revelations wore made recently by Dr. Fendler, the head of the Berlin municipal chemical laboratory, about the amazing concoctions which Germans are eating as food- -subetit utes, owinj* to the activities of an army of swindlers eager to take advantage of the Berliners' present plight. According to Dr. Fendler, the necessity for using substitutes for all kinds of food, now created by the British blockade, . has caused the mushroomlike growth of " factories " where " food " is prepared according to astonishing recipes, JAmong the "manufacturers" are former hairdressers, coachmen and peasants. The " factory" often consists of a more or less dented cooking utensil, while the capital is merely a few shillings. Nothing more is needed nowadays to poison millions of Germans. Dr Fendler instances—the- case —of" " bouillon cubes," which are much advertised as substitutes for beef tea, contains a little flour and much cooking salt, with a sprinkling of ordinary pulverised glue. Berlin's favourite " Liptauer cheese " substitute contains 70 per cent of salt and "29 per cent of red pepper. Tiny pieces of mint supply the "cheese flavour," while rancid butter gives the indispensible cheese smell.