r; and if the bowels are disordered, a little nutmeg or ginger,
grated.

_Obs._ Gruel may be made with broth (No. 490, or No. 252, or No. 564),
instead of water; (to make _crowdie_, see No. 205*); and may be
flavoured with sweet herbs, soup roots, and savoury spices, by boiling
them for a few minutes in the water you are going to make the gruel
with; or zest (No. 255), pease powder (No. 458), or dried mint, mushroom
catchup (No. 409); or a few grains of curry powder (No. 455); or savoury
ragout powder (No. 457); or Cayenne (No. 404); or celery-seed bruised,
or soup herb powder (No. 459); or an onion minced very fine and bruised
in with the oatmeal; or a little eschalot wine (No. 402); or essence of
celery (Nos. 409, 413, 417, or No. 420), &c.

Plain gruel, such as is directed in the first part of this receipt, is
one of the best breakfasts and suppers that we can recommend to the
rational epicure; is the most comforting soother of an irritable stomach
that we know; and particularly acceptable to it after a hard day's work
of intemperate feasting: when the addition of half an ounce of butter,
and a tea-spoonful of Epsom salt, will give it an aperient quality,
which will assist the principal viscera to get rid of their burden.

"Water gruel," says Tryon in his _Obs. on Health_, 16mo. 1688, p. 42, is
"the king of spoon meats," and "the queen of soups," and gratifies
nature beyond all others.

In the "Art of Thriving," 1697, p. 8, are directions for preparing
fourscore noble and wholesome dishes, upon most of which a man may live
excellently well for two-pence a day; the author's Obs. on water gruel
is, that "essence of oatmeal makes a noble and exhilarating meal!"

Dr. Franklin's favourite breakfast was a good basin of warm gruel, in
which there was a small slice of butter, with toasted bread and nutmeg;
the expense of this he reckoned at three halfpence.

_Scotch Burgoo._--(No. 572*.)

"This humble dish of our northern brethren forms no contemptible article
of food. It possesses the grand qualities of salubrity, pleasantness,
and cheapness. It is, in fact, a sort of oatmeal hasty pudding without
milk; much used by those patterns of combined industry, frugality, and
temperance, the Scottish peasantry; and this, among other examples of
the economical Scotch, is well worthy of being occasionally adopted by
all who have large families and small incomes."

It is made in the following easy and expeditious manner:--