Beans, peas, lentils and their congeners are in a class by themselves. They are well supplied with protein in the shape of legumin - sometimes called vegetable casein - and contain much mineral matter, especially potash and lime. They have little fat, and hence go well with bacon or pork. They are by no means well digested, as they not only contain a large quantity of cellulose, but their protein is very rich in sulphur, which forms foetid gases in the lower bowel. In addition, like many nuts they contain an irritant principle which is quite incapable of being tolerated by many people.

Pea-flour is a delicious preparation, rarely seen in the South though frequently used in the North, where it is called pease-meal. It is easily prepared by stirring it up with hot water or hot milk, adding a little sugar or preferably salt, and supping it with alternate mouthfuls either of fresh or butter-milk. Half a pound of pea-flour with a pint and a half of milk would supply all the essential ingredients of a day's food.

The pulses are freely used by fleshless feeders, even although they contain the equivalent of uric acid in goodly quantities. Much of this may, however, be removed by soaking them for from eight to twenty-four hours in water. Miles gives the following recipe for "Kedgeree":

Two ounces of rice, 4 ounces of butter-beans, 1 onion, 1 banana, 1 ounce of butter, a little lemon juice, pepper and salt if required, 1 teaspoonful of curry powder, 2 eggs.

Soak the beans overnight, and cook them in a little water so that they absorb nearly all the water. Cook the rice in the same way. Chop the onion and banana fine, and fry them together in the butter, adding the curry powder and any liquor that may have been strained from the rice and beans. Cook the eggs hard, mince them and add them. Mix all together, make the mixture very hot. and serve with toast.