South Carolina Temperance Advocate And Register Of Agriculture And General Literature

SWEET POTATO COFFEE.

Some time ago, we saw in a Memphis paper, a recommendation of sweet potatoes as a substitute for coffee. The freak took us a day or two since, to make trial of it, by way of experiment. Yesterday morning we drank of the proceeds at breakfast, and hope to do so this morning. A medium sized sweet potato was pared, and then, while in the raw state, sliced. These slices were then cut across-wise, so that when the operation was over the pieces were square and precisely of the magnitude of ordinary dice. These were then toasted slowly over a fire, as one does coffee. The moisture of the potato gradually evaporated, and in about the time that coffee would be prepared for the mill, the potato substitute was ready for the same process. The grinding was carried on easily and perfectly, and the grains came out prettily from the mill. The beverage was made yesterday by the French method of dripping, and we have seldom drank a cup with greater pleasure. This potato coffee is as strong and dark in appearance as any other, and only differs in taste from "Havana" by reason of a slight resemblance to cocoa. It takes very little sugar, and is a substantial, cheap, and no doubt, healthy drink. Who else tries it!

It is better coffee than we ever drank in North or South Carolina, Georgia or Alabama, at any breakfasting house on a route, and we would particularly recommend it to the landlady on the southern bank of the Roanoke. We hope to see our planters try it, and doubt that many who live far from or inconvenient to market, will do well to introduce it. Poor people in the city can make coffee for a week, with a picayune's worth of sweet potatoes.—N. O. Crescent.