§21.1Διὰ τί ἡ πτισάνη καὶ τὸ ἄλευρον ἐλαίου ἐπιχεομένου λευκότερα γίνεται;
Why is it that barley-groats and wheat flour, when oil is poured over them, become whiter?
καίτοι τὸ ἔλαιον πυρρόν.
And yet oil is reddish-yellow.
ἢ ὅτι πέφυκεν μιγνύμενον τῷ ὑγρῷ ἀφρίζειν;
Is it because oil naturally foams when mixed with liquid?
τοῦτο δὲ ἡ λευκότης.
And this foam is whiteness.
ἡ δὲ μῖξις τρίψει καὶ κινήσει.
And mixture is produced by friction and motion.
μίγνυται δὲ μᾶλλον τοῖς σωματικοῖς· ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἑψήμασι τοῦτο συμβαίνει, διὸ καὶ λευκότερα ποιεῖ.
Now oil mixes more with solid substances; and in boiled mixtures this happens, wherefore it also makes them whiter.
§21.2Διὰ τί ἡ ἐκ τοῦ πυροῦ τροφὴ μάλιστα ἁρμόττει τοῖς σώμασιν καὶ μᾶλλον τρόφιμος ἢ ἡ ἐκ τῶν κριθῶν;
Why is it that food made from wheat is best suited to our bodies and more nourishing than that made from barley?
ἢ διότι μετρίαν ἔχει γλισχρότητα;
Is it because it has a moderate stickiness?
δεῖ δὲ τὴν τροφὴν ἔχειν τοῦτο· προσφῦναι γὰρ δεῖ καὶ προσκολληθῆναι τῷ σώματι· οὗ αἴτιον τὸ γλίσχρον.
And food ought to have this; for it must adhere and stick to the body, and the cause of this is stickiness.
ἀλλὰ ψαθυρώτερον· διὸ αἱ τετριμμέναι σφόδρα μᾶζαι τροφιμώτεραι τῶν ἀτρίπτων.
But barley food is more crumbly; wherefore barley-cakes that are thoroughly kneaded are more nourishing than those unkneaded.
§21.3Διὰ τί τῶν μὲν ἀλεύρων τὰ πρῶτα, τῶν δὲ ἀλφίτων τὰ τελευταῖα λαμπρότερα;
Why is it that of wheat flour the first products, but of barley-meal the last, are whiter?
ἢ διότι τὸ μὲν καπυρὸν ὂν περιθραύεται, τὸ δὲ μαλακὸν ἐνθλίβεται;
Is it because the one, being dry and brittle, is chipped off around the edges, while the other, being soft, is squeezed out?
λαμπρότατον δὲ ἐν ἀμφοτέροις τὸ ἐντός.
And in both, the innermost part is the whitest.
§21.4Διὰ τί οἱ ἄρτοι λευκότεροι φαίνονται ψυχροὶ ὄντες ἢ θερμοί;
Why do loaves of bread appear whiter when they are cold than when they are hot?
ἢ διὰ τὴν αὐτὴν αἰτίαν τρόπον τινὰ καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον λευκότερον τοῦ προσφάτου τὸ παλαιόν;
Is it for some such reason as that old oil is whiter than fresh oil?
αἴτιον γὰρ τῆς μελανίας τὸ ὕδωρ, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν ἀμφοτέροις πλεῖον προσφάτοις οὖσιν· χρονιζομένοις δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐξατμίζειν λείπεται ἔλαττον τὸ ἐπιπολῆς.
For the cause of darkness is water, and this is present in greater quantity in both when they are fresh; but as time passes, owing to evaporation, less is left on the surface.
ἐξατμίζει δὲ τοῦ μὲν ἐλαίου ἢ ὁ χρόνος ἢ ὁ ἥλιος· ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἄρτων ψυχομένων τὸ θερμὸν ἐξιὸν ψυχρῶν μὲν ὄντων ἐξελήλυθεν, ἐν δὲ θερμοῖς οὖσιν ἔτι ἔνεστιν.
Now from oil either time or the sun evaporates it; but from cooling loaves of bread, the heat as it departs has already gone when they are cold, but is still present when they are hot.
§21.5Διὰ τί οἱ ἄναλοι ἄρτοι πλείονα σταθμὸν ἔχουσιν τῶν ἡλισμένων, τῶν ἄλλων αὐτοῖς ἴσων ὑπαρχόντων;
Why do unsalted loaves of bread have a greater weight than salted ones, when all other conditions are equal?
εἰκὸς δὲ ἦν τοὐναντίον· οἱ γὰρ ἅλες πρόσκεινταί τε καὶ βαρύτεροι τοῦ ὕδατός εἰσιν.
And yet the contrary was to be expected; for salt is added and is heavier than water.
ἢ ὅτι ξηραίνουσιν οἱ ἅλες;
Is it because salt dries things up?
διὸ καὶ σώζεται ἄσηπτα τὰ ταριχευόμενα· ἀναλίσκεται γὰρ καὶ ἀναξηραίνεται τὸ ὑγρὸν ὑπ’ αὐτῶν, ὃ σήπεται ὑπὸ τοῦ θερμοῦ.
For this reason, also, salted preserves are kept from rotting; for the moisture, which is rotted by heat, is consumed and dried up by them.
καὶ ἐν τῷ ἄρτῳ οὖν ἀναλίσκεται τὸ ὑγρὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁλός, καὶ ἀποπνεῖ ἔξω.
In bread, too, then, the moisture is consumed by the salt, and exhales outwards.
διὸ καὶ οἱ ἕωλοι ἄρτοι κουφότεροί εἰσι τῶν θερμῶν, ψυχρότεροι ὄντες.
Therefore, stale loaves are lighter than hot ones, being colder.
ἐν δὲ τοῖς μὴ ἡλισμένοις τοῦτο τὸ ὑγρὸν πλεῖον ἐνυπάρχον ποιεῖ βαρυτέρους αὐτούς.
But in unsalted loaves, this moisture being present in greater quantity makes them heavier.
§21.6Διὰ τί οἱ μὲν ψυχροὶ ἄρτοι ἀναβρεχθέντες, εἰ ἅψονται ἀλλήλων, οὐ συνέχονται, οἱ δὲ θερμοί;
Why is it that cold loaves, when soaked, do not cohere if they touch one other, while hot ones do?
ἢ ὅτι οἱ μὲν ψυχροὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀτμίδος ἀφιᾶσι τὸ ἐν αὑτοῖς γλίσχρον ὑγρόν, οὗ ἐξελθόντος οὐ κολλῶνται (τὸ γὰρ ὕδωρ ᾧ ἐβρέχθησαν ψαθυρώτερόν ἐστιν), οἱ δὲ θερμοὶ ἔχουσί τινα γλισχρότητα.
Is it because cold loaves, along with the steam, let go their inherent sticky moisture, and once this has departed they do not stick (for the water with which they were soaked is more crumbly), while hot loaves retain a certain stickiness?
ὅταν μὲν οὖν βεβρεγμένων αὐτῶν ἡ ἀτμὶς ἐξίῃ, τὸ μὲν θερμὸν διαπνεῖ διὰ λεπτότητα, τὸ δὲ κολλῶδες συνεξιὸν αὐτῷ καὶ μιγνύμενον τῷ ὑγρῷ προσέρχεσθαι ποιεῖ ἐν αὐτοῖς. μιγνύμενον τῷ ὐγρῷ προσέρχεσθαι ποιεῖ ἐν αὐτοῖς.
When, therefore, their steam goes out after they are soaked, the heat evaporates owing to its thinness, but the sticky part, departing with it and mixing with the moisture, causes them to cohere. mixing with the moisture, causes them to cohere.
§21.7Διὰ τί τῶν ἀλεύρων τὰ ἄλφιτα λαμπρότατά ἐστιν, τῶν δὲ ἀλφίτων τὰ τελευταῖα;
Why is it that of wheat flour the barley-meal is the whitest, but of barley-meal the last?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἄλφιτον καπυρὸν ὂν περιθραύεται, οἷον μάλιστα πάσχει πλεῖστον χρόνον κοπτόμενον, τὸ δὲ μαλακὸν καὶ λεπτὸν ἄλευρον, ὅ ἐστιν ἐντὸς τοῦ πυροῦ, ἐκθλίβεται πρῶτον.
Is it because barley-meal, being dry and brittle, is chipped off around the edges, which happens especially when it is beaten for a very long time, while the soft and fine wheat flour, which is inside the wheat, is squeezed out first?
λαμπρότατον δέ ἐστιν ἐν ἀμφοτέροις τὸ ἐντός.
And in both, the innermost part is the whitest.
§21.8Διὰ τί ἡ μὲν μᾶζα ὅσῳ ἂν μᾶλλον τριφθῇ, δυσδιαχωρητοτέρα γίνεται, ὁ δὲ ἄρτος εὐδιαχωρητότερος;
Why is it that a barley-cake, the more it is kneaded, becomes harder to pass through the bowels, while a loaf of bread becomes easier to pass?
ἢ διὰ τὸ τριφθῆναι σφόδρα τὸ σταῖς μικρότερον γίνεται;
Is it because, by being thoroughly kneaded, the dough becomes smaller in its particles?
τὸ γὰρ γλίσχρον τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς πάντοθεν ἐξῄρηται τὸ ὑγρὸν τοῦ ἄρτου, ὥστε ψαθυρώτερον γίνεται τοῦ ὑγροῦ ἐξαιρεθέντος ὅλως, ὅσῳ ἂν μᾶλλον τριφθῇ, διὰ τὸ ἐν τῇ τρίψει μικρομερέστερον γεγονέναι· τὸ δὲ ψαθυρὸν εὐπεπτότερόν ἐστιν.
For the sticky has this nature, but by the fire the moisture of the bread is completely removed from all sides, so that it becomes more crumbly when the moisture is entirely removed, the more it is kneaded, because in the kneading it has become composed of smaller parts; and the crumbly is easier to digest.
ἡ δὲ μᾶζα ὅσῳ ἂν μᾶλλον τριφθῇ, γλισχροτέρα γίνεται τοῦ ὑγροῦ μεμιγμένου· τὸ δὲ γλίσχρον οὐκ εὐδιαίρετον.
But a barley-cake, the more it is kneaded, becomes stickier as the moisture is mixed in; and the sticky is not easily divided.
τὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα δύσπεπτά ἐστιν· δεῖ γὰρ τὸ πεφθησόμενον διαιρεθῆναι εἰς μικρά.
And such things are hard to digest; for that which is to be digested must be divided into small parts.
§21.9Διὰ τί ἡ μὲν μᾶζα τριβομένη ἐλάττων γίνεται, τὸ δὲ σταῖς μεῖζον;
Why is it that a barley-cake when kneaded becomes smaller, but dough becomes larger?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἄλφιτον βρεχθὲν καὶ τριβόμενον συνίζει τῇ τοῦ ὑγροῦ κολλήσει διὰ τὸ ἀραιὸν εἶναι καὶ χονδρόν, τὸ δὲ ἄλευρον μετεωρίζεται διὰ τὸ πυκνὸν σφόδρα εἶναι;
Is it because barley-meal, when soaked and kneaded, settles together through the cohesion of the moisture because it is loose and coarse, while wheat flour rises because it is extremely dense?
τὰ γὰρ πυκνὰ τριβόμενα θερμαίνεται, θερμαινόμενα δὲ καὶ πνευματούμενα μετεωρίζεται, καθάπερ καὶ ἡ σάρξ.
For dense things when rubbed become warm, and when warmed and filled with gas they rise, just like flesh.