276 THE PLANT WORLD 



In the tropical Pacific, where it is peculiarly at home, the breadfruit 

 serves as a food-staple along with the banana, yam, taro, and sweet potato, 

 and is also responsible for the development of many interesting culinary 

 customs. A research into the culinary methods employed in the Pacific 

 islands would be an interesting ethno-botanical study; but we can only 

 linger over a few of the leading features and leave origins and migrations 

 alone. 



A method spread throughout the Pacific is that of fermenting the fruit 

 in underground pits, in which condition it keeps from year to year. 

 Captain Cook describes the process from Tahiti as follows : 



" The fruit is gathered just before it is perfectly ripe, and being laid 

 in heaps, is closely covered with leaves ; in this state it undergoes a fer- 

 mentation, and becomes disagreeably sweet; the core is then taken out 

 entire, which is done by gently pulling the stalk, and the rest of the 

 fruit is thrown into a hole which is dug for the purpose, generally in the 

 houses, and neatly lined in the bottom and sides with grass ; the whole is 

 then covered with leaves, and heavy stones laid upon them ; in this state 

 it undergoes a second fermentation, and becomes sour, after which it will 

 suffer no change for many months ; it is taken out of the holes as it is 

 wanted for use, and being made into balls, it is wrapped up in leaves and 

 baked ; after it is dressed it will keep five or six weeks. It is eaten both 

 cold and hot, and the natives seldom make a meal without it, though to 

 us the taste was as disagreeable as that of a pickled olive generallj' is the 

 first time it is eaten." * 



The Samoans called the cakes which they baked from this mixture 

 masi, a name which they also apply to ship-biscuits and crackers. The 

 Tahitians call it mahie, and use it in much the same way, as do also the 

 Fijians, who call it madrai. To European nostrils the aroma of this prep- 

 aration is far from appetizing, a condition of affairs which is reciprocated, 

 however, when Polynesians are confronted with European cheese. The 

 masi or cakes are generally reserved for use during times of scarcity of 

 the fresh breadfruit and taro. 



The general and best way of dressing the breadfruit is by baking 

 it in an oven of heated stones. The rind is scraped off, each fruit is cut 

 into three or four pieces, and the core carefully taken out ; heated stones 

 are then spread over the bottom of the cavity forming the oven, and 

 covered with leaves, upon which the pieces of breadfruit are placed ; a 

 layer of green leaves is strewn over the fruit, and other heated stones are 

 laid on the top ; the whole is then covered with earth and leaves several 

 inches in depth. In this state the oven remains half an hour or longer, 

 when the earth and leaves are removed, and the pieces of breadfruit taken 

 out ; the outsides are in general nicely browned, and the inner parts 



♦"Cook's First Voyage," Vol. 2, p. 198 (Hawkesworth Ed.). 



