22 SEEDS AND PLANTS IMPORTED. 



27576 to 27579— Continued. 



I immediately pronounced it delicious. The seeds are enveloped in a large 

 quantity of pulp, which is of a custard-like consistency and of a very agreeable 

 acidulous taste. I do not know what fruit it resembles most in taste. It would 

 undoubtedly do to try in the Everglades, as it grows here in localities which 

 are often flooded for some time during the rainy season." (Fischer.) 

 Distribution. — Paraguay and the adjacent parts of Brazil and Argentina. 



27580. Sesban grandiflorum (L.) Poir. 



From Poona, India. Received through Mr. P. S. Kanetkar, director, Empress 

 Botanic Gardens, April 27, 1910. 



"A small tree of very rapid growth, with large flowers and short life. It thrives in 

 any irrigated soil. The flowers and young pods are a favorite vegetable." (Wood- 

 row's Gardening in India, p. 279.) 



Preparation of Sesban grandiflorum as a vegetable : The parts used are : (1) The tender 

 shoots, (2) the fresh flowers, (3) the pods in a tender state, (4) the seeds in tough pods. 



The tender shoots are chopped fine, boiled, and the boiled water is thrown away. 

 Salt, chili powder, and "masala," or condiment powder, are added for flavor. Boiling 

 sweet oil (one-half ounce to the pound of vegetable), to which is added asafetida and 

 whole mustard and cumin seeds, is poured on the boiled vegetable. The oil is mixed 

 with the vegetable, which is now kept on a slow fire for seasoning, the pot being cov- 

 ered to condense the steam. 



The flowers are washed clean and the standard petal and pistil are taken out of 

 each flower (it is not understood why these are rejected). The chopped flowers are 

 subjected to a slight steaming in a vessel. Afterwards salt, chili powder, and con- 

 diment powder are added. From this preparation three different dishes can be 

 made: 



(a) A sour dish, which is obtained by adding curds and pouring boiled oil (one-half 

 ounce to the pound of vegetable) or ghee, preferably the latter, to which mustard 

 (one thirty-second to one-half ounce of oil), asafetida (5 grains to one-half ounce of 

 oil), and cumin seeds (one thirty-second to one-half ounce of oil) are always added 

 while boiling. 



(b) Curry can be made from the stuff by adding water, proportionate salt, chili 

 powder, turmeric powder, and a little gram pulse flour to give it consistency. The 

 curry must be well boiled — one-eighth of the water should steam out. Then boiling 

 oil, to which mustard, asafetida, and cumin seeds are added, is poured into the curry. 

 After a little further boiling the curry is ready for use. 



(c) To the steamed preparation gram pulse flour is added sufficient to make it 

 thick; salt, chili powder, and condiment powder are added and the whole is placed 

 in a vessel on a slow fire to dry off. 



The tender pods are cut up into half-inch and inch bits and boiled and then either 

 made into curry like (6) or a solid vegetable like (c). When made into curry, gram 

 pulse about one-fourth the volume of the bits of pods is boiled with them. A sour 

 dish can also be made from the boiled pod bits like (a). 



The seeds, before they get tough, are usually mixed with the pod bits when made 

 into curry. No special dish is made from the seeds. 



The "masala" (this is a Bombay word) or condiment powder referred to above is 

 made up of the following, fried in sweet oil — 2 ounces asafetida, 2 ounces cloves, 2 

 ounces cinnamon leaves, 2 ounces cinnamon bark, 4 ounces turmeric, 2 pounds cori- 

 ander, 2 ounces cumin seed, 2 ounces Carum nigrum, 2 ounces coconut kernel, 4 

 ounces sesame. 

 208 



