,1769. ROUND THE WOULD. 19? 



convert a surplus into money, and lay it up for his 

 children. 



It is true, indeed, that the bread-fruit is not always 

 in season ; but cocoa-nuts, bananas, plantains, and a 

 great variety of other fruits, supply the deficiency. 



It may well be supposed, that cookery is but little 

 studied by these people as an art ; and, indeed, they 

 have but two ways of applying fire to dress their 

 food, broiling and baking ; the operation of broiling 

 is so simple that it requires no description, and their 

 baking has been described already, (page 154.) 

 in the account of an entertainment prepared for us 

 by Tupia. Hogs, and large fish, are extremely w^ell 

 dressed in the same manner ; and, in our opinion, 

 were more juicy and more equally done than by any 

 art of cookery now practised in Europe. Bread-fruit 

 is also cooked in an oven of the same kind, which 

 renders it soft, and something like a boiled potatoe ; 

 not quite so farinaceous as a good one, but more so 

 than those of the middling sort. 



Of the bread-fruit they also make three dishes, by 

 putting either water or the milk of the cocoa-nut to 

 it, then beating it to a paste with a stone pestle, and 

 afterwards mixing it with ripe plantains, bananas, or 

 the sour paste which they call MaJiie. 



The mahie, which has been mentioned as a succe- 

 daneum for ripe bread-fruit, before the season for 

 gathering a fresh crop comes on, is thus made : 



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 fermentation, and be- 

 comes 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 that 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 



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