time, up to three or more hours. As the pulses boil, a small 
quantity of a light green oily substance is liberated, forming a 
scum on the sides of the pot. The cooked pulses are edible but 
still very bitter. To remove the bitter taste, they are soaked in the 
river for two days. This soaking is done by emptying the cooked 
pulses into a large, loosely woven basket and placing the basket 
in the river so that the water circulates through it. 
Prepared pulses are eaten plain or as “jimio janique”, a drink 
made by adding mashed pulses to the boiled liquid removed 
from freshly grated manioc (Manihot esculenta). 
Prepared pulses not destined for immediate consumption are 
mashed and buried in leaf-lined pits in much the same way as 
described above for bati-butter. Generally, however, the leaves 
of Phenakospermum guyanense (Musaceae) are used to form 
the leaf packet, and the pulses are not heated prior to burial. If 
proper care is exercised, Monopteryx can be stored in this 
manner for about six months. Under such anaerobic storage 
conditions, Monopteryx ferments, developing a sharp, pleasant 
taste. In the fermented state, it is occasionally eaten plain but 
most often prepared as “jimio janique”. An estimated 50 to 75% 
of the total amount of Monopteryx seed collected during the 
1977 harvest was stored for periods of time in the ground. 
COMPOSITION OF SEEDS AND SEED PRODUCTS 
In order to determine the composition of Monopteryx and 
Erisma seeds, samples of freshly cooked seed were prepared as 
for eating and preserved with benzoic acid. Duplicate samples of 
each were stored in leaf-lined pits as described above, until just 
prior to shipment, at which time they were removed to sterile 
glass jars and sealed with paraffin wax. The fermentation time of 
the pit-stored samples was four to six weeks. The results of food 
composition analyses of “jimio” and “bati” are shown in Table 1. 
The analyses were done on partially dry material by the Instituto 
Colombiano Agropecuario in Bogota. 
As indicated in Table 1, Erisma seed is high in fat (70.5g./ 
100g.). and food energy (768 kcal./100g.). Fermentation in- 
creases the fat content (to 80.1g./ 100g.) and the energy value (to 
79 
