232 CASSAVA BREAD. 



LIB. iv. men t of man ; and to the Indians he hath given Mays,, 

 which hath the second place to wheate, for the nourishment 

 of men and beasts. 



CHAP. xvn. Of Yucas, Caqavi, Papas, Chunus, and Rice. 



In some partes of the Indies they vse a kinde of bread 

 they call Cacavi, 1 which is made of a certaine roote they 

 call Yuca. This Yuca is a great and grosse roote, 

 which they cutte in small morsells, they grate or scrape it, 

 and then put it in a presse to straine, making a thinue and 

 broade cake thereof, almost like vnto a Moores target or 

 buckler; then doe tljey drie it, and this is the breade they eate. 

 It hath no taste, but is healthfull and of good nourishment. 

 For this reason we said, being at Santo Domingo, that 

 it was the proper foode for great eaters, for that they might 

 eate much, without any feare of surfi etting. They must of 

 nccessitie water this Caravi before they eate it : it is sharpe, 

 and easely watered with water or broath, wherein it is very 

 good, for that it swells much, and so they make capirotadas ; 

 but it is hardly stieped in milke, in honny of sugar cane, or in 

 wine, for that these liquors cannot pierce it, as it doth bread 

 made of wheate. Of this Cacavi there is one kind more 

 delicate than any other, which is that they make of the 

 flower called Xauxau, which they do much esteeme in those 

 partes. For my parte, I esteeme more a morsell of bread, 

 how hard and black soever. It is a strange thing that the 

 iuice or water that cometh from this roote when they straine 

 it, which makes the Cacavi, is a deadly poison, and killes 

 any that drinkes thereof ; but the substance that remaineth 

 is a very wholesome bread and nourishment, as we have 

 saide. There is another kinde of Yuca, which they call 

 sweet, and hath not this poyson in the iuyce ; this is eaten 



1 Cassava. 



