STARCHY FOODS 149 



SAGO 



Sago is derived from a graceful palm (Metroxylon rumphii), 

 native of Malay Archipelago and somewhat resembling the 

 coconut palm in general appearance. The tree reaches a height 

 of 25 to 40 feet, and, like so many others of the palm family, 

 bears long, graceful, pinnate leaves. Sago is an important 

 source of food in southern India, Malaya, Borneo, Java, Cele- 

 bes, Sumatra, Ceylon, and elsewhere. The trees grow wild in 

 swampy land or are sometimes cultivated to a small extent. 

 The sago palm if left to itself will live 15 to 20 years, gradually 

 dying after the flowering period. For food purposes the tree 

 is felled just as it begins to flower, usually at about 10 years 

 of age. 



The sago palm is commonly propagated by suckers from 

 the old stumps. When harvested for food purposes the trunk 

 is at once cut into 3-foot lengths which are then split length- 

 wise. The soft fibrous pith is removed by a process of re- 

 peated washing and straining somewhat in the manner in which 

 cassava starch is obtained. The fiber is separated from the 

 starch which settles out of the water and is purified by a fur- 

 ther washing. Granulated sago is the form in which this 

 product is commonly seen on the market. It is prepared by 

 making a paste of the original sago meal, by mixing it with 

 water, and pressing the paste through a sieve with meshes of 

 the proper size. The trunk of the sago palm tree yields from 

 800 to 1,200 pounds of sago. Several other food products of 

 a similar nature are used to some extent under the name sago. 

 For example, the seeds of Cycas circinalis of Ceylon are of 

 a starchy nature and are used in making a kind of sago which 

 is eaten by the natives. 



CASSAVA 



Cassava, also called manioc plant, is a small shrubby peren- 

 nial related to the Ceara rubber tree and occurring under two 



