USEFUL WILD PLANTS 



remain over night. When removed after about 

 twelve hours of slow cooking, the bread was coal 

 black if the admixture of clay had been used or red- 

 dish bro^\ai otherwise, and of the consistency of soft 

 cheese, hardening, however, with exposure. Such 

 bread is oily and heavy, but noticeably sweet in 

 taste. The latter characteristic is doubtless due to 

 sugar developed by the prolonged, slow steaming. 



Dr. C. Hart Merriam, in the '^National Geographic 

 Magazine" for August, 1918, tells of a simpler way 

 of making acorn bread as observed by him. The 

 hot acorn-mush is dipped, a small quantity at a 

 time, from the general stock and plunged into cold 

 water, which causes the lumps to contract and 

 stiffen. The ^'loaves" so made are then placed on 

 a rock to harden and dry out, after which they may 

 be kept for weeks until consumed. The same au- 

 thority speaks of the excellence of a bread made 

 from a mixture of acorn-flour and corn-meal, in the 

 proportion of one of the former to four of the 

 latter. 



While the acorns of any species may be utilized 

 for human need, there is a distinct choice exercised 

 by the Indians, the preference being based appar- 

 ently on relative richness in oil and lowness in tannin. 

 The best liked, according to my observation, are 



72 



