326. Oreobambos buchwaldii K. Schum. (Gram.) Large green bamboo. 



Tolanje (G), liulaive (Y, name used for any soft, hollow bamboo). 



Bamboo with weak, hollow, green stems up to 50 ft. tall sometimes dying out a 

 year after flowering at other times persisting. Found in open parts of evergreen 

 rain forest and said to be recorded at Nchisi and Kaning'ina. 



Stems used for pig fences and for making flat, plate-like baskets (Tt). 



Ref. 14; 26; 27. 



327. Ormocarpum sp. (Papil.). 



Phuluphulu (N), lunemera (Y), pulumwe (Su). 



A small tree with pinnate leaves growing at all elevations. 



The small leaflets are plucked from the stems and pounded. They are then 

 cooked with the addition of potashes and form a slimy product, thelele. The dish is 

 fairly well liked. The leaves are known to be eaten very commonly in the Mzimba 

 District and fairly commonly in Kota Kota, Karonga and Fort Johnston Districts. 



328. Oryza sativa L. (Gram.). Rice. 

 Mpunga (G). 



An erect tillering grass, 2-4 ft. high, with shallow spreading root system de- 

 manding characteristically a high soil moisture content ; grain borne in loose panicles. 

 Rice was in cultivation in East Africa before the arrival of the Portuguese and 

 Livingstone refers to it on the Dowa Lake-shore. 



Except in parts of Karonga District, where large amounts are consumed, rice is 

 a luxury food for Africans. It can readily be sold at relatively high prices either to 

 Europeans or Indians and so in most places is a cash rather than a food crop. 



Preparation of the Grain. 



The grain is stored unthreshed in bins made of bamboo or raffia palm which 

 are well plastered. About one month after harvest, the grain is beaten out with 

 sticks and the " padi ", mpunga wosapuntha, is now ready to pound. If it is too 

 hot from exposure to the sun it is allowed to cool off to prevent too great a breakage 

 of the grain. The grain is then pounded in a mortar. The husk is winnowed off 

 and the grain re-pounded until separation of the husk is complete. During the 

 process a fairly large proportion of the grain is broken. These small fragments are 

 separated from the whole grains and are used for making flour. 



The grain is prepared for eating in the following ways : — 



(1) Porridge, nsima. 



Flour is prepared by pounding and alternate sifting through a fine sieve. When 

 water is boiling in the pot, the flour is quickly added with stirring, the whole process 

 taking about ten minutes. The product is of a soft consistency and is said not 

 to have so much " staying power " as maize or cassava porridge. After eating the 

 former, an African is hungry again after a few hours while a morning meal of the 

 latter will sustain him all day. Except in parts of Karonga District, rice porridge 

 is seldom made. 



(2) Boiled rice, mpunga wa mphumphu. 



The rice is well washed by rubbing betw^een the hands and kneading in a flat 

 basket while water is poured over. The process is repeated two or three times until 

 the water is clear. Thorough washing has the advantage of removing the loose 

 grains of starch so that the rice grains separate when well cooked, but it has the 

 disadvantage from the nutritive point of view, that a considerable amount of vitamin 

 Bl which is present largely in the outer layers of the grain, is also lost in the water. 



The grain is then put in boiling water and allowed to cook until it is found to 

 be sufficiently soft when squeezed between the fingers. 



87 



