BUTTER 35 



said to grow at Zanzibar, Pemba, and on the shores of Lake 

 Tanganyika. It is called Mchikichi in the Swahili language, 

 Mtschikitschi (Kisuah, East Africa), and Mchikichi (Lake 

 Tanganyika, Africa). It has a well-developed fruit spike, 

 and sometimes five hundred fruits are found upon one tree, 

 each fruit being about the size of a large olive. 



The oil from the pulp is very largely used as food. The 

 pulp contains 72 per cent, of oil (palm butter) ; which 

 is used in the same way as Europeans use butter. The 

 palm oil used for human food is prepared as follows. The 

 nut bunches are kept in a warm place for three or four 

 days and the nuts then taken out. Three to four pounds 

 are made at a time. They are boiled in iron pots, and then 

 put into wooden mortars and pounded with wooden pestles. 

 The pulpy mass is then mixed with tepid water, the chall" 

 removed, and afterwards the stones, the oil remaining mixed 

 with the water which is passed through a sieve. It is then 

 put into a pot placed on the fire, heated to boiling point, and 

 allowed to continue in that state while the oil floats up as a 

 bright red substance and is skimmed off. The oil is now 

 put into a pot, and heated, to drive out any water it may 

 contain. 



The main nerves of the exterior of the pinnoo of the 

 leaves and the exterior of the leafstalks are used for makinsr 

 baskets and brooms. At St. Paul de Loango the fibre at the 

 base of the leaves, and also that of the spathe, is used for 

 stuffing cushions, etc. 



The soft centre at the upper part of the stem, con- 

 sisting of undeveloped leafstalks, is much relished as a 

 vegetable. 



