268 Agricultural and Land produce of Shoa. QNo. 148. 



47. The grinding mill is in shape like the shoe worn in the days 

 of Queen Elizabeth. The frame-work, about two feet in height, is 

 composed of wood, straw, and mud, and supports a large smooth slab of 

 stone, inclining at a considerable angle from the heel to the toe. The 

 female stands at the heel of this gigantic slipper, and with a loose 

 fragment of hard rock, held between both her hands, contrives by dint 

 of great personal exertion, and by rocking herself to and fro in a 

 truly uncomfortable position, to bruise the grain into a form some- 

 what resembling flour, which descends in scanty streams over the toe 

 of the machine, into the vessel placed for its reception. 



48. The flour is then mixed with water and yeast, (sour dough 

 macerated in hot- water,) and worked up into large thick cakes, a foot 

 and a half in diameter, which are very carefully covered with the 

 leaves of the plantain. Each cake is then individually enclosed 

 between two earthen pans, a strong fire of charcoal and cow-dung is 

 next heaped about the locomotive oven, and in half an hour the crushed 

 matter is considered ready for use, which a well-fed Indian elephant 

 would most probably reject, with some hint to his keeper, of better 

 baking in future. 



49. The foregoing is the most superior bread used by the wealthy 

 classes, and is denominated " daboo ;" but there are numerous other 

 methods of preparing grain for food, from the mere roasting the pickles, 

 and mixing the different sorts according to the palate of the proprietor, 

 to this grand attempt in the art of bakery, running through all 

 the grades of " heliot," " anababroo" " anabroot" " deffoo" " ame- 

 sa," " debeema" " deemookta" and " kilta," the first four of these 

 being composed of wheaten flour, and the remainder of teff, gram, 

 jewarree, barley, and peas. 



50. The various flours used in the preparation of all these cakes 

 being mixed up with water until they form a batter of moderate consis- 

 tency are poured upon the griddle, somewhat like pancakes, and ex- 

 cepting those made from pea and gram flour, are all spungy and full 

 of eyes, and considerably sour. The natives, however, are not very par- 

 ticular in these preparations, and the grain in a raw state, more especi- 

 ally gram, beans, and barley, appear to satisfy their cravings equally 

 as the most refined method in use. 



51. The following table gives the generic English and Amharic 



