220 



THE COCOA. 



divested of the outer coat, is somewhat like our 

 chestnut. During the hot N. East monsoon the 

 refrigerating, diuretic milk is a favourite with 

 strangers, and much feared by natives. A re- 

 spectable man is derided if seen eating a bit of 

 ripe cocoa-nut, a food for slaves and savages from 

 the far west, but he greedily consumes the blanc- 

 mange-like pulp of the Dafu, which is supposed, 

 probably from its appearance, to secrete virility. 

 Rasped, the ripe kernel enters into many dishes ; 

 the cream squeezed from it is mixed with boiled 

 rice, and the meat, kneaded with wheat-flour and 

 clarified butter, is made, as at Goa, into scone- 

 like cakes. No palm-wine is so delicious as 

 that of the cocoa-tree, and the vinegar is propor- 

 tionally good. The Zerambo, or distillation from 

 'toddy,' is adulterated with lime, sugar, and 

 other ingredients, which render it unpalatable 

 as it is pernicious. 



Formerly there were many cocoa-nut oil-mills 

 in the town ; now (1857) they are transferred to 

 the plantations where Sesamum (Simsim) is also 

 crushed. The c Engenho ' is ruder than in the 

 Brazil. A camel, blind-folded to prevent it eating 

 the oil-cake or striking work, paces slowly round 

 the c horse-walk,' moving a heavy beam ; this 

 rolls a pestle of 6 inches in diameter in a conical 



