DUMBOY, THE NATIONAL DISH OF LIBERIA 



85 



in water ; but unless the water is used 

 very sparingly the dumboy becomes 

 sodden. 



The beating requires about three 

 quarters of an hour, and is hard 

 work. As the beaten mass becomes 

 homogeneous the pestle produces a 

 loud crack each time it is drawn from 

 the mortar. These sharp reports can 

 be heard for long distances through 

 the forest, and are a very welcome 

 sound at the end of a day's journey. 



When the dumboy reaches this 

 stage the operator may rest without 

 injury to the quality of the product; 

 but, once the beating is carried past 

 this point, it must be rapidly com- 

 pleted and the dumboy eaten at once. 

 If the natives are to be believed, it 

 is actually dangerous to eat dumboy 

 that has stood for more than a few 

 minutes after it is beaten. If allowed 

 to stand long it becomes very hard, 

 broken pieces of dried dumboy being 

 a favorite kind of shot for use in 

 the long muzzle-loading guns of the 

 natives. A casing of dumboy is also 

 used to stiffen the leather sheaths of 

 the native swords and knives. 



As soon as the beating is finished 

 the dumboy is taken from the mortar 

 and placed in shallow wooden bowls 

 (see figure on page 88). The native 

 method is to place the entire quan- 

 tity in one large bowl from which 

 all the partakers eat. If divided, the 

 customary portion for each person is 

 a piece about the size and shape of 

 an ordinary loaf of bread. 



A soup which has been prepared while 

 the dumboy was being beaten is now 

 poured into each bowl. There is great 

 variety in this soup, which imparts most 

 of the taste to the dish. There is always 

 a stock of some form of meat. This 

 may be either chicken, deer, fish, monkey, 

 or even canned beef. To this are added 

 as many vegetables as can be obtained, 

 the choice depending upon the season. 



The list includes sweet potatoes, bread- 

 fruit, eddoes (the Liberian name for 

 yautia), and, if possible, "whaney." 

 Whaney is the juice squeezed from the 



POUNDING THE CASSAVA TO MAKE THE 

 DUMBOY 



pulp that surrounds the seed of the oil 

 palm. It is not attractive in appearance^ 

 but imparts a rich flavor to the soup. 

 In any case, parched "kiffy," or "beni," 

 seed must be added as a condiment. 

 Kiffy is a small melon-like plant, the seed 

 of which are parched and finely ground. 

 Beni (Sesamum oriental e) is the plant 

 commonly known as sesame. The seeds 

 are treated in the same way as kiffy seed,, 

 and have very much the same taste. The 

 parched seeds of either of these plants is 

 a delightful condiment. 



