S6 
SUMATRA. 
gathered and brought home ^ no carts being employed in the interior 
parts of the ifland, which I am now defcribingj They are made of 
flices of bambooi connected by means of fpllt rattans ; and are carried^ 
chiefly by the women, on the back, fupported by a firing, or band, 
aciofs the forehead p 
Although the Sumatranslive, in a great meafure, upon vegetable food, 
they are not rcftramed, by any fuperftittous opinion, from other alimentSj 
and accordingly, at their entertainments^ the flelh of the buffaloc (car- 
how)^ goar, and fowlsj are ferved up. Their difh^s are almoft all pre- 
pared in that mode of drefTuig, to which we have given the name of 
curry, and which is now univerfally known hi Europe. It is called in 
the Malay language, godye^ and may be compofed of any kind of Edi- 
ble, but is generally of flcfh or fowl, with a variety of pulfe and foccu- 
lent herbage, ftewed down with certain ingredients, by us termed, when 
mixed and ground together, curry powder, Thefe ingredients arc, 
among others, the cayenne or chili pepper, turmeric, ferrayc or lemon 
grafs, cardamums, garlic k, and the pulp of the coco-nut bruifed to a 
milk rcfembling that of almonds, which is the only liquid made ufe of. 
This differs from the curries of Madras and Bengal, which have greater 
variety of fpices, and wane the coco-nut. It is not a little remarkable, 
that the common pepper, the chief produce and ftaple eommodity of 
the countrj^ is never mixed by the natives in their food. They efteem 
it heating to the blood, and afcribc a contrary eflfedt to the cayenne ; 
which, I oan fay, my own experience juftifies. A great diverfity of 
curries is ufually ferved up at the fame time, in fmall veiTels, each fla- 
voredj to a nice difcerning tafte, in a different manner; and in this con- 
fifts all the luxury of their tables. Let the quantity or variety of meat 
be what it may, the principle article of their food is rice, which is eaten 
in a large proportion with every dilh, and very frequently without any 
other accompaniment than fait and chili pepper. It is prepared by boi- 
ling in a manner peculiar to India ; it*s perfection, next to eleannefs 
and whitenefs, confi fling in it*s being, when thoroughly dreffcd and 
foft to the heart, at the fame time whole and feparate^ fo that no two 
grains 
