478 
VAUGHAN MACCAUGHEY 
A number of algae, both marine and fresh-water forms, were cus- 
tomarily treated to a native "ripening" process. This limu was 
soaked in fresh water for twenty-four hours or more, causing partial 
decomposition and the development of a strong odor. The filamentous 
algae common in mountain streams were considered to be particularly 
suitable for "ripening," and were generally used only after this peculiar 
treatment. 
Limu was eaten in combination with many other foods, rather than 
as a food by itself. It corresponded to the salad, or to the ripe olives 
and salted almonds, of an American dinner. The finely-chopped 
limu was mixed with any one or with combinations of the following: 
raw-fish, squid, shrimps, limpets, crabs, sea-urchins, holothurians, 
kukui nuts, chili peppers. A favorite relish was made from the 
roasted kernels of the kukui nuts {Aleurites moluccana, or candle-nut), 
which were chopped fine and mixed with limu and salt. According 
to Miss Reed, who a number of years ago made a careful study of the 
edible seaweeds of Hawaii, "This will keep for months in glass jars, 
and is excellent with bread and butter or cold meats. It resembles 
Russian caviar in flavor. . . . The Hawaiian serve this with poi, raw 
or cooked fish, or roast meats." 
Vegetable preparations of various kinds comprised a large part 
of the native pharmacopeia. The limti, although not an important 
i^tem in the long list of Hawaiian medicines, were used in several ways. 
Certain filamentous species (Spirogyra, etc.) were used as poultices for 
sore eyes. A number of kinds were used as poultices for cuts, bruises, 
sores, and boils. An infusion of Centroceros was used as a cathartic, 
and Hypnea nidifica was similarly employed for stomach troubles. 
The edible seaweeds were so extensively and so variously used in 
ancient Hawaii that it is difficult to make any accurate estimate of 
the quantities then consumed. In modern times, despite the great 
shrinkage of the native population, limu forms a staple article of mer- 
chandise at the fish markets. In Honolulu, the chief market, the 
annual sales amount to about five thousand pounds, seUing at about 
$2,500. This comprises chiefly limu kohu {Asparagopsis sanfordiana) , 
limu ele-ele {Enteromorpha spp.), and limu o-olu {Chondria tenuissima) . 
Hawaii's preponderant Oriental population, that now makes over 
sixty percent of the total, uses large quantities of seaweed. The 
Japanese import annually about 165,000 pounds, almost wholly from 
Japan. The Chinese import about 90,000 pounds from their country. 
