FOOD IN THE TROPICS 
89 
patted into broad flat cakes which are rolled up and tightly 
wrapped and tied in dry leaves. In this fashion the food may 
be kept for some time. Remember that water also can be ob- 
tained by tapping the tops of the roots of the screw pine. 
The breadfruit tree (Fig. 18), commonly planted by the Pacific 
islanders and in tropical America, also may be found along or 
near the shore. The tree attains a moderate height, and has 
large glossy leaves. The fruit is attached to the small branches 
by a short thick stalk and hangs either singly or in clusters of 
two or three together. It is oval or spheroid in shape, is ap- 
proximately 6 inches in diameter, and has a rind with a warty 
surface. There are many different varieties ripening at dif- 
ferent times of year providing an almost constant supply. The 
fruit usually is baked in hot embers, in pits filled with hot rocks 
and covered with palm leaves, or is boiled or cut into slices and 
fried like potatoes. Sometimes the natives cook the fruit and 
cut it into slices, dry them in the sun or in an oven, and keep 
them for future use. They can be eaten without further prep- 
aration, may be toasted, or be ground up and cooked in vari- 
ous ways with other substances. 
Throughout Polynesia and to some extent in Malaysia is a 
small or medium-sized tree growing from 8 to 10 or up to 20 
feet in height called the Polynesian chestnut (Fig. 19). It grows 
especially along the shores and bears pods which contain a single 
large seed that provides excellent food when boiled or roasted. 
It is even better than the chestnuts which we formerly obtained 
from Italy. It is necessary to boil or roast the nuts to remove 
the tannin which they contain. There are other trees similar 
to chestnuts with fruits varying from those with a hull as spiny 
as that of n chestnut to those with a hull that is merely rough 
