FOOD IN THE TROPICS 
103 
Another common vegetable is the cassava, manioc, or tapioca 
(Fig. 27). The large roots of these plants should be used 
with caution as there are two varieties, one sweet and the 
other bitter. They can only be distinguished by taste. The 
sweet form may be eaten raw but the bitter form is poisonous 
unless it is cooked. The natives remove this poisonous sub- 
stance by crushing the roots thoroughly, washing the starchy 
mass with several changes of water, and then cooking it. If 
you are in a region where you can learn how it should be 
prepared, do so, as the knowledge might prove helpful later on. 
Peanuts may often be found in clearings as they are culti- 
vated in many tropical and semitropical areas by the natives. 
The fruits are borne below the surface of the ground and 
their seeds are very nourishing. They may be eaten raw or 
cooked. Pineapples also occur in abandoned fields. 
Many common temperate zone breeds are found in clearings in 
the tropics. They also are edible. Among these is the purslane 
previously mentioned (p. 91) and the pokeweed (Fig. 28). The 
tender, young shoots of the latter may be cooked as greens. The 
roots, however, are definitely poisonous. The ground cherry or 
Chinese lantern plant (Fig. 29) has escaped from cultivation 
and become a weed almost throughout the tropics. Its bladdery 
pods contain a single red tomato-like fruit that is edible. 
Raspberries, blackberries, and mulberries are sometimes found 
at higher elevations. They look sufficiently like the forms you 
are familiar with at home to be recognized. All are edible or at 
least harmless. Some of them may be too seedy to be palatable, 
but they won’t hurt you. 
