In Afric’s Forest and Jungle 
greatly resembles a bramble briar) but the farm¬ 
ers raise great numbers of them, from one to 
two feet long each. It is cooked by steam and is 
very white, sweet and mealy. In cooking it, a 
number of yams are cut up and placed in a very 
large earthen pot containing a small quantity of 
water and another pot of the same size is in¬ 
verted and placed on top of the first and the joint 
is sealed with clay. The water is then converted 
into steam, and this cooks the yams. The na¬ 
tive women seem to know by intuition exactly 
when to take off the upper vessel and let the 
yams dry off. Old, well-cured yams are a very 
delicious and nourishing article of food, whether 
eaten cold or hot. It is more expensive than 
ekhaw, especially in the form of eyan. This is 
made by pounding the yam in a mortar with a 
large, heavy pestle until, by adding a little water 
occasionally, it is converted into a stiff, puffy 
paste. In this form it is always eaten with the 
native sauce. In its simple form it is eaten in 
any manner. It is an excellent substitute for 
bread, and for this reason is an indispensable dish 
at a foreigner’s table. A piece of sweet, mealy 
yam eaten cold is also a most palatable luncheon 
when one is on the road. 
Dried cassada made into flour and then cooked 
34 
