CASSAVA  BREAD. 
457 
the  leaves  are  of  a  darker  green,  and  the  stem  of  a  dark-brown 
color.  The  roots  require  a  somewhat  longer  period  for  coming 
to  maturity,  and  are  much  larger,  being  about  twenty  inches  in 
length,  and  ten  in  circumference.  The  sweet  cassava  is  used 
throughout  the  colony  of  British  Guiana  as  a  vegetable,  either 
boiled  or  roasted.  When  boiled  and  mashed  with  fish  and  meat, 
it  makes  excellent  soup.  From  the  farina  of  this  root  tapioca 
is  prepared. 
The  bitter  variety  is  cultivated  to  a  great  extent  by  the  In- 
dians. It  is  from  this  that  they  produce  cassireepe  and  cassava 
bread,  both  of  which  appear  indispensable  to  their  subsistence. 
The  details  of  the  process  for  making  cassava  bread  vary  in  dif- 
ferent localities.  In  the  British  colonies,  the  root  is  first  washed, 
then  grated  on  a  board  stuck  with  small  sharp-edged  pebbles 
or  fish  bones,  or  a  coarse  tin  greater  is  used  for  the  purpose. 
The  Brazilians  use  a  hand-mill  for  grating  the  roots.  The 
roots  are  thrown  into  the  portion  of  the  mill  adapted  for  the 
purpose,  the  handle  is  turned,  and  the  grated  portion  falls  out 
of  an  aperture  beneath,  into  a  tub  or  other  vessel  placed  be- 
low for  its  reception. 
Edwards,  in  his  Voyage  up  the  River  Amazon,  talks  about 
the  roots  being  grated  upon  stones.  The  grated  portion  is  then 
packed  into  a  raatapa,  an  elastic  basket  made  of  wild  cane 
(from  five  to  six  feet  in  length,  and  three  to  four  inches  in  di- 
ameter), each  end  terminating  in  a  handle.  When  sufficiently 
packed,  the  upper  handle  is  hung  on  a  cross-beam  of  the  ba- 
nab  (Indian  hut),  and  through  the  other  handle  is  fitted  a  heavy 
piece  of  timber,  the  end  of  which  rests  on  the  ground.  The 
pressure  on  the  timber,  which  is  generally  produced  by  sitting 
upon  it,  causes  the  milky  fluid  to  flow  out  from  the  interstices 
of  the  matap.  This  liquor,  called  "cassava  water,"  is  very 
poisonous,  causing  animals  who  drink  it  to  swell  to  a  great  size, 
and  die  within  a  few  hours.  After  depositing  its  starch,  which 
it  does  quickly,  it  is  boiled  until  it  assumes  a  deepish  brown 
color,  and  is  of  the  consistency  of  treacle.  On  being  boiled, 
the  poisonous  qualities  (hydrocyanic  acid  among  them)  are  en- 
tirely dissipated,  and  the  liquor  is  known  under  the  name  of 
cassireepe,  which  is  said  to  enter  into  the  composition  of  many 
of  the  English  sauces.    The  Indians  of  Guiana  mix  a  small  por- 
