The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-02-02

DAYS. either weekly" or ''fortnightly. y
for the native week is of four DAYS only.
One If the days of the week often bears
distinctive name of selling, or mar
ket'' day, resembling in this the Latin
and Romance name for Friday, ''Ven-
dredi, " ''Venerdi," etc. The natives
will often come hundred miles to at
tend one of these big markets, and
there are generally several thousands
present, buying and selling. They
bring their fowls most carefully packed
in long wicker cages, fastened between
two stout poles converging at each end.
Eggs are usually carried in large, finely
plated baskets; indeed some of the bas-'
network is so tightly made that it will
hold water At the markets between
Isangila and Manyanga 500 eggs may
be bought at time. The natives also
sell fresh vegetables pumpkins, sweet
potatoes and even a wild cabbage), ba-
nanas, plantains, pine-apples, ground
nuts, sugar-cane, maize, kola nut to-
bacco and "kikwanga." Kikwanga
needs a word of special mention, it is
such an important article of consump-
ton in the Congo menu. The root of
the manioc, or cassada, a very an
cient introduction from Brazil, is taken
and pounded into a fine white
pulp. This is left to soak for about
twenty-four hours in running Nter
POSSIBLY to rid the substance of o ceis
tain acrid poison attributed to the roetl.
and is then allowed to ferment. When
worked up into a consistence If stif
dough it is divided into portions, and
each portion is wrapped up ina large
green leaf until wanted for cooking.
Kikwanga tastes and looks ike sour
dough, but it is highly nutritve. The
best way of eating it is to cut it into
very thin slices, and eat thee fried in
butter, or, if butter be not Drocurable,
in ground-nut oil, easily extracted from
the ArdchiS hypOg@d. Perhaps a sim
pie recipe for doing SO might interest
intending African trave,ers who are
reading these pages. Take bushel of
ripe ground-nuts that have previously
been dried in the sun, pound them to a
pulp. and put them in cauldron of
boiling water. The oil will rise to the
surface, and can easily be skinned
off and put apart into vessel. The
residue is excellent fattening food for
fowls, and the oil itself is almost indis-
tinguishable from the best olive in taste.
Indeed, most of the olive oil we use in
Europe is nothing but the oil of ground
nuts, which are exported largely from
West African ports to Marseilles, to be
there manufactured and favored into
various salad oils christened by differ
ent names. This oil of ground-nuts is
excellent as kitchen grease and as a
lamp oil. will even give you another
recipe in which this substance may be
advantageously employed; Take a
quantity of sugar-canes, some nine or
ten sticks. peel them, cut them up into
small cubes and mash these to pulp,
straining off the abundant liquor into a
large pot. Put this over the fire to
boil, and at the end of an hour and u
half you will rejoice to find the sweet
syrup liquor reduced to considerable
quantity of gluey barley sugar If this
does not sufficiently gladden. the heart
and you crave for something yet more
toothsome, mix certain quantity of
this thick sugar with ground-nut oil ;
further, blanche some ground-nuts and
scatter them freely in the mess. This
compound, if carefully cooked for
about ten minutes, will produce the
most ravishing African tolfee. Little
shifts and expedients like these serve
considerably to Tighten the explorer s
lot, and to render palatable many forms
of native food.
But to return to the native markets.
Besides the articles of sale already
mentioned, sheep and goats are pres
ent, often in some quantity. The sheep
are tall, stout animals, nearly twice the
size of the little sturdy goats, are hairy,
and in the ram bear n fine name from
the chin to the stomach. | have al
ready referred to them when treating of
Pallaballa as being the universal breed
of Central Africa. The further south
l have seen this distinctly marked
variety is on the Cunene River. There
they mingle with the great Cape sheep
whose tails often become so loaded
with fat. The domestic goat of the
Congo is small, short-legged little
beast, good to eat, and giving in the
female rich and abundant milk. The
Congo sheep, by the by, makes execra-
BILE mutton. In the markets there are
of course innumerable fowls to sell and
even at times Muscovy ducks. The lat
ter bird is another gift from rich Amer
lea to needy Africa and was introduced
into the West Coast, in common with
maize, manioc, pine-apples, sugar-cane,
ground-nuts and many other useful ali
mentary additions to African diet by
| the Portuguese, to whom, in my
| opinion, Africa owes a deep debt of
gratitude. Nor ought we to forget that
it is to this enterprising people that we
owe the first knowledge of the tea
| plant, the orange and the lime.
An African market with so many
| commodities to sell, and so many eager
sellers and buyers, is most animated
scene. The din of voices may be heard
afar off, and when you enter the great
open square, where, under the shade
of great trees, perhaps thousand peo-
Pile are disposed in little chaffering
groups round their heaps of wares, it
is worse than the parrot house at the
Geological Gardens. The women are
the keenest traders. They haggle and
scream and eXpostulate and chuckle
aside over their bargains, while the
hulking men lounge about in good
humored listlessness, or squat in rows
stolidly smoking. Although the strife
| of tongues is great, few real quarrels