The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-24
NATURES BOUNTY
 a! IN THE TROPICS
The Food and Drink of the Natives
 s% of South America


 Venezuela Herald.
 The marvellous natural prepared food of the American trops had received but little attention until the expedition of Humboldt to the Orinoco, whose account was at first so wondrous and startling as to cause increduIity. There is, first, bread-'the staff of Efe. It Is found In many of the starchy substances of the palm and sago, but more especially in the bread fruit tree, where it is gather ed just as the mama was found in Egypt. Next to this important food product come the tubers, which are found plentifully In a wild state, such as cassava, yucca and wild yam These grow all over the tropics, and seem adapted to a wide di- versity of soil and climate. The same is true as to corn, and no product Of all the vegetable kingdom affords so good an, opportunity of studying the laws of standardization, while it's capacity to ac- commodate itself to the different condi- tions of temperature seems almost un- limited. The cassava Is generally made into farina, coarse but nutritious flour, by grinding between stones. There are numerous plants at the equator which produce milky emulslons, but none so wonderful and nutritious as the famous paao de yaca, or COW tree. By making an incision into its trunk it exudes an abundance of glu-tnous, thick white milk, which is most agreeable to the taste, and forms an important aliment of the na- tves. 7
 Long before the outside world had dis covered as the basis of cheese the Indi- ans were drinking this milk and eating the cheese from it's coagulated juice. An excellent vegetable butter is obtained from the papaya tree and answers every cows milk. The lard of the Orinoco say age is largely obtained from a cavern bTd, called the puacharo. and is so pure that 1t will keep for many months with out becoming raacid It is entirely free from any disagreeable smell and really forms an excellent substitute. The fa- nous yuruma bread is the principal food of the Amazon tribes at certain seasons, and is obtained from the sago tree One single tree will often produce 800 or 6OO pounds of meal. The manioc of the Han eros of Venezuela is simply a fish dried, powered and reduced to a paste This fish bread is similar to that described by Pliny, which was prepared by the people along the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. To these various natural food products, oily nuts. roots, herbs and parks which are not only palatable but nutritious and hcalthful. Even variety of ants, known as vacharos, are preserved and eaten by the tribes about the delta of the orinoco. The abdomen of this ant Is a lump of white fat. and, though having a strong aqrid taste. is very healthfuf aliment
 In the matter of intoxicating drinks, our uncivilized brother has a most ex- tended line, which are as diversified as the wines, brandies, whfskies and beers of more enlightened lands. The mescal and pnque of Mexico are well known products or the agave; the tiste and mlchla Of Nicaragua are made from the juices Of plants as well as bananas and cassava; the highly intoxicating cocuya Of New Granada is obtained from the ndue plant, the same which produces the hne fiber for coffee bags; the gurapo and niche, universally used by the peons of Eenezueia, like rum, is largely obtained from the fermented juice of sugar cane; the chica of the Carlos is decocted from the candela tree, as we'll as from Indian corn, while papelon and other sweet ANnw Many of these decoctions have the ele- ments of very powerful poisons, which serve to madden the brain, sometimes making demons of their devotees.
 Besides the food products and bever- ages, nature is bountifu to her wild children in the way of clothing, medi- cines and other necessaries. She fur nishes ready woven garments from la vida and marina, wax and glue from the guaco. as we'll as the pollen of flowers and Varnish of leaves; silk from the macoa and ramie. illuminating candles from the candela, arrow poison from the cuspa and piquine, cups and saucers from the calabash, oils from the cocoa nut blowpipes and musical instruments rom the bamboo, hardwood weapons from the sassafras and laurel, perfumes rom the incienso and sarapia, and med icines from a hundred verbs and trees. Tn his rude attempt at art the Indian hnds his colors in fustic, indigo and sev- eral varieties Of clay, over which he smears coat of varnish obtained from the anato and other resnous plants
 The curios brought from the Orinoco and Amazon. in the way of quaintly carved calabashes and cocoanut shell, are painted and vanished in this way, being found very durable and lasting. The red pigment Is obtained from chica leaves macerated in water, the yellow tints are from the juices of the paruna as well as anato and dark brown coors from the caruta. which Is also used in tattooing, The lasting qualities of some of these colors when covered with a pro- tecting varnish balsam are demon- strated by the painted mummifed re- mains of tribes which have been extinct Tor centuries. In fact, the savage has been the pioneer in discovering import ant and nutritive substances in wide family of the vegetable world. where na- ture has deposited them in the sap, bark, roots and fruits.
 The writer has spent a part of several years in travelling among the unciviliZed tribes of Central and South America compelled at times to subsist for weeks lpon their native foods taken from the rees aud plants 6f their surrounding forests, and can vouch for their nutri- ious properties and general healthful- ness. In fact. the traveller in these un- requented countries can do no better han to follow the example of these na- ives. not only in their foods. but their beverages and native remedies in case of s1t-r