The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-01
NATURES BOUNTY.
The Food and Drink of the Natives of
 South America.

South America.
 The marvellous natural prepared food
 of the American tropics had received
 but little attention until the expedition
 of Humboldt to the Orinoco, whose &C.,
 count was at first so wondrous and ,I startling as to cause incredulity
 There is, first, bread-"the staff of life" 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 gathered 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 l tropics, and seem adapted to wide
 diversity 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 its ca
 pacity to accommodate itself to the diff 1 ferent conditions of temperature seems
 almost unlimited. The cassava Is
 generally made into farina, a course but nutritious flour, by grinding be- l tNNSA slOliCo' IAiCiC ulS | plants at the equator which produce milky emulsions, but none so wonderful
 and nutritious as the famous palo de
 vaca, or COW tree. By making an incl sion into it's trunk it exudes an abun- | dance of glutinous, thick white milk, which is most agreeable to the taste, and forms an important aliment of the natives.
 Long before the outside world had cheese the Indians were drinking this milk and eating the cheese from its CO., agulated juice. An excellent vegetable butter is obtained from the papaya tree and answers every purpose of that which we obtain from cows milk. The lard of the Orinoco savage is largely obtained from cavern bird, called the guacharo and is so pure, that 1t will keep for many months without becom- ing rancid. It is entirely free from any disagreeable smell and really forms an excellent substitute. The famous yuruma bread is the principal food of the Amazon tribes at certain seasons, and it Is obtained from the sago tree One single tree will often produce five or six hundred pounds of meal The manioc of the lianeros of Venezuela Is simply a fish dried, powdered and re- duced to 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 can be added the innumerable farina- ceous fruits, oily nuts, roots, herbs and barks which are not only palatable but nutritious and healthful. Even variety of ants, known as vacl1aros, are preserved and eaten by the tribes about the delta of the Orinoco. The abdomen of this ant is lump of white fat, and, though having a strong acrid taste, is a very healthful aliment.
 Tn the matter of intoxicating drinks, our uncivilized brother has a most extended line, which are as diversified as the wines, brandies whiskies and beers of more enlightened lands. The mescal and pulque of Mexica are well known products of the agave; the tiste and michla of Nicaragua are made from the juices of plants as well as ba- nanas and cassava; the highly intoxi l eating cocuya of New Grenada is ob- | tained from the fique plant, the same l which produces the fine fibre for coffee | bags; the gurapo and mche, universal | ly used by the peons of Venezuela, like | rum, is largely obtained from the fer mented juice of sugar cane; the chicha of the Carlos is decocted from the can delabra tree as well as from Indian corn, while pepelon and other sweet drinks are from crude brown sugar. Many of these decoctions have the el- aments of very powerful posons, which serve to madden the brain, sometimes making demons of. their devotees.
 Besides the food products and bever- ages, nature Is bountiful to her wild children in the way of clothing, medi- ,ines and other necessaries. She fur lishes ready woven garments from la vida and marina, wax and blue from he guaco, as well as the pollen of flow ITS and varnish of leaves; silk from the nacoa and hamie, illuminating candles rom the candela, arrow poison from he cuspa and piquine, cups and saul CTS from the calabash, oils from the |