Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-14

In the Molucca Islands the starchy
pith of the sage palm furnishes a white
fioury meal
Deadly Poison Tubers from which
Used to Make Bread. MAKE oae aa' soTs
OF bread. They make it into fat. oblong
loaves which are baked in curious little
ovens divided into small cells. each
large enough to hold but a single loaf
of bread. In some parts Of South
America and Of Africa bread is made by
the natives from manico tubers, which
are deadly poison IL not properly pre-
pared. To make manico bread the roots
are cut and soaked in water for several
days to wash out the poison. The fbers
are then picked out and dried and ground
into flour. This flour is mixed with milk
II obtainable. If not. awter is used to
form stiff dough, which is nodded into
little round loaves and baked either in hot
ashes or dried In the sun.
In most tropical countries the banana
and plantain supply q large portion OF the
native bread. The bananas are taken be-
fore they are fully ripe and dried in the
sun. When dry they are ground into
meal from which bread Is made, which is
both nourishing and appetizing.
An American baker travelling in Central
America experimental considerably with
plantain. He sliced and dried the green
plantains and ground them into fine,
meaiy flour. He found II excellent for
pastry. as II produced a naky crust, so he
delighted the members Of his party by a
plantain pie. the crust Of which was made
from the green plantain flour and the
filling from ripe plantain which. when
cooked. greatly resembled pumpkin. The
making of plantain -four for export is one
of the possible Industries of tropical
S,, he Yt
tested by a number of chemists in the
United States. who certify to its digesti-
bility. 1t is believed that plantain bread
would be a valuable food for certain
classes of invalids. as II contains some
properties not found in wheat.
The Caribs Of Central America make a
cavassa bread which has been much ex-
plotted by
Peculiar Method Used visitors to
by Central Americans. tr~ The ca
vassa is a tuber Of good size and the
-four is obtained by a peculiar method
The tough skin is removed and the taber
is grated on a long crater made by
pounding small pieces Of sharp hinty
stone into a slab Of mahogany. The
crater is long enough to reach from
wooden tub on the Moor to woman's
waist The women rub the roots the
whole length of the crater, keeping time
in their motions TO some Of the weird
songs and chants. The grated root Is
put in a s.rainer six or eight feet long,
tapering from six inches at the top to
two and half at the bottom. This
strainer is woven of palm fiber. so that
when it is fastened at the top and a
heavy weight hung at the bottom the
juice is squeezed out of the mass, which
then resembles grated cocoanut in ap-
pearance. This paste is baked by spread
ing il about a quarter of an inch thick
upon a long griddle.
The action of the heat makes the par
ticles of cavassa adhere, SO that just as
soon as IL begins TO turn brown II is
done. These thin cakes, which are about
twenty-four inches in length are then
packed up in bundles of twelve or fif-
teen. wrapped in the leaves Of a species
OF Gamma plant and sent to the native
markets. There Is little flavor TO cavassa
bread Most people think it much like
chips but il will keep indefinitely IL dry.
and is nutritious and wholesome and
therefore valuable food to the natives
Of that country.
In Egypt whenever coffee is ordered
sheets OF bread are served with II. These
sheets OF thin bread are peculiar to Egypt
and after the traveller has grown accus-
them In color and appearance they re-
semble channels skin, and they are made
OF -four and the pulp of sultana raisins
pressed together and dried in the sun.
They are sweet and full of nutriment.
Like the Siberian bread rings. the bread
sheets of Egypt have uses other than
for mere food. They are used as awnings
and screens and to hold papers. These
uses are only possible in dry weather
however, as when wet these bread sheets
crumble up and are as sodden as wet
paper.
The Bedouin bread IS a peculiar article
differing from that OF any other natior
In the world
Bread Made of Shells I. is made o,
From Desert Plants. Sam. sin s,
grows over the desert plateau east O
Maan. The samh, which Is said to grow
plentifully when there have been gener
Gus rainfalis, is a small plant with shor
thick stems. resembling the lentil Tn,
plants grow close together and tn,
Bedouins pull them up by hand and flai