The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-08-08
ARTICLE or DIET !.
GOOD FOR Shot

Washington, Aug. S.-Dumboy, the
national dish OF Liberia, Is one Of the
worlds gastronomic wonders; If aIg
lowed to stand long after being pre-
pared for the table it becomes very
hard, broken pieces of it being a fav4.
orite kind of shot for use in the long
Misunderstanding guns Of the natives. a
casing of dumboy is also used to stiff !
fen the leather sheaths of the native.
swords and knives, according to G. NJ
Collins, in a commission to the Mag
final Geographical society, at Wash
ington, D. C.
ITO attempt the description of some
novel food Is like attempting to de-
scribe a landscape" writes Mr.. COL
Inns. The constituent parts may be
described n the in which.
they are combined, but it requires
something more than accurate descrip-
ton to reproduce the sensation of the.
original. The principal ingredient OF
dumbOy is Cassava, or 'casada,' as 1t
Is called in Liberia. The edible roots
Of this plant are the source of tapioca
and some forms of sage. To prepare
the roots for dumboy they are peeled,
boiled and all fbers from the center
removed. The cooked roots are then
placed in a large wooden mortar and
beaten with a heavy pestle. This beat
ing requires considerable skill and ex-
p~erience. In the hands of a novice the
result is lumpy and inedible.
The beating requires about three
quarters Of an hour, and is hard work.
AS the beaten mass becomes homo
generous the pestle produces a loud
crack each time it is drawn from the
mortar. These sharp reports can be
heard long distance through the forest,
and are very welcome sounds at the
end Of a days journey. When the dunn
boy reaches this stage the operator
may rest without injury to the pro-
duct; but, once the beating Is carried
past this point, it must be rapidly
completed and the dumboy eaten at
once. The natives say it Is actually
dangerous to eat dumboy that has
stood for more than a few minutes
after it is beaten.
LAS soon as the beating is finished
the dumboy is taken from the mortar
and placed in shallow wooden bowls.
The native method is to place the en-
tire quantity in M large bowl which
all the partakers eat. If divided, the
customary portion for each person is a
piece about the size and shape of an
ordinary loaf Of bread. A soup which
has been prepared while the dumboy
was being beaten is now poured into
each bowl. There is great variety in
this soup, which imparts most of the
taste to the dish. There is always a
stock of some form Of meat This may
be either chicken, deer. fish, monkey,
or even canned beef. To this arc add
ed as many vegetables as can be OBJ
tanned. ..
LAS soon as the soup is added the
dumboy is ready to be eaten; and,
while the ingredients are somewhat
bizarre. the method Of eating the dish
strikes the traveller as ever more
startling. The mass Of dumboy, which
a best be described as a sticky
dough, will adhere instantly to any
thing dry, but Is readily cut with a
wooden spoon If the spoon is kept
moist with soup. An incredibly large
piece is cut off with the moistened
spoon, taken up with a quantity Of
soup, and swallowed whole. No n
thinks of chewing it, and it is custo-
mary to caution the novice by tales
Of the frightful operation necessary to
separate the jaws once the teeth are
buried in the sticky mass. .
AS might be expected. lev Euro
peans like dumboy on first a~cquaint-,
ance; and, with some, the initial dis
taste prevents further experiments. If
a second or third attempt is made.
however, and the dish has been prop
erly prepared, the habit Is usually
formed, and before long every night
spent in the bush without a meal of
dumboy is counted a p%rivation. Among
the white residents of Liberia, fond
ness for this dish amounts almost to
a cult. 1t is regarded as a sort of
guaranty hat ones tenderfoot days.
are over"