The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-08-05
EAT FOOD AS
HARD AS FLINT
0umboy, National Dish Of Liberia,
Is a Gastronomic Wonder

the national dish of Liberia, is one of
the worlds gastronomic wonders; If
allowed To stand long after being pre-
pared for the table il becomes very
hard. broken pieces of il being favor
tie kind of shot for use in the long
muzzle-loading guns OF the natives. \
casing Of dumboy is also used to stiff
fen the leather sheaths of the native
swords and knives, according To q. y.
Collins. in communication To the Ma
tional Geographic Society, At Wash
ington, ID. {,
ITO attempt the description OF some
novel food is like attempting To de-
scribe a landscape" writes Mr.. Collins.
The constituent parts may be describ
ed and the manner in which they are
combined, but it requires something
more than accurate description 10 re-
produce the sensation Of the original.
The principal ingredient of dumboy is
Cassava, or 'cassada,' as II is called in
Liberia The edible roots of this plant
are the source of tapioco and some
forms of sage. To prepare the roots
for dumboy they are peeled. boiled and
all fibers from the center removed.
The cooked roots are then placed i'm a
large wooden mortar and beaten with
a heavy pestle This beating requires
considerable skill and experience. In
the hands Of a novice the result is
lumpy and inedible.
Is Eaten With Soup.
The beating requires about three
quarters of an hour, and is hard work
AS the beaten mass becomes homogen-
eous the pestlc produces a loud crack
each time it is drawn from the mortar
These sharp reports can be heard long
distances through the forest, and are
very welcome sounds at the end Of a
days journey. When the dumboy
reaches this stage the operator may
rest without injury To the product;
but, once the beating is carried past
this point. it must be rapidly complet-
ed 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 ii is beaten.
AS 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 one large bowl from
which all the partakers eat. II divid-
ed. the customary portion for each per-
son 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 pour
ed into each bowl There is great va
riety in this soup, which mparts most
OF the taste to the dish. There is al
ways a stock of some form of meat.
This may be either chicken, deer fish,
monkey. or even canned beef. To this
are added as many vegetables as can
be obtained.
Dangerous to Chew It.
las soon as the soup is added the
dumboy IL ready to he eaten; and,
while the ingredients are somewhat
bizarre the method of eating the dish
strikes the traveller as even more
startling. The mass Of dumboy, which
can best be described az a sticky
dough- will adhere instantly To any
thing dry, but is readily cut with n
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 one
thinks of chewing it, and it is GUS
tomary to caution the novice by tales
of the frightful operation necessary To
separate the jaws once the teeth are
buried i'm the sticky mass.
AS might be expected, few Europ-
cans like dumboy on first acquaint-
ance; and, with some, the initial dis
taste prevents further experiments. If
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 i'm the bush without "A meal of
dumboy is counted a privation. Among
the white residents OF Liberia, fond
ness for this dish amounts almost to a
cult. II is regarded as sort of guar
~ that ones tenderfoot days are over"
-
Korea has 10000 native and $4,000
japanese fishermen. The total catch
H.. afD 40