Root - Specimen details

Root - Specimen details

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Catalogue Number: 62883

Plant Name 45.03 ICACINACEAE Humirianthera rupestris Entry Book Number
Artefact Name Root Vernacular Name
Iso Country Not defined TDWG Region Not defined
Parts Held Root Geography Description
Uses RootUse: User: Not defined TDWG use
Storage Bottles, boxes etc Related Items
Donor Spruce, Richard Donor No
Donor Date Donor Notes
Collector Spruce, Richard Collector No
Collection Notes Collection Date
Exhibition Expedition
Number Components Publication
Notes: Label source: 1899??x0Dx0Ax0Dx0ASource: Spruce, R. (1855) Culture of Mandiocca and preparation of farinha on the Rio Negro. Plantae Amazonicae. Domestic Uses. (pp31-61) and miscellaneous notes,p 184.: Two sorts of farinha are in use 'farinha secca' and 'farinh, a de agua' the former is said to be almost exclusively used on the coast of Brazil, but on the Rio Negro the latter is more common and it is preferable to the other because it contains nearly all the tapioca (starch) in combination with the other nutritio, us constituents of the mandiocca root. It is prepared in this way. The roots are put under water in a running stream either in an old Montana trunk or in baskets for the space of three days. A peculiar and most agreeable odour is evident during this pr, ocess, which indicates the vicinity of coca? to those who travel near; but neither this odour nor the soluble matter extracted from the roots by the running water appears to possess deleterious properties at least when obviously diluted with air or water,, for nowhere do small fish congregate more than in the neighbourhood of the immersed mandiocca roots. The latter when taken out of water has become so soft that they are easily broken up by hand, the skin readily separates and is thrown away and a smallq, uantity of the fresh root grated is added to the dough to give it consistency. The dough called Ibehi by the Barre Indians is then strained by putting it into a long bag of plaited strips of Waruma, with a loop at each end the lower loop being passed ove, r the end, the lower loop being passed over the end of a fixed tough pole and the upper over the pint of another pole serving as a lever by means of which it is stretched out to double its original length and all the liquid parts of the dough run into the, interices? and it is received into a vessel placed beneath. This bag is called 'Tipiti' in Brazil, 'Sebucan' in Venezuela (where it is often made of the hair of a cow's tail). The dough is next put into a large wooden trough (often an old cane) broken, up by hand and passed through a coarse sieve, which separates fro it he fibres of the root and it is now ready for baking. The oven ('Yapona'- Brazil and 'Bandari' in Venezuela) is a large flat circular clay dish 10 ft or more across, with a raised rim a, nd is supported on all sides by a mud wall. On one dish of which is an orifice, is left for introducing fire wood; or it is merely three supports of the same mud masonary so that it resembles a three legged stool. The oven being heated and covered (not, thickly) with dough; a woman watches it continually turns it over and stirs it about, using a flat wooden shovel called a 'taruba', so that it may adhere only in small grains which when completely baked constitutes farinha or cassava. The farinha of the, Rio Negro thus made is of a fine golden colour and eaten as crisps or biscuits. If the dough be spread thinly over the oven and laid even with the 'taruba', but not disturbed until it is baked, a large cake is formed called beijié which is pleasant eatin, g when eaten warm but soon becoming stale. In Venezuela they call these cakes cajan and use them almost exclusively.x0Dx0Ax0Dx0AOf drinks made from mandiocca the simplest is Itribé which is merely farinha mixed with water when it speedily swells out to twice its, original size and in drinking it, in a small cuya, a bit of stick of the finger is used to stir it about.x0Dx0Ax0Dx0APajinaru or mandiocca beer is prepared as follows. Large thick pieces of grated mandiocca are mashed with water then laid in a heap with a layer, o fplantain or larger leaves between each for about two days, when they begin to ferment and it only remains to break them up by hand and mix sufficient quantity of water. This drink is very intoxicating when drunk in large quantities.x0Dx0A

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