Much has been said respecting the banana by several writers. Forster and other naturalists pretend that it did not exist in America before the conquest; but I consider the existence of it in the river Ucayale, where it was found cultivated by the first missionaries, as well as in some of the more internal parts of Maynas, and by Count Ruis in the valley of St. Ana, to the eastward of Cusco, when first explored, and by myself in Archidona and Napo, to the eastward of Quito, at Cocaniguas and Pite to the westward—I look upon these facts as sufficient proofs to the contrary; but what will place beyond a doubt, that the banana and plantain are indigenous, is, that I have found beds of leaves of both these plants in the huacas at Paramongo. Four varieties of the musa are known in Lima, the platano arton (musa paradisiaca), the camburi or largo (musa sapientum), the dominico or guinea (musa regia), and the maiga of the sea, called de la isla, the first plants being brought from Otaheite, in the frigate Aguila, in 1769. Garcilaso de la Vega, and Father Acosta, also assert, that the banana was cultivated before the conquest. The former says, that in the warm and temperate regions it constituted one of the principal sources of nourishment of the natives; and the latter speaks of its being grown in the mountains of las Emeraldas, where I have seen it myself, and particularly in some old plantations, now uncultivated, called by the natives Incas vicuri, bananas of the Incas. The sour and the sweet oranges, lemons, limes, citrons, and shaddocks, grow in all the gardens, and contribute greatly to their beauty. The trees at the same time are loaded with delicious and beautiful fruit, both ripe and green; their delicate white flowers, in clusters, shedding their perfume around: indeed, nothing can exceed the beauty and fragrance of these trees during the greater part of the year. I have seen orange trees, from forty to fifty feet high, covered with large bunches of ripe oranges; but the gardeners generally keep them at from ten to twenty feet high, because they then bear more fruit, and also of a better quality. The Lucuma is a large tree: the fruit is round, and about the size of an orange; it has a green skin or rind, and contains three large kidney shaped kernels covered with a very hard shell: the eatable part is of a deep yellow colour, in substance and appearance not unlike the yolk of a hard boiled egg: it is dry, and to my taste not very palatable; but it is esteemed by many.
The Palta, alligator pear or vegetable marrow, is sometimes round, and sometimes pear shaped: the tree is large and handsome, the fruit is contained in a coriaceous rind, having in the centre a large kernel, of a brown colour and very harsh taste. It is often used as a dye, when it gives a nankeen colour. It is also used for marking linen; this is effected by spreading the linen over the kernel, and with a pin pricking through it into the kernel an indelible mark is obtained. The eatable part of the fruit is delicious; it is seasoned with salt, pepper, &c. according to the palate, and its taste is similar to marrow: few persons approve of this fruit at first, but almost all become passionately fond of it afterwards. The pacay is a moderately sized tree; its fruit is contained in a large green pod—there are several varieties—the pod of one is sometimes more than a yard long and three inches broad. The eatable part is a soft, cotton-like substance, which is sweet and juicy. It envelops a black bean, and these frequently germinate in the pods, and have a very curious appearance. The guayaba, guaba, grows in great abundance, and here there are several varieties, some of which are very good. The granadilla is a creeping plant, one of the varieties of the passion flower; the fruit is of the shape and size of a duck's egg; the shell is rather hard, of a brown hue, and contains a very delicate substance full of small black seeds, in taste not unlike that of a ripe gooseberry. Another variety of this fruit has a thick rind, the interior being much like the common granadilla: it is called de quixos, because, very probably, the first seed was brought from the woods in the province of Quixos. The tumbo or badea is another variety, but the fruit is as large as a moderate sized melon, which it nearly resembles when cut, except that the seeds are of a brownish colour. It is commonly prepared for the table by cutting the fleshy substance or outside into small slices, and mixing them with the juicy inside and seeds, adding to it sugar, wine, and spices; and in this state it is really delicious. The palillo is the delicate custard-apple, which is very sweet and fragrant. The females of Lima often dry the rind or skin, and burn it with other perfumes. The capuli is the cape gooseberry; it grows on a small bush, and when ripe has an agreeable acid taste. The chirimoya is often called the queen of fruits, and it undoubtedly deserves that name. The tree is low and bushy; the flower is composed of three triangular fleshy leaves; the appearance is mean, but its fragrance surpasses that of any other flower which could be mentioned; however, it only continues in perfection for one evening—indeed the fragrance is so great, that one flower will scent a large room, and particularly if it be warmed by enclosing it in the hand. The fruit has somewhat the shape of a heart—the exterior is green, with a reticulated appearance, occasioned more by brownish lines on the fruit than by any indented marks, like the pine-apple: it contains several blackish seeds, about the size of horse beans; but the larger the fruit the fewer are the seeds. The eatable part is extremely delicate; it resembles a custard in substance, and is generally eaten with a spoon. On the arrival of the first Spaniards in Peru, the description they sent of this fruit to Spain was, that it was a net filled with honey; for they knew of nothing else to which they could compare it. Their weight in Lima is from one to three pounds each; but in the woods of Huanuco and Loxa they are often found to weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds each and even more. The guanabana, or sour sop, has greatly the appearance of the chirimoya; but the fruit is generally larger as well as the flower, which is also quite different. The fruit of the guanabana often grows on the main trunk of the tree and on the largest branches, whilst the other grows on the branches when they are two years old. The guanabana has a grateful acid taste, and is often dissolved in water, which is afterwards strained and sugar added to it, forming an agreeable beverage: a very good jelly is also made from it as a preserve, which is most delicately transparent. The pepino is an egg-shaped fruit, and smells like a cucumber. Here are several varieties, and when ripe they have a sweet but peculiar taste, between the raw vegetable and fruit: they are considered unwholesome, and often called mata serranos, mountaineer killers; because these people when they come down to the coast eat large quantities of them, on account, perhaps, of their cheapness: they bring on intermittent fevers, dysentery, &c. The piña, pine-apple, is not cultivated in Lima, but brought from the neighbouring valleys, where the climate is hotter. It does not thrive well, but it certainly would if a little care were taken of the plants during the season when the easterly winds blow; for these winds are often very sharp after passing over the Cordilleras. The date does not flourish in Lima, owing to the same cause.
The orchards here, unlike those of Europe, are always beautiful; excepting the foreign fruit trees, which give a wintry appearance when their branches become naked by the falling of the leaves, all the others are evergreens, and appear in the pompous garb of spring during the whole year. The new leaves take possession of their inheritance before the death of their predecessors; and the inflorescence and fructification in many trees follow the example of the leaf. The highly rich green of the banana and plantain, their enormous leaves rustling with every breeze, and discovering their pendent bunches of fruit; the orange tree enamelled with green and white and gold; the pomegranate with its crimson bell; the shady chirimoya breathing aromas to the evening breeze; the tripping granadilla stretching from tree to tree, and begging support for its laden slender branches; the luxuriant vine creeping over trellises, and hiding under its cooling leaves the luscious grape—are beauties certainly not to be surpassed; but these, and all these, are found in every garden in the valley through which the Rimac meanders.
The flower gardens here contain most of the varieties seen in our gardens in England, excepting the family of ranunculuses and tulips, neither of which did I ever see in South America; indeed, the climate is so favourable to all kinds of vegetation, where water can be procured for irrigation, that little care is required; but less than what is necessary is usually bestowed. The ladies are passionately fond of flowers, and will give very high prices for them. I have known a white lily, a little out of season, sold for eight dollars; and good hyacinths for two or three dollars each; and I am certain that a clever gardener and florist, who would take to Lima a stock of seeds and roots, would very soon amass a considerable fortune. I have observed that the generality of the flowers of indigenous plants are yellow; and it is a common saying, oro en la costa, plata en la sierra, gold on the coast, silver in the mountains, where the general colour of wild flowers is white. The floripondio is very much admired by many for its fragrance: it partakes of that of the lily; the tree is bushy, and grows about ten feet high. The flowers are white, each about eight inches long, bell shaped, and hang in clusters: one tree will scent a large garden; but if there are more the smell is overpowering, and produces headache. The suche is a great spreading tree, and is filled with clusters of flowers, each about two inches in diameter, which are the largest kind, and others about an inch: they are bell-shaped, and of a fleshy substance; some are white, others yellow, and others of a pink colour; all are very fragrant. The aroma bears a number of round yellow flosculous flowers, deserving their name, for they are most delicately fragrant.
The inhabitants of Lima have many dishes peculiar to the place. The Spanish olla podrida, called puchero, is found almost on every table: it is composed of beef, mutton, fowl, ham, sausage, and smoked meats, mixed with casava root, sweet potatoe, cabbage, turnips and almost any vegetables, a few peas, and a little rice—these are all well boiled together, and form the standing family dish: bread or vermicelli soup is made from the broth. Lahua is a thick porridge from the flour of maize boiled with meat, particularly fresh pork or turkey, and highly seasoned with the husks of the ripe capsicum. Carapulca consists of dried potatoes, nuts, or garbansas, parched and bruised, and afterwards boiled to a thick consistency with meat, like the lahua. Pepian is made from rice flour, and partakes of the ingredients of the lahua and the pepian; it is a very favourite dish, and the natives say, that on being presented to the pope by an American cook, he exclaimed, felice indiani, qui manducat pepiani! Chupi, which is made by cooking potatoes, cheese and eggs together, and afterwards adding fried fish, is a favourite dish, not only on days of abstinence, but during the whole year. Guinea pigs, cuis, make a very delicate dish; they are roasted, and afterwards stewed with a great quantity of capsicum pods, pounded to the consistency of paste: sometimes potatoes, bruised nuts, and other ingredients are added. This is the favourite picante, and to my taste is extremely delicate. Many more dishes, peculiar to the country, are seen on the tables, all of which are seasoned with a profusion of lard, and not a small quantity of garlic and capsicum.
I have mentioned dried potatoes—they are thus prepared: small potatoes are boiled, peeled, and then dried in the sun, but the best are those dried by the severe frosts on the mountains; they will keep for any length of time, and when used require to be bruised and soaked. If introduced as a vegetable substance in long sea voyages, I think the potatoe thus prepared would be found wholesome and nourishing. The dried potatoe is sometimes ground into flour; this is called chuno, and is used to make a kind of porridge, either with or without meat.
The maize, whilst green, is prepared in the same manner, by boiling the cobs, cutting off the grains and drying them; this is called chochoca, and is cooked like the chuno.
Great quantities of pumpkins and gourds are eaten, and form the principal part of the vegetable food of the poor classes; they are large, plentiful and cheap, and will keep nearly the whole year if placed in a dry room. Maize and beans, frijoles, are in general use among the lower classes, indeed I may say among all classes, but they are the common food of the slaves: the bean is considered very nutritious, and those who have been accustomed to eat it prefer it to any other vegetable, and use it as an equivalent for animal food.
An abundance of sweetmeats is eaten in South America, more, I believe, than in any other country, and particularly in Lima, where there is such a variety of fruit, and such plenty of sugar; but there is a great defect in the preserves, which are always too sweet, either from a superabundance of sugar, or by destroying the flavour of the fruit before it is preserved; the citron and shaddock, which have a taste so agreeable and even powerful, always lose it when preserved. A paste is made by pounding together equal weights of blanched almonds and sugar; it is then packed in chip boxes, and will keep for a long time; by dissolving a small quantity in water, an excellent substitute for milk is formed, which is very palatable with tea, and would be found useful in long voyages.
The usual breakfast hour at Lima is eight o'clock; they seldom take more than a cup of thick chocolate with toast, and a glass of cold water afterwards; or sometimes a little boiled mutton, fried eggs, ham, or sausage. The dinner hour is one o'clock. It is a very plentiful meal, and may indeed be considered the only one during the day; soup and puchero are generally the first dishes, the rest come to table indiscriminately, and fish is not unfrequently the last, excepting sweetmeats, after which a glass of cold water is always drunk. Coffee is often brought in immediately after dinner; but in the higher classes the company rise from table and adjourn to another room, where coffee and liquors are placed. Fruit is commonly introduced between the services, as it is considered more wholesome to eat it then than afterwards. In the evening a cup of coffee or chocolate is taken, or a glass of lemonade, pine-apple water, almond milk, or some other refreshing drink, and among the higher circles chocolate and ices are served up.