Taro or Tara.—Taro is another very important food-product of Tahiti, as well as other islands of the Pacific, notably the Hawaiian Islands. It is the root of Colocasia macrorhiza, a plant of the natural order Araceæ, of the same genus with cocoa. The plant thrives best in low, marshy places. In all of the South Sea Islands it is very extensively cultivated for its roots, which constitute in these islands a staple article of food, excellent substitutes for potatoes and bread. The roots are very large, from twelve to sixteen inches in length, and as much in circumference. They are washed in cold water to take away their acridity, which is such as to cause excoriation of the mouth and palate. The roots are cooked in the same way as the breadfruit, the rind being first scraped off. Another very common way of eating taro is in the form of poi. This method of preparing the root was known to the Tahitians when Captain Cook visited the island. He compared poi with "sour pudding." It requires some skill to make poi. The root, finely grated, is allowed to ferment over night. It tastes sour and is a refreshing, delicate and nutritious dish, when served ice-cold. The plant has no stalk; the petioled heart-shaped leaves spring from the root. The flower is in the form of a spathe. The boiled leaves can be used as a substitute for spinach.
Wild Plantain.—The wild plantain furnishes its liberal share of food-supply for the Tahitians. It is a tree-like, perennial herb (Musa paradisiaca) with immense leaves and large clusters of the fruits. In its appearance it resembles very closely the banana, but differs from it as the hands and fingers of the bunches of fruit are turned in the opposite direction. The fruit is long and somewhat cylindrical, slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft, fleshy and covered with a thick but tender yellowish skin. This plant is indigenous to Tahiti and is found in abundance in the forests. The fruit is cooked or baked and is keenly relished by the natives.
All of the articles of food I have referred to above are easily digested, palatable and nutritious, and for the Tahiti climate more healthful than bread and potatoes, on which the masses of people living in colder climates subsist to a large extent. I attribute the comparative immunity of the South Sea Islanders from attacks of appendicitis principally to their diet, which is laxative, easily digested and not liable to cause fermentation in the gastro-intestinal canal. Appendicitis does occur in these islands, but this disease is extremely rare as compared with the frequency with which it is met in Europe, and more especially in the United States. The Americans are the most injudicious and reckless eaters in the world, which goes far in explaining the prevalence of gastric and intestinal disorders among our people.
PREPARING BREADFRUIT
THE COCOANUT, THE MEAT OF THE TAHITIANS
It is fortunate that the inhabitants of the tropics have no special liking for a meat diet, as the free indulgence in meat could not fail in resulting detrimentally to the health of the inhabitants. The continuously high temperature begets indolence, and indolence tends to diminish secretion and excretion, conditions incompatible with a habitual consumption of meat. Nature has established fixed rules concerning the manner of living in the tropics. She deprives man of the appetite for meat and other equally heavy articles of food, and supplies him with nourishment adapted for the climate. It is under such climatic conditions that we are made to realize that
The more we deny ourselves, the more the gods supply our wants.
HORATIUS.
and
We can not use the mind aright when the body is filled with excess of food.
CICERO.