The principal edible, because the most widespread, was the fern-root. It was prepared in several ways. The most elaborate consisted in macerating, steaming, and kneading the gummy fibrous stuff, and keeping the resulting mess until a kind of fermentation began in it. The readiest way was to simply roast the scraped root, then to beat it into softness between two stones. When cold, this last became hard like biscuit. It is tolerably nutritious, but not particularly nice, according to Pakeha notions.
The root of the ti, and of the toi, too, I believe, is far better food, but was neither so plentiful nor so easily grubbed up. Baked or boiled it is not bad eating, being very farinaceous. The earliest missionary settlers made beer from a wort of it. Whether this was known to the Maori previous to the advent of the Pakeha, I have been unable to discover.
The pith of the nikau is wholesome, nutritious, and palatable. The tree is plentiful enough in the North. Unlike the root of the cabbage-tree just mentioned, it is eaten raw. There is a bushy grass (Gahnia and Cladium), strong spiny stuff, in the forest, which also has an edible pith.
The root of the raupo (Typha angustifolia), the swamp-grass of which the Maori construct their wharè, is edible, similarly to that of the cabbage-tree. Punga-punga, the pollen of the raupo, used to be made into bread.
There are one or two other roots and piths also esculent, but neither so good nor so plentiful as those just recorded. There are the fruits of the hinau, rimu, matai, miro, kahikatea, koraka, tawa, kohekohe, taraire, tawhera, and other trees and shrubs. And there is the interior of the stem of one of the fern trees.
There are the native spinach or Renga-renga (Tetragonia expansa), the Pana-pana, or cress (Cardamine hirsuta), and the Reti-reti, or sorrel (Oxalis magellanica), which do for salad and green vegetables. As they are plentiful, they might be more freely used by settlers and bushmen than they are.
To them may be added the Toi (Barbarea vulgaris), a herb which served the ancient Maori as cabbage. Then there is a native celery (Apium australe), a nettle (Urtica incisa), and a dandelion (Taraxacum dens-leonis), all of which might be eaten. The Maori also made use of the root of an orchid (Gastrodia Cunninghamii), and the root of a bindweed (Convolvulus sepium). They called the first Hirituriti, and the latter Panake. These roots are farinaceous and nourishing, and were baked and consumed in large quantities.
The three plants cultivated by the Maori—Kumera (Ipomœa Batatas), Hue (Cucurbita, sp.), and Taro (Caladium esculentum), are all to be found growing wild. There are also now to be found wild many of our garden vegetables, including the potato, tomato, capsicum, tobacco, cabbage, cape gooseberry (Physalis Peruviana), watercress—called Kowhiti by the natives—and many more.
Lastly, the Maori made use of several seaweeds and a number of fungi. But, as Britons at home persist in despising all other fungi but the field mushroom and the truffle, I suppose they will hardly take to such food here, dainty though it is. One fungus (Hirneola, sp.) is gathered here to a small extent for export to China. It fetches about 15s. to £1 per cwt., and about £1000 worth are annually exported. It grows plentifully on certain trees. The field mushroom (Agaricus campestris), well known in England, has appeared on our paddocks, sometimes in enormous quantities. Together with its congener the horse-mushroom (A. arvensis), this fungus is not indigenous, according to Maori information on the subject. I have heard the species called "Harori-kai-pakeha," which conveys the idea that the field mushroom is an introduced species. But the Maori applied the name of Harori to several species belonging to the families Agaricus, Amanita, Lepiota, etc., which we call "toadstools." They were accustomed to eat certain of these, and do so still, if they happen to find them in the bush. All fungi growing on trees they call Hakeke, or Popoiahakeke. Of these, they were accustomed to eat the three or four species of Hirneola, which are indigenous, and one or two Polypori besides. One of the latter tribe yielded them a surgical appliance. A mushroom they name Putawa, is a Boletus. Probably more than one species of this family was customarily eaten. The Maori also ate the Pukurau (Lycoperdon Fontainesii), and possibly other species of puff-balls besides. They knew the esculent value of the Pekepekekiore (Hydnum Clathroides), but their chiefest dainty and most esteemed treasure among fungi, is the Paruwhatitiri, or "thunder-dirt" (Ileodictyon cibarium). The volva of this extraordinary fungus is eaten, and is regarded as a great dainty. There are many species of fleshy fungi in the bush, but little is known of them, either by Maori, settlers, or scientists.
New Zealand did without quadrupeds in the old times, save and except the kiore, or rat. This was a delicacy much esteemed by Maori bon-vivants, and was regularly hunted by them with great ceremonial. It is rapidly becoming extinct, only being found now in the remote recesses of the forest. The Norwegian rat, which centuries ago exterminated the aboriginal British rat, has somehow come over here with the Pakeha, and is rapidly rendering the kiore a thing of the past, while spreading through the land in its place.