An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous EscapeKnox, Robert
History
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape
Knox, Robert
Sri Lanka -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Sri Lanka -- Social life and customs
that they regarding not the seed, forthwith cut them down. This Tree
is within a [The pith good to eat.] Pith only, which is very good to
eat if they cut the Tree down before it runs to seed. They beat it in
Mortars to Flower, and bake Cakes of it; which tast much like to white
bread. It serves them instead of Corn before their Harvest be ripe.
[The Kettule yields a delicious juice.] The next Tree is
the Kettule. It groweth streight, but not so tall or big as a
Coker-Nut-Tree; the inside nothing but a white Pith, as the former. It
yieldeth a sort of Liquor, which they call Tellegie: it is rarely
sweet and pleasing to the Pallate, and as wholsom to the Body,
but no stronger than water. They take it down from the Tree twice,
and from some good Trees thrice, in a day. An ordinary Tree will
yield some three, some four Gallons in a day, some more and some
less. The which Liquor they boyl and make a kind of brown Sugar,
called Jaggory; but if they will use their skill, they can make it
as white as the second best Sugar: and for any use it is but little
inferior to ordinary Sugar. The manner how they take this Liquor
from the Tree is thus; When the Tree is come to maturity, first out
of the very top there cometh out a bud, which if they let it grow,
will bear a round fruit, which is the seed it yieldeth, but is only
good to set for encrease. This bud they cut and prepare, by putting to
it several sorts of things, as Salt, Pepper, Lemons, Garlick, Leaves,
&c. which keeps it at a stand, and suffers it not to ripen. So they
daily cut off a thin slice off the end, and the Liquor drops down in
a Pot, which they hang to catch it.
[The Skin bears strings as strong as wyer.] It bears a leaf like to
that of a Betel-Nut-Tree, which is fastned to a Skin as the Betel-Nut
Leaves were, onely this Skin is hard and stubborn like a piece of
Board: the Skin is all full of strings as strong as Wyer; they use
them to make Ropes withal. As long as the Tree is growing the leaves
shed; but when the Tree is come to its full growth, they remain many
years upon the Tree before they fall; and when they fall, there are
no new ones come again: The top-bud, as it ripens and withers, other
buds come out lower and lower every Year till they come to the bottom
of the Boughs, and then it hath done bearing, and so may stand seven
or ten years, and then dyeth.
[The Wood; its Nature and Use.] The Wood of this Tree is not above
three inches thick, mighty strong and hard to cut in two, but very
apt to split from top to bottom; a very heavy wood, they make pestles
of it to beat their Rice with; the colour black, but looks not like
natural wood, but as if it were composed of divers pieces. The budds
of this Tree, as also of the Coker, and Betel Nut-Tree, are excellent
in tast, resembling Walnuts or Almonds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape — John Shaqi
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