ABOUT THE KUMARA.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 90, 18 April 1927, Page 6

ABOUT THE KUMARA.

A correspondent recently inquired in the gardening section of the "Star"' Saturday Magazine as to the best moans of storing kunicia or sweet potatoes. This is the Maori method—nnd the Maori ought to know something about it. seeing that he has been growing it in New Zealand for at lea«t live hundred year;-: — When the kuniara crop was dug, the owners thereof allowed the tubers to lie in the sun for about two hours to dry; then they arranged them ill heaps. They were laid on a Wd of f<-rn. very carefully, 50 as not to break the skin; then they were covered over with fern. There they lay until tlio storehouse or "nia" was ready for their reception. The ma was usually a kind of shallow cellar, a pit about four feet deep, covered with a sloping roof; when finished, it resembled a small house buried to the cave*. The ground, of course, was in some dry well-drained place—damp was fatal to tho kumera. The sides and bottom of 11-c run, were very carefully lined with fern, and great care was taken in narking the kumera, so thr.t they would not be bruised. Wherever j>ossible, small ra\c-liko "ma" were excavated in the sides of hills or cliffs near the cultivation. There are good examples of these in the pretty little bay at Pukurahi Pa. on Lake Kotoiti, just on the right-hand side as you enter the bay. The soft rock of the cliff below the old fort on the headland was excavated bv the ancient peoplo in a number of these ca\o storehouses. These were closed with wooden doors. On the eastern side of Lake Taupo similar "rua* , may be seen in the pumice cliff near Hatcpe, close to the motor road. Have any pakeha growers of the sweet potato ever tried the Maori recipe for the delicacy called '"kno' , ? This was dried kumera. a favourite food of people on a Journey. This is the way one of my old Maori farmer friends used to go about it: — The kumera selected were fust carefully scraped with fern, then they were put into steam ovens in the eartli (the usual native "hanngi ,, ), covered over, and allowed to remain there all night, so that they would be very thoroughly cooked. Next morning they were taken out and spread to dry until they became quite dry and hard. Then they were put into baskets and hung up in the "pataka," an elevated storehouse. In this way, says the Maori, they will keep for a year and more. To prepare the root for eating, you just take a handful of these "kao" chips and crumble them to pieces and mix with water. It is very palatable, and makes a sweet porridge in a particularly convenient way when you arc in a hurry to get on with your bush journey. But you must first get your •"kao" perfectly cured, and that takes more trouble than the Mauri cares to give the kumera these dav-..