A Useful Substitute.

Samoanische Zeitung, Volume 19, Issue 34, 23 August 1919, Page 1 (Supplement)

A Useful Substitute.

To Replace Wteaten Flour. Owing to the great shortage . the wheat supply in Europe, . u i where the position in regard to flour is so acute, it behoves one and all to help iu every way possible to conserve supplies. To that end we ./ive below "particulars gleaued from ''The Tropical Agriculturist" concerning uses of plantain or banana flour, Asa substitute for wheateu : ..:i, plantain flour is pro hlily one that will be made :. •,■ greatest use of, as it is the iu-apest to produce. Plantain flour can be made from any kind of plantain, although -it is generally rei minended,, to use those • lantains such as the " Red :ig* which at the present lime is scarcely used at all in Samoa. On some large es~ uites quantities of this plantain can be seen. From a bunch of silk figs the hands were cut off and weighed; they yielded 26.19 per-cent, of flour. In cutting the plantains. i is better to cut them before they are quite full than to leave them till they are beginning to ripen, as if too full, they will, after slicing, ripen in the sun, be very difficult to dry and produce a sweet flour. The process of pealing and dicing, is a simple one, and an be done most economically v boy labour, the boys bediming quite expert and performing the work quickly and well after a few bundles have been. done. Steel, knives should not be used on the fruit as they blacken ihem unless immersed under *vater the .whole time A nickel or fruit knife is' the best tool to use, Wheu slicing the plantains Ihe thinner they can be cut rhe better, as it is essential for them to dry quickly. In the dry season no trouble is •-xperienced, and they will dry thoroughly in a couple of days if spread on wooden trays in The blazing sun. In the rainy season it is a different matter and it is best to choose a fine morning for the work, and if a shower comes on remove them to a dry warm room. A drying room with hot air going through it would be necessary on a large scale, hut when doing a few bunches for the home, this is not needed as they can always be dried in trays on a, warm grate. As soon as the chips are dry they nre rea.dy for milling. On a s mall scale they may be pound-

Ed, grated,or better still ground in an ordinary corn-mill which can bo bought from about Bs, upward. Aiter buying the plantains and paying for the labour, the flour can be produced for about sq!d. a pound; therefore for those who grow their own plantains and use their own labour, the cost is practically nil. The. uses of plantain flour are many aud varied. It would be as well here to mention that as a food substitute plantain Hour is most valuable, it being very digestible, so much so, iu fact, that well-known medical authorities have recommeudc-d its use for the feediug of children and invalids. We need therefore have no fear of bad couseqeuces to our health by using plantain flour. Plantain bread is better made from a mixture of wheaten flour and plantaiu flour, but in what proportion is a question for the consumer to judge for himself. Personally, 1 use it and find it very wholesume, mixed in the proportion of two parts plantain flour to one of wheat flour. Other people may prefer it half and hall, or one part of plantain flour to two of wheat flour. The bread is dark in colour, or lighter according to the a irount of wheat flour is added, this probably being the oulv reason whysome people preL'r the addition of wheat floor in large proportions. The addition of a certain proportion of wheat flour is uecessary to give the bread the proper consistency. The making of bread can easily be done-by the housewife.' Occasionally for some reason a little difficulty is found in getting the plantaiu flour to rise, when the dough is made with yeast, and it has been recommended to set the doughs separately aud combine them by A similar process, I think, is to make the bread with powder, when it never fails to rise. Take care in mixing, however not to make the flour too wet, as the plantain flour is not capable of taking up so much moisture as the wheat flour. Plantain flour cooked ami eaten as oatmeal porridge is an excellent food and should entirely replace oatmeal on the breakfast table at the present time, In cake making, the same proportions of plantain flour can be used as in the making of bread, ... Used in the form of a mil* pudding, made in the same way as a rice pudding, it i* also very palatable. Plantain biscuits can also

be made from the flour, in tact, they have been known in Europe as a fancv biscuit for a long time.