OPENAVK are a kind of roots of round forme, some of the bignes
of walnuts, some far greater, which are
found in moist & marish grounds growing many together one by another in ropes, or as
thogh they were
fastnened with a string. Being boiled or sodden they are very good meate.
OKEEPENAVK are also of round shape, found in dry grounds:
some are [of the] [17] of the bignes of a
mans head. They are to be eaten as they are taken out of the ground, for by reason of their
drinesse they will
neither roste nor seeth. Their tast is not so good as of the former rootes, notwithstanding
for want of bread
& somtimes for varietie the inhabitants vse to eate them with fish or flesh, and in my
iudgement they doe as
well as the houshold bread made of rie heere in England.
Kaishúcpenauk a white kind of roots about the bignes of hen egs & nere of
that forme: their tast
was not so good to our seeming as of the other, and therfore their place and manner of
growing not so much
cared for by vs: the inhabitãts notwithstanding vsed to boile & eate many.
Tsinaw a kind of roote much like vnto the which in England is called the
China root brought from
the East Indies. And we know not anie thing to the cõtrary but that it maie be of the same
kind. These roots
grow manie together in great clusters and doe bring foorth a brier stalke, but the leafe in
shape far vnlike;
which beeing supported by the trees it groweth neerest vnto, wil reach or climbe to the
top of the highest.
From these roots while they be new or fresh beeing chopt into small pieces & stampt, is
strained with water
a iuice that maketh bread, & also being boiled, a very good spoonemeate in maner of a
gelly, and is much
better in tast if it bee tempered with oyle. This Tsinaw is not of that sort which by
some was caused to be
brought into England for the China roote, for it was discouered since, and is in vfe
as is aforesaide: but that
which was brought hither is not yet knowne neither by vs nor by the inhabitants to serue
for any vse or
purpose; although the rootes in shape are very like.
Coscúshaw, some of our company tooke to bee that kinde of roote which
the Spaniards in the West
Indies call Cassauy, whereupon also many called it by that name: it groweth in
very muddie pooles and
moist groundes. Being dressed according to the countrey maner, it maketh a good bread,
and also a good
sponemeate, and is vsed very much by the inhabitants: The iuice of this root is poison,
and therefore heede
must be taken before any thing be made therewithal: Either the rootes must bee first
sliced and dried in the
Sunne, or by the fire, and then being pounded into floure wil make good bread: or els
while they are greene
they are to bee pared, cut into pieces and stampt; loues of the same to be laid neere or
ouer the fire vntill it
be soure, and then being well pounded againe, bread, or sponemeate very good in taste,
and holsome may
be made thereof.
Habascon is a roote of hoat taste almost of the forme and bignesse of a
Parseneepe, of it selfe it is
no victuall, but onely a helpe beeing boiled together with other meates.
There are also Leekes differeing little from ours in England that grow in
many places of the
countrey, of which, when we came in places where, wee gathered and eate many, but the
naturall inhabitants
neuer.
CHESTNVTS, there are in diuers places great store: some they vse
to eate rawe, some they stampe and
boile to make spoonemeate, and with some being sodden they make such a manner of
dowebread as they
vfe of their beanes before mentioned.
WALNVTS: There are two kindes of Walnuts, and of then infinit
store: In many places where very great
woods for many miles together the third part of trees are walnuttrees. The one kind is of
the same taste and
forme or litle differing from ours of England, but that they are harder and thicker shelled:
the other is
greater and hath a verie ragged and harde shell: but the kernell great, verie oylie and
sweete. Besides their
eating of them after our ordinarie maner, they breake them with stones and pound them in
morters with
water to make a milk which they vse to put into some sorts of their spoonmeate; also
among their sodde
wheat, peaze, beanes and pompions which maketh them haue a farre more pleasant
taste.
MEDLARS a kind of verie good fruit, so called by vs chieflie for
these respectes: first in that they are not
good vntill they be rotten: then in that they open at the head as our medlars, and are about
the same
bignesse: otherwise in taste and colour they are farre differêt: for they are as red as
cheries and very sweet:
but whereas the cherie is sharpe sweet, they are lushious sweet.
METAQVESVNNAVK, a kinde of pleasaunt fruite almost of the
shape & bignes of English peares, but that
they are of a perfect red colour as well within as without. They grow on a plant whose
leaues are verie
thicke and full of prickles as sharpe as needles. Some that haue bin in the Indies, where
they haue seen that
kind of red die of great price which is called Cochinile to grow, doe describe his plant
right like vnto this of
Metaquesúnnauk but whether it be the true Cochinile or a bastard or wilde kind, it cannot
yet be certified;
seeing that also as I heard, Cochinile is not of the fruite but founde on the leaues of the
plant; which leaues
for such matter we haue not so specially obserued.
GRAPES there are of two sorts which I mentioned in the
marchantable cõmodities.
STRABERIES there are as good & as great as those which we haue
in our English gardens.
MVLBERIES, Applecrabs, Hurts or Hurtleberies, such as wee
haue in England.
SACQVENVMMENER a kinde of berries almost like vnto capres
but somewhat greater which grow
together in clusters vpon a plant or herb that is found in shalow waters: being boiled eight
or nine hours
according to their kind are very good meate and holesome, otherwise if they be eaten they
will make a man
for the time franticke or extremely sicke.
There is a kind of reed which beareth a seed almost like vnto our rie or wheat, &
being boiled is
good meate. [In] [19]
In our trauailes in some places wee founde wilde peaze like vnto ours in England
but that they
were lesse, which are also good meate.
There is a kind of berrie or acorne, of which there are fiue sorts that grow on seuerall
kinds of trees; the one
is called Sagatémener, the second Osámener, the third
Pummuckóner. These kind of acorns they vse to drie
vpon hurdles made of reeds with fire vnderneath almost after the maner as we dry malt in
England. When
they are to be vsed they first water them vntil they be soft & then being sod they make a
good victuall,
either to eate so simply, or els being also pounded, to make loaues or lumpes of bread.
These be also the
three kinds of which, I said before, the inhabitants vsed to make sweet oyle.
An other sort is called Sapúmmener which being boiled or parched doth
eate and taste like vnto
chestnuts. They sometime also make bread of this sort.
The fifth sort is called Mangúmmenauk, and is the acorne of their kind of
oake, the which beeing
dried after the maner of the first sortes, and afterward watered they boile them, & their
seruants or sometime
the chiefe thêselues, either for variety or for want of bread, doe eate them with their fish
or flesh.
Deare, in some places there are great store: neere vnto the sea coast they are of the
ordinarie bignes as ours
in England, & some lesse: but further vp into the countrey where there is better feed they
are greater: they
differ from ours onely in this, their tailes are longer and the snags of their hornes looke
backward.
Conies, Those that we haue seen & al that we can heare of are of a grey colour
like vnto hares: in
some places there are such plentie that all the people of some townes make them mantles
of the furre or flue
of the skinnes of those they vsually take.
Saquenúckot & Maquówoc; two kindes of small beastes greater then conies which
are very good
meat. We neuer tooke any of them our selves, but sometime eate of such as the
inhabitants had taken &
brought vnto vs.
Squirels which are of a grey colour, we haue taken & eaten.
Beares which are all of black colour. The beares of this countrey are good meat;
the inhabitants in
time of winter do use to take & eate maie; so also somtime did wee. They are taken
comonlie in this sort. In
some Ilands or places where they are, being hunted for, as soone as they haue spiall of a
man they presently
run awaie, & then being chased they clime and get vp the next tree they can, from whence
with arrowes they
are shot downe starke dead, or with those wounds that they may after easily bekilled; we
sometime shotte
them downe with our caleeuers. [20]
I haue the names of eight & twenty seuerall sortes of beasts which I haue heard of
to be here and
there dispersed in the countrie, especially in the maine: of which there are only twelue
kinds that we haue
yet discouered, & of those that be good meat we know only them before mentioned. The
inhabitãts somtime
kil the Lyon & eat him: & we somtime as they came to our hands of their Wolues or
woluish Dogges, which
I haue not set downe for good meat, least that some woulde vnderstand my iudgement
therin to be more
simple than needeth, although I could alleage the difference in taste of those kindes from
ours, which by
some of our company haue been experimented in both.
Turkie cockes and Turkie hennes: Stockdoues: Partridges: Cranes: Hernes: & in winter
great store of
Swannes & Geese. Of al sortes of foule I haue the names in the countrie language of
fourescore and sixe of
which number besides those that be named, we haue taken, eaten, & haue the pictures as
they were there
drawne with the names of the inhabitaunts of seuerall strange sortes of water foule eight,
and seuenteene
kindes more of land foul, although wee haue seen and eaten of many more, which for
want of leasure there
for the purpose coulde not bee pictured: and after wee are better furnished and stored
vpon further
discouery, with their strange beastes, fishe, trees, plants, and hearbes, they shall bee also
published.
There are also Parats, Faulcons, & Marlin haukes, which although with vs they
bee not vsed for
meate, yet for other causes I thought good to mention.
For foure monthes of the yeere, February, March, Aprill and May, there are plentie of
Sturgeons: And also
in the same monethes of Herrings, some of the ordinary bignesse as ours in England, but
the most part farre
greater, of eighteene, twentie inches, and some two foote in length and better; both these
kindes of fishe in
those monethes are most plentifull, and in best season, which wee founde to bee most
delicate and pleasaunt
meate.
There are also Troutes, Porpoises, Rayes, Oldwiues, Mullets, Plaice, and very
many other sortes of
excellent good fish, which we haue taken & eaten, whose names I know not but in the
countrey language;
wee haue of twelue sorts more the pictures as they were drawn in the countrey with their
names.
The inhabitants vse to take then two maner of wayes, the one is by a kind of wear
made of reedes
which in that countrey are very strong. The other way which is more strange, is with
poles make sharpe at
one end, by shooting them into the fish after the maner as Irishmen cast dartes; either as
they are rowing in
their boates or els as they are wading in the shallowes for the purpose. [There] [21]
There are also in many places plentie of these kindes which follow.
Sea crabbes, such as we haue in England.
Oystres, some very great, and some small; some rounde and some of a long shape:
They are founde
both in salt water and brackish, and those that we had out of salt water are far better than
the other as in our
owne countrey.
Also Muscles, Scalopes, Periwinkles, and Creuises.
Acornes.