PEJIBAVE

the fruit of a tall palm (Bactris utilis), borne in large munbers and important as a food staple in parts of South America. It is generally top-shaped or oval, one to two inches in length, with a thin skin varying from light yellow to dark brown, and (generally) a single, black, angularly-conical seed. The best types are seedle . The ordinary method of preparation is a simple boiling in salted water -- its dry, somewhat mealy flesh then suggesting the chestnut and being a ‘Lie a wwe almost universally liked. Its food value rests chiefly on its large percentage of starchy matter, supplemented by a fair proportion of fat. It is excellent for stuffing poultry. Closely allied and perhaps identical is the ‘‘peach-palm’’ of South-American regions (generally recorded as Bactris Gasipaes), its fruit eaten roasted or otherwise cooked, and also (in dried, ground, meal form) made into ‘‘cakes’’ or bread. Of the same genus is the smaller Brazilian ‘‘beach-palm’’ (B. major) with similarly used fruits about the size of an apricot.