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Royal Commentaries.
BooK
VIII..
Thofe Roots which the
Spaniards
call
Patatas,
and the
~ndians
of
Peru Apichu,
are of four or five feveral colours, fome are red, mhers wh1te, orhers yellow, o–
thers brown, and are of.different raíles, the woríl: fort are of thofe which are
brought into
Spain.
They h~ve alfo a forc of Goards, call~d
Roman
Goards, _and
in
Peru, c apallu,
they grow hke Mel?ns; they ear rhem bo1led, or baked, but ne–
ver raw. The fort of Goards of wh1ch they rnake Bottels, or Veífels, for all man–
ner of ufes are very good, and in great plemy, which .rhey cal!
Mati
;
but the
Goards which are eacable, were not known untill the time ofthe
Spaniards.
There ,
is
another forc ofRoot which they dig out of the Earth, which the
lndians
call
Yn–
chic
and rhe
Spaniards Maní ;
all the Names which the
Spaniards
give to their Fruits
and
Pulfe of
Peru,
are all taken from the Language ufed in the Iíland of
Barlovento.
The
Ynchic
bdth in the kernel and taíl:e is very like Almonds
~
If
ir be eacen crude,
it offends rhe head ; if baked or parched, ic is pleafanc and wholfome, and with
Honey makes admirable Almond-cake; chey alfo prefs Oil out of itfor divers dif–
eafes. Befides rhefe, there is another fort of'Rooc ·which grows under ground,
called by che
Jndians Chuchuchu,
for which, as yet, the
Spaniards
have coined
no
proper Name, becaufe they have no fort of rhac Fruit in the Iílands of
Barlo–
vento,
which are very hot Councries; bue chis grows in
Callao,
which
is
a cold
Climate; being eaten raw, ir is delicious to che palace, and a greac ílrengthener
of che íl:ornach, rhe Roors. of ir are much longer, and deeper in rhe ground than
the Anni-feeds:
le caíls no leaf above ground, bue onely a green Fiber, which
fhews che place where che
Chuchuchu
is found; and when thar greennefs w.irhers,
ir is a figo thac rhe Frui~ is _ripe; and che feafon
to
gather ~e : This Fr?it, and the
Ynchic,
are eíl:eem~d dehcac1es,
fic
for che palare of che uch and cunous, rather
chao for tbe diec of che common people, who make it their bufinefs to gather and
prefenc chem
to
che Rich, and perfons of Power and ~ality.
CH A P.
XI.
Of Fmits and Fruit-Trees of ~he /a,gefl fort.
T
Here isanother for_cof Fruit, excellenc and ~o~d, whic0 ch~
Sp~ni~rds
having
no name for, cal! 1c a Cucumber, becaufe 1c 1s fomechmg like 1c mics íhape,
though not in the taíl:e, nor yecin the qualicy of ic, being of good digeílion, and
foch as rhey prefcribe
to
perfonsfick of Calemures, or high Fevers, and ofanother
narure
to
che Cucurnbersof
Spain.
Whacname che
Jndians
give them, I muíl: con–
feís rhat I haye quite forg~t; for which I blame·my felf, and c~nnot imagine the
word they g1ve 1c, unlefs 1t be
Cacham
;
but I hope thac che d1íl:ance I am now
fromrny own Countrey, and my long abfence from chence
wiU
excufe my igno–
rance amongíl: rny Countreymen, for whofe fake I have undertaken this work
wirhout other hopes or ex.P.eétation ofreward, thanonely ro pleafe and ferve tliem:·
Thefe Cucumbers are of three feveral Cores and fizes; che leaíl:, which are fuch as
are in the formof.a Heart, and grow in little bufhes, are che bell. There is ano–
füer.forc_ ~f Fruir called
ChiLi,
w
hich was broughc
to
Co:uo
in che year
1 ,
57.
Je is
very dehc1ous
to
rhe palare, and wholfome; ic growS' on branches which run al–
rnoft leve! wich che ground, ir bears a kind of colour, or grane like che
ArbuteUJ
and is of che fame bignefs, onely ic is noc round, but racher
lo~g,
in faíbion of
¡
Hearr.
,
· There are many other forcs of Fruics, which grow on high Trees
fome of
which are produced in hot Countries, fuch as are on che Sea-coaíl: abo~c che
An–
tú,
others in more cemperate Climaces, fuch as are che warm Vallies of
Peru
- ·
bue J:>eca~fe thefe Fruics are common in many places, ic will not be neceffary
t;
paruculanze che feveral forts of chem, bue onely to reporc in whac manner rhey
grow.
And