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An.1687
Goats Maws cookt, and Locusts.
would gnaw it, and tear it in pieces with their teeth, and at last swallow it. The Paunches of the Goats would make them an excellent dish : they dress it in this manner. They would turn out all the chopt grass and crudities found in the Maw in- to their Pots, and set it over the fire, and stir it about often : this would smoke and puff, and heave up as it were boyling ; wind breaking out of the ferment, and making a very savory stink. While this was doing, if they had any Fish, as com- monly they had 2 or 3 small Fish, these they would make very clean (as hating Nastiness belike) and cut the flesh from the bone, and then mince the flesh as small as possibly they could, and when that in the Pot was well boil'd, they would take it up, and strewing a little Salt into it, they would eat it, mixt with their raw minc'd fish. The dung in the Maw would look like so much boil'd Herbs minc'd very small ; and they took up their mess with their fingers, as the Moors do their Pilaw, using no Spoons.
They had another dish made of a sort of Locusts, whose bodies were about an inch and an half long, and as thick as the top of one's little finger ; with large thin Wings, and long and small Legs. At this time of the year these creatures came in great swarms to devour their Potato-leaves and other Herbs ; and the Natives would go out with small Nets, and take a quart at one sweep. When they had enough, they would carry them home, and parch them over the fire in an earthen Pan ; and then their Wings and Legs would fall off, and their Heads and Backs would turn red like boil'd Shrimps, being before brownish. Their bodies being full, would eat very moist, their heads would crackle in ones teeth. I did once eat of this Dish, and liked it well enough : but their other Dish my stomach would not take.
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