Food from the Great River, 1639

Todo este Rio está poblado de Islas, vnas grandes, pequeñas otras, tantas en número que no se pueden contar, porque se encuentran á cada paso; las ordinarias son de quatro, ó cinco leguas, otras ay de diez, y de veinte; y la que habitan los Tupinambos (de quienes hablaremos después), tiene más de seis leguas de circunferencia; ay también otras muchas muy pequeñas que les siruen á los naturales de hazer en ellas sus sementeras, teniendo en las mayores su habitación.

This whole River is peopled with Islands, some large, others small, so many in number that they cannot be counted, because they are met at every step; the ordinary ones are of four or five leagues, others there are of ten, and of twenty; and the one that the Tupinambos inhabit (of whom we will speak later) has more than six leagues of circumference; there are also many others very small which serve the natives to make their sown fields on them, having their dwelling on the larger ones.

This whole river is full of islands, some large and others small, so many that they cannot be counted, for you meet them at every turn. Most are four or five leagues1 long. Others are ten or twenty. The one where the Tupinambá live (I will speak of them later) is more than six leagues around.2 There are also many very small ones. The native people plant their fields on these and live on the larger ones.

1. A league was about 5–6 kilometers (3–3.5 miles).
2. Acuña's Tupinambá had come from the Brazilian coast and settled on a large island in the lower Amazon. He describes them later in his report.

Estas Islas de menor porte, y á vezes las mayores, ó mucha parte dellas, vana todos los años el Rio, fertilizándolas de suerte con sus lamas, que no pueden jamás alegar título de estériles, aunque por muchos años continuados, se les pida el ordinario fruto, que es el maiz; y la yuca, ó mandioca, común sustento de todos, y de que tienen mucha abundancia; y aunque al parecer estaua expuesta á grande disminución y pérdida, con tan poderosas auenidas, la naturaleza, madre común de todos, dio á estos Bárbaros medio fácil para su conseruacion.

These Islands of lesser size, and at times the larger ones, or much part of them, the River floods every year, fertilizing them in such a way with its silt that they can never allege the title of barren, although for many continued years their ordinary fruit be asked of them, which is maize; and the yuca, or manioc, common sustenance of all, and of which they have much abundance; and although it seemed exposed to great diminution and loss with such powerful floods, nature, common mother of all, gave these Barbarians an easy means for its preservation.

Every year the river floods these smaller islands, and sometimes the larger ones or much of them. It leaves so much rich mud on them that they can never be called barren, even after many years of bearing their usual crops. These are maize and yuca, or manioc, which everyone lives on and which they have in great abundance. The manioc would seem to be in danger of great loss from such powerful floods. But nature, the mother of all, gave these barbarians an easy way to save it.

Cogen la yuca, que son vnas rayces, de que se haze el cazabe, pan ordinario en todas aquellas Costas del Brasil, y cabando en la tierra vnas cueuas, ó silos hondos, las sepultan en ellos, dexándolos muy bien tapados todo el tiempo que duren las crecientes, las quales pasadas, las sacan y benefician para su sustento, sin que por eso pierdan vn punto de su valor. Y si la naturaleza enseñó á la hormiga á guardar como en trojes en las entrañas de la tierra el grano, que ha de ser alimento suyo todo el año, qué mucho diese traça al Indio, por más bárbaro que sea, para prevenir su daño, y guardar su sustento; pues es cierto que la Diuina Prouidencia más cuida de los hombres que de los animales brutos.

They gather the yuca, which are some roots from which cazabe is made, the ordinary bread on all those Coasts of Brazil, and digging in the earth some caves, or deep pits, they bury them in them, leaving them very well covered all the time the floods last; these past, they take them out and prepare them for their sustenance, without their losing for that one point of their value. And if nature taught the ant to keep, as in granaries in the bowels of the earth, the grain that is to be its food all the year, what wonder that it gave a plan to the Indian, however barbarous he be, to forestall his harm and keep his sustenance; for it is certain that Divine Providence cares more for men than for brute animals.

They gather the yuca, which is a root. Cazabe is made from it,3 the everyday bread all along those coasts of Brazil. They dig deep holes or pits in the ground and bury the roots in them. They leave them well covered for as long as the floods last. When the water has gone, they take the roots out and prepare them to eat, and the roots have lost none of their value. Nature taught the ant to store the grain it will eat all year in the depths of the earth, as if in barns.4 So it is no wonder that nature gave the Indian, however barbarous, a way to prevent his loss and keep his food. For it is certain that Divine Providence5 cares more for human beings than for brute animals.

3. Cassava bread, flat cakes of toasted manioc flour, eaten across Brazil and the Caribbean.
4. Granaries.
5. The belief that God watches over and provides for the world. Acuña, a Jesuit, sees it at work even among people he calls barbarians.

Este es, como ya dixe, el cotidiano pan, que siempre acompaña las demás viandas. Y no solo sirue de comida, sino juntamente de bebida, á que son en general muy inclinados todos los naturales, para lo qual hazen vnas grandes tortas delgadas, que cocidas en horno, se auizcochan, de suerte que duran por muchos meses: estas guardan en lo más alto de sus casas para tenerlas libres de las humedades de la tierra, y quando las quieren aprouechar, echándolas en agua las deshazen; y cocidas al fuego, las dan el punto que han menester: reposan este caldo, y frio, es de ordinario vino de que ellos vsan, que á veces es tan fuerte, que como si fuera vino de hubas, les embriaga, y haze perder el juizio.

This is, as I already said, the daily bread, which always accompanies the other foods. And it serves not only as food but also as drink, to which all the natives in general are much inclined; for which they make some large thin cakes which, baked in an oven, become like biscuit, so that they last for many months; these they keep in the highest part of their houses to keep them free of the damp of the ground, and when they want to use them, throwing them in water they dissolve them; and boiled on the fire, they give them the point they need; they let this broth rest, and cold, it is the ordinary wine they use, which at times is so strong that, as if it were wine of grapes, it makes them drunk and makes them lose their judgment.

This, as I said, is their daily bread, which goes with all their other food. It serves not only as food but also as drink, which all the native people are much given to. For this they make large, thin cakes and bake them in an oven until they are hard as ship's biscuit, so they keep for many months. They store them high up in their houses, away from the damp of the ground. When they want to use them, they break them up in water and boil them on the fire until they are just right. They let this broth stand, and when it is cold it is the usual wine they drink.6 Sometimes it is so strong that it makes them drunk, like grape wine, and they lose their senses.

6. A fermented manioc drink, a kind of beer. Acuña calls it wine.

Con este vino celebran sus fiestas, lloran sus muertes, reciben sus guéspedes, hazen sus sementeras, y las cogen. Y finalmente, no hay ocasión en que se junten, que no sea este el azogue, que los recoge, y la liga que los detiene. Hazen también, aunque no es tan ordinario, otros géneros de vinos, que como tan inclinados á la embriaguez, son como los taures, que nunca les falta de qué echar mano; ellos la echan de qualesquiera fruta silvestre, de que abundan los árboles, que deshechas en agua, la dan con su zumo tal sabor y fuerça, que muchas vezes excede á la cerbeza, bebida tan vsada en todas las Naciones Extranjeras. Guardan estos vinos, vnos en tinajas muy grandes de barro, como las de nuestra España; otros en pipas pequeñas, que labran de vna pieça, de socabados troncos, y otros en vasijas grandes que texen de yemas dándolas por dentro y fuera tal betún, que no se les pierde gota de licor que en ellas recogen.

With this wine they celebrate their feasts, mourn their dead, receive their guests, make their sown fields and harvest them. And finally there is no occasion on which they gather where this is not the quicksilver that draws them together and the birdlime that holds them. They also make, though it is not so ordinary, other kinds of wines, for, being so inclined to drunkenness, they are like gamblers, who never lack something to lay hands on; they lay hands on any wild fruit whatever, which the trees have in abundance, which dissolved in water gives it with its juice such flavor and strength that many times it exceeds beer, a drink so used in all the Foreign Nations. They keep these wines, some in very large jars of clay, like those of our Spain; others in small casks that they work in one piece from hollowed trunks; and others in large vessels that they weave of [yemas? reeds?], giving them inside and out such a pitch that not a drop is lost of the liquor they hold.

With this wine they celebrate their feasts, mourn their dead, welcome their guests, and plant and harvest their fields. In short, whenever they gather, this drink is the quicksilver that draws them together and the birdlime that holds them there. They also make other kinds of wine, though less often. Being so fond of drinking, they are like gamblers, who always find something to play with. They make it from any wild fruit, and the trees are full of them. The fruit, broken up in water, gives the water such flavor and strength that it is often better than beer, the drink so common in foreign nations. They keep these wines in different ways. Some keep them in very large clay jars, like those in our Spain. Others use small casks carved in one piece from hollowed trunks. Others use large woven vessels, coated inside and out with a pitch so good that not a drop of the liquor is lost.

Las viandas que acompañan este pan, y vino, son muchas, no solo de frutas, como Plántanos, Piñas, Guayabas, Auios, Castañas muy sabrosas, que llaman en el Perú Castañas de la Sierra, y á la verdad más parecen esto, que no aquello, si bien las llaman así por nacer en vnos cocos que se asemejan al herizo de la Castaña, Tienen Palmas de diuersos géneros, que producen vnos sazonados cocos, y otras sabrosos dátiles, que aunque siluestres, son de muy buen gusto, y otras muchas diferencias de frutas, propias todas de tierras calientes. Tienen también rayces de mucho sustento, como son batatas, yuca mansa, que llaman los Portugueses, Macachera, Caras, criadillas de tierra, y otras que asadas, ó cocidas, no solo son tan gustosas, sino sustanciales.

The foods that accompany this bread and wine are many, not only of fruits, like Plantains, Pineapples, Guavas, Auios, very tasty Chestnuts which they call in Peru Chestnuts of the Sierra, and in truth they look more like this than that, though they call them so because they grow in some cocoas that resemble the burr of the Chestnut. They have Palms of diverse kinds, which produce some ripe cocoas, and others tasty dates, which though wild are of very good taste, and many other varieties of fruits, all proper to hot lands. They also have roots of much sustenance, such as sweet potatoes, sweet yuca, which the Portuguese call Macachera, Caras, earth truffles, and others which roasted or boiled are not only so tasty but substantial.

Many foods go with this bread and wine. There are fruits such as plantains, pineapples, guavas, auios, and very tasty chestnuts that in Peru they call "chestnuts of the Sierra."7 They do look more like chestnuts than anything else, though the name comes from the husks they grow in, which look like the burr of a chestnut. They have palms of many kinds. Some bear ripe coconuts and others tasty dates, which are very good even though they grow wild. There are many other kinds of fruit, all of them proper to hot countries. They also have very nourishing roots. There are sweet potatoes, sweet yuca, which the Portuguese call macachera,8 caras, and earth truffles. Others are not only tasty when roasted or boiled but filling.

7. Brazil nuts. The Spanish in Peru named them after the Sierra, the Andes.
8. Sweet manioc, which can be eaten without the long processing that bitter manioc needs. Portuguese macaxeira.

Con todo, de lo que más se alimentan, y lo que como dizen, les haze plato, es el inmenso pescado, que con increible abundancia cada día cogen á manos llenas deste Rio. Pero entre todos, el que como Rey se señorea y está poblado en todo el Rio, desde sus primeros principios hasta que desagua en los mares, es el Peçebuey, pescado que el gusto solo le queda el nombre de tal, pues no ay persona que quando le come no le tenga por sazonada carne; es tan grande como vn bezerro de año y medio, y en la cabeça, á tener astas, y orejas, no se diferenciara del; tiene por todo el cuerpo algunos pelos, no muy largos, á modo de cerdas blandas, y muévese en el agua con dos braços cortos, que en forma de palas le siruen de remos, debaxo de los quales muestra la hembra sus pechos, con que mantiene con leche los hijos que pare.

For all that, what they most feed on, and what, as they say, makes their dish, is the immense fish that with incredible abundance they catch every day by the handful from this River. But among all, the one that like a King is lord and is found in all the River, from its first beginnings until it empties into the seas, is the Peçebuey, a fish of which only the name of such remains to the taste, for there is no person who when he eats it does not take it for seasoned meat; it is as big as a calf of a year and a half, and in the head, if it had horns and ears, it would not differ from it; it has over all the body some hairs, not very long, like soft bristles, and it moves in the water with two short arms which in the form of paddles serve it as oars, under which the female shows her breasts, with which she feeds with milk the young she bears.

Even so, what they live on most, and what they say fills the dish, is fish. Every day they catch unbelievable amounts of it by the handful from this river. But the king of them all, found along the whole river from its first sources to where it pours into the sea, is the peçebuey.9 It is a fish only in name, for anyone who eats it takes it for well-seasoned meat. It is as big as a calf a year and a half old, and if it had horns and ears, its head would be just like a calf's. Its whole body has some hairs on it, not very long, like soft bristles. It moves through the water with two short arms shaped like paddles, which serve it as oars. Under them the female has her breasts, and she feeds her young on milk.

9. The Amazonian manatee, a large plant-eating water mammal. The Spanish name means "ox-fish."

Del cuero, que es muy grueso, hazen adargas los guerreros, tan fuertes, que bien curado, no le pasa vna bala de arcabuz. Susténtase este pescado solo de yerua que pace, como si fuera buey verdadero, de donde cobra su carne tan buen gusto, y es de tanta sustancia, que con pequeña cantidad queda vna persona más satisfecha, y con más fuerças que si comiera doblado de carnero. Debaxo del agua detiene poco el resuello, y así donde quiera que anda, saca á menudo el hocico para cobrar nuevo aliento, de donde le viene su total destruición, pues él mismo se va mostrando á su enemigo; veenle los Indios, y siguiéndole, en canoas pequeñas, le aguardan á que queriendo respirar saque la cabeça, y clauándole con sus arpones, que hazen de conchas, le quitan la vida: diuídenle en partes medianas, que asadas sobre parrillas de palo, duran sin interrupción más de un mes. No hazen del cezinas para todo el año (que son de mucho precio), por no tener sal en abundancia, que la que vsan para templar sus comidas, es muy poca, y hecha de cenizas de cierto género de palmas, que más es salitre que sal.

Of the hide, which is very thick, the warriors make shields so strong that, well cured, an arquebus ball does not pass through it. This fish sustains itself only on grass that it grazes, as if it were a true ox, from which its meat gains such good taste, and it is of such substance that with a small quantity a person is more satisfied, and with more strength, than if he ate double of mutton. Under the water it holds its breath little, and so wherever it goes it often puts out its snout to take new breath, from which comes its total destruction, for it shows itself to its enemy; the Indians see it, and following it in small canoes, wait for it until, wanting to breathe, it puts out its head, and nailing it with their harpoons, which they make of shells, they take its life; they divide it into middling parts, which roasted on grills of wood last without interruption more than a month. They do not make salt meat of it for the whole year (which would be of much value) for not having salt in abundance, for what they use to season their foods is very little, and made of ashes of a certain kind of palm, which is more saltpeter than salt.

From its hide, which is very thick, the warriors make shields so strong that, when well cured, an arquebus ball will not go through them. This fish lives only on grass, which it grazes like a real ox. That is why its meat tastes so good. It is so nourishing that a small amount satisfies a person more, and gives more strength, than twice as much mutton. It cannot hold its breath long under water, so wherever it goes it often lifts its snout to take a new breath. That is its undoing, for it shows itself to its enemy. The Indians see it and follow it in small canoes. They wait until it raises its head to breathe, and then they drive their harpoons, made of shell, into it and kill it. They cut it into middling pieces, which they roast on wooden grills, and these keep for more than a month. They do not dry and salt it to last the whole year, which would be very valuable, because they have little salt. What they use to season their food is very scarce and made from the ashes of a certain kind of palm. It is more saltpeter than salt.