Everybody eats _akras_;--they sell at a cent apiece. The akra is a small
fritter or pancake, which may be made of fifty different things,--among
others codfish, titiri, beans, brains, _choux-caraïbes_, little
black peas (_poix-zié-nouè_, "black-eyed peas"), or of crawfish
(_akra-cribîche_). When made of carrots, bananas, chicken, palm-cabbage,
etc. and sweetened, they are called _marinades_. On first acquaintance
they seem rather greasy for so hot a climate; but one learns, on
becoming accustomed to tropical conditions, that a certain amount of
oily or greasy food is both healthy and needful.
First among popular vegetables are beans. Red beans are preferred; but
boiled white beans, served cold with vinegar and plenty of oil, form a
favorite salad. Next in order of preferment come the _choux-caraïbes_,
_patates_, _zignames_, _camanioc_, and _cousscouche_: all immense
roots,--the true potatoes of the tropics. The camanioc is finer than the
choux-caraïbe, boils whiter and softer: in appearance it resembles the
manioc root very closely, but has no toxic element. The cousscouche is
the best of all: the finest Irish potato boiled into sparkling flour
is not so good. Most of these roots can be cooked into a sort of mush,
called _migan_: such as _migan-choux_, made with the choux-caraïbe;
_migan-zignames_, made with yams; _migan-cousscouche_, etc.,--in which
case crabs or shrimps are usually served with the _migan_. There is a
particular fondness for the little rosy crab called _tourlouroux_, in
patois _touloulou_. _Migan_ is also made with bread-fruit. Very large
bananas or plantains are boiled with codfish, with _daubes_, or
meat stews, and with eggs. The bread-fruit is a fair substitute for
vegetables. It must be cooked very thoroughly, and has a dry potato
taste. What is called the _fleu-fouitt-à-pain_, or "bread-fruit
flower"--a long pod-shaped solid growth, covered exteriorly with tiny
seeds closely set as pin-heads could be, and having an interior pith
very elastic and resistant,--is candied into a delicious sweetmeat.