Sonderlinge reysen van Joseph, den geboornen Indiaan; bevattende een aanmerklijke beschrijvingh der landen,...

pomegranates, grapevines, peaches, and similar crops. Against this, they have an incredible multitude of figs, of which fruits the land is full. One also has here another tree, bearing Indian nuts coconuts; from which one obtains oil, wine, vinegar, and sugar, about which Strabo has also spoken. This will be dealt with more broadly in the following chapter.

CHAPTER VII.

How one [prepares] from the Indian palm tree,

In the month of August, one makes four things from the Indian palm tree that are very useful to people, in particular, in the following manner. The aforementioned month of August is the spring time of the inhabitants. Then they tap the palm trees as one does the grapevines, and since they have the most sap at that time of year, a liquid flows out, like from the cut grapevines. This liquid, like white water, they gather, [it is] wine, and they drink it as wine. This lasts thus for three days after that tree has been wounded. Of vinegar, honey. Then this water turns into vinegar of its own accord. Those who want to make sugar or honey take the water which has dripped out in the first three days and boil it in a kettle until no more than the third part remains. After this boiling, it becomes a very sweet honey. Then they pour water onto it again and skim it constantly, until the twentieth day. Thus being purified, it is used as good wine. From the kernels of the fruit, they press oil. Thus, many utilities are drawn from that one tree. Ships, ropes, sails, all from coconut trees. From the half-burned wood of the tree, they make charcoal for burning. From the bark, they know how to prepare cordage. When one lets the kernels of the nuts dry, they are good food for people. The same, when soaked in water,