bread(, native)

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

n.


a kind of fungus. «Thesclerotium of Polyporus mylitta, C. et M. Until quiterecently the sclerotium was known, but not the fructification.It was thought probable that its fruit would be ascomycetous,and on the authority of Berkeley it was made the type of agenus as Mylitta Australis. It is found throughoutEastern Australia and Tasmania. The aborigines ate it, but tothe European palate it is tough and tasteless, and probably asindigestible as leather.» (L. Rodway.)

1843. James Backhouse, `Narrative of a Visit to the AustralianColonies,' p. 40:

«Natural Order. Fungi. . . . Mylitta Australis. NativeBread. This species of tuber is often found in the Colony,attaining to the size of a child's head: its taste somewhatresembles boiled rice. Like the heart of the Tree-fern, andthe root of the Native Potato, cookery produces little change.»

1848. `Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of VanDiemen's Land,' vol. i. p. 157:

«11th October, 1848 . . . Specimens of the fungus knownas `native bread,' Mylitta Australis, lay upon thetable. A member observed that this substance, grated and madeinto a pudding with milk alone, had been found by him verypalatable. Prepared in the same way, and combined with doubleits weight of rice or sago, it has produced a very superiordish. It has also been eaten with approval in soup, after themanner of truffle, to which it is nearly allied.»

1857. Dr. Milligan, in Bishop Nixon's `Cruise of the Beacon,'p. 27:

«But that which afforded the largest amount of solid andsubstantial nutritious matter was the native bread, afungus growing in the ground, after the manner of the truffle,and generally so near the roots of trees as to be reputedparasitical.»

1896. `Hobart Mercury,' Oct. 30, p. 2, last col.:

«A large specimen of `native bread,' weighing 12 lb., has beenunearthed on Crab Tree farm in the Huon district, byMr. A. Cooper. It has been brought to town, and is beingexamined with interest by many at the British Hotel. It is oneof the fungi tribe that forms hard masses of stored food forfuture use.»

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

← bramble, native   ×   breadfruit-tree →

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