This
entry focuses on Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo and his A general and natural history of The Indies, published in
Valladolid in 1535. Oviedo was the first chronicler licensed by Carlos V of Spain to write about the newly discovered continent. I include it because it mentions the greater bird-of-paradise,
a “bird of God” as he calls it. It also mentions a custom practised by the Caribbean
natives; that they would eat raw ginger like it were bread.
These were observations made by and penned Pigafetta, who wrote his Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo in 1524-25, and Oviedo's translation is a paraphrase. I found the image
of them eating it like this and also the custom in itself very fascinating to
ponder. It should be reintroduced, it could have been called “taíno bread”, we’d
have more people eating ginger and less inflammation.
Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, A general and natural history of The Indies
“In
chapter 97 he recalls that incredibly beautiful bird which he previously mentioned elsewhere, and which is believed to come from the earthly paradise, and here [on the island] they call it bolom diwata[1],
which means in that language[2] “bird
of God”. In chapter 98 he mentions ginger, and although elsewhere he made some
mention of it, it is not as specific as it is here. The said author expresses
it thus: “crude ginger is eaten as if it
were bread, because being crude, it isn’t as strong as when dried. It is not a
tree, but a small plant that sprouts up from the earth with a few long boughs
like a palm, similar to the ones found on canes, with similar leaves, but narrower
and shorter; the which are no good at all, save the root, which is the ginger.
Some villages are accustomed to drying it, treating it with lime, so it last
longer”.
This
gentleman concurs with what he said in the previous chapter, and he says that
while the two remaining ships were preparing to set sail, and being loaded with
spices, one of them leaked heavily, so they decided to abandon it, and since
they couldn’t repair it without [wasting] much time and resources, they agreed
that this one stay there, and that after being repaired it should return to
Spain as best it could. He mentions this in chapter 99 of his account”.
-Gonzalo
Fernández de Oviedo, A general and
natural history of The Indies, (1535).
[Texto original]
Del jengibre verde
[citando a Antonio Pigafetta]
«En el capítulo XCVII hace
memoria este auctor [Pigafetta], de aquel pájaro tan prescioso de que en otras
partes se ha fecho memoria de suso, que aquéllos piensan que viene del paraíso
terrestre, y aquí le llama bolon divata[1],
que dice en aquella lengua, «pájaro de Dios». En el capítulo CXVIII hace mención del jengibre, y aunque en
otra parte se ha dicho dél alguna cosa, no es tan especificada como agora. Este
auctor lo dice assí: "Cómese el
jengibre verde como si fuese pan, porque siendo verde, no es tan fuerte como
cuando está seco. No es árbol, sino una planta pequeña que sale fuera de la
tierra con ciertos ramos luengos cuanto un palmo, como son los de la caña, con
hojas semejantes, pero más estrechas y más cortas; las cuales no son buenas a
cosa alguna, sino sola la raíz que es el jengibre. Aquellos pueblos lo suelen
secar, poniéndole en cal, porque dure más tiempo[2]".
Concuerda este caballero con lo
que se ha dicho en el capítulo precedente, y dice que estando para partirse las
dos naos que les quedaron, y teniéndolas cargadas de especias, la una hacía
tanta agua, que determinaron de la dejar, e porque no se podía adobar sino en
mucho tiempo y con mucha costa, y acordaron que se quedase aquélla, y que
después de adereszada, se viniese a España como mejor pudiese. Dícelo en su
capítulo XCIX de su relación».
-Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, Historia general y natural de las Indias
(1535-1557).
[1] «bolon diwata», también llamado «Mamuco
Diata», ave del paraíso esmeralda grande (Paradisaea
apoda).
[2] «In tutte queste isole se
trova gingero; noi lo mangiavamo verde, come pane. Lo gingero non è albero, ma
una pianta piccola, che pullula fuori de la terra certi coresini lunghi un
palmo, come quelli de le canne e con le medesime foglie, ma più strette. Questi
coresini non valeno niente; ma la sua radice è il zenzero, e non è così forte
verde come secca. Questi popoli lo seccano in calcina, perchè altrimenti non
durerebbe». Relazione del primo viaggio intorno al mondo, 1524-25.
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