3. Pandanus The Pandanus fruit resembles a huge pineapple at superficial external glance. However, a closer inspection shows it to be made of large, individually extractable xernels surrounding a central inedible core, much like corn does on its cob. A pandanus fruit can weigh up to thirty pounds and consist of up to forty kernels or keys. These kevs themselves are stringently fibrous in nature (indeed, a spent and dried key makes an excellent paintbrush), the inner portion of which contains the flavorful though somewhat stringy pulp which when raw has the consistency of 4 carrot and likewise can be mashed upon being cooked. The bulk of the pandanus truit and a considerable portion of its weight is attributed to the upper inedible nartially external portion or the keys. This external portion, which is particularly -ibrous, is capped by a tough and nobby rind. Pandanus is traditionally a very important staple for the Marshall Islanders, especially among the northern atolls where due to lack of sufficient rainfail depend less on Breadfruit, tarro, bananas and papayas then do those Islanders Living in the southern Marshalls. All over the islands it is eaten when ripe uncooked and in surficient quantity to be considered a staple. Because of its availability throughout the interior or most islands and because it grows on even the distant unpopulated islands on all atolls, it is often used to ward off hunger during copra harvesting, brushing, fishing and inter-atoll travel. It is considered to offer relief from “morning sickness’ and is sought by pregnant women who often vat tremendous quantities of it. Said to be good for sea~sickness it is piled onto vessels of all types and destinations and eaten by nearly everyone aboard curing the entire length of the trip. The fact that it can be knocked about a ureat deal without danger of spoilage (due to its particularly tenacious rind) makes it especially suitable for inter-atoll export where it brings a good price in the district center and on Ebeye. There are many different varieties of pandanus, some of which are always eaten Others are normally boiled, steamed or baked in a ground oven before eating wom Ur - raw. q or processing because they are more starchy, very difficult to chew in their raw state and much more tasty and in particular sweeter after being cooked. These later are the varieties used in the preparation of mokon--the mashed pulp once it has been separated by mechanical means from the fibrous core using an apparatus called the bakan--in the process called kilok. Cooking allows pandanus to be eaten even in its unripe stages though generally speaking the more ripe the fruit the more mokon is produced in the kilok process. The varieties of pandanus are seemingly endless. Each variety has a characteristic shape, consistency, and flavor. - 40 - yaa ae _. ~ + aff } rk Jankwon is prepared from mokon by baking it to further reduce its water content and then by spreading it out usually on leaves to dry in the sun. The final product is then traditionally wrapped in pandanus leaves and tied with sennit. Though jankwon production is nearly a lost art over much of the Marshalls, it is still continued among the northern atolls, including Rongelap and Utirik where it is apparently a more firmly rooted tradition. ie