Origin of Paper-Bag Cookery?

THE upper waters of the Bariji River, Papua, are in high country, covered with a thick growth of bamboo, and the women there use no pots for prepar ing their husband’s meals.

When they want to cook, they cut a three-feet length of young bamboo, in which they place the food, after cutting it up in convenient pieces. They then seal up thei ends with clay, and place the bamboo in hot ashes. When the bamboo blackens and shows signs of cracking the food is cooked and shows a very palatable appearance.