# 22 The Eskimos' Kitchen

Where did the name *Eskimo* come from? It comes from an American Indian word. It means eaters of raw meat. Eskimos have always eaten raw meat. They liked the flavor. That is one reason they did it. But there is another reason. It may be the real one. Early Eskimos had little or no wood. They could not build big fires. They did have oil made from whale blubber. This oil was used mainly for lamps. Cooking with a lamp has a drawback. It takes a long time.

Eskimos lived mainly on seal and caribou meat. They also ate a lot of fish. Meat came from birds, musk oxen, and polar bears. Once in a while there was whale. Eggs were part of the diet too. They also gathered a few wild plants. The season was short. Not much grew. They got vegetables from the caribou. How did they do this? It was simple. They ate the undigested contents of a caribou's stomach. The contents were vegetable matter.

Early Eskimos did not have iron pots. They cooked in pots made from soft rock. This rock was called soapstone. They made lamps from this rock too.

Eskimos ate several small meals a day. These were eaten on plates. The plates were made of wood. Wood was scarce. But when Eskimos went to hunt in the south, they would bring back wood. They also had forks. These were made of bone. There was always plenty of bone from the animals. Drinking cups were made from the horns of musk oxen. The women also used a special knife. It is called a ulu. It is used in the kitchen. It is shaped like a half moon. Ulus were made of various things. Sometimes they were made of horn. Sometimes bone was used.

# 22 愛斯基摩人的廚房

*Eskimo* 這個名字是從哪裡來的？它來自一個美洲印第安語詞。意思是吃生肉的人。愛斯基摩人一直吃生肉。他們喜歡那種味道。這是他們這麼做的一個原因。但還有另一個原因。這可能是真正的原因。早期的愛斯基摩人很少或根本沒有木材。他們無法生大火。他們確實有從鯨脂中提煉的油。這種油主要用於燈具。用燈具烹飪有一個缺點。需要很長時間。

愛斯基摩人主要以海豹和馴鹿肉為生。他們也吃很多魚。肉類來自鳥類、麝牛和北極熊。偶爾會有鯨魚肉。蛋類也是飲食的一部分。他們也採集一些野生植物。季節很短。生長的東西不多。他們從馴鹿那裡獲取蔬菜。他們是怎麼做到的？很簡單。他們吃馴鹿胃裡未消化的內容物。這些內容物是植物性物質。

早期的愛斯基摩人沒有鐵鍋。他們用軟石製成的鍋烹飪。這種石頭叫做皂石。他們也用這種石頭製作燈具。

愛斯基摩人一天吃幾頓小餐。這些餐食是用盤子盛的。盤子是木頭做的。木材很稀缺。但是當愛斯基摩人去南方狩獵時，他們會帶回木材。他們也有叉子。這些是用骨頭做的。總是有大量來自動物的骨頭。飲用杯是用麝牛的角製成的。婦女還使用一種特殊的刀。它叫做 ulu。它在廚房中使用。形狀像半個月亮。Ulus 由各種材料製成。有時它們用角製成。有時使用骨頭。