ILN 2 R1 Reading

Student’s name:_______________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_____________

Note: Paper dictionary may be used but you may not use any electronic device.

ILN 2 R1: The history of kūmara

Read the text and answer the questions.

The history of kūmara

Kūmara is a type of sweet potato which is very popular in New Zealand cuisine. It has a
long history of cultivation in New Zealand. Kūmara were first brought to New Zealand by
the early Māori settlers over one thousand years ago from the Pacific Islands. Kūmara
were widely grown in New Zealand, especially in the warmer regions of the North Island.

The Māori grew kūmara with great horticultural skill, making use of the good soil and
climate in New Zealand. Kūmara caterpillar were controlled with the use of tamed black-
backed seagulls. Kūmara caterpillars could hatch in their thousands, devastating a crop
almost overnight.

Pre-European Māori grew several different varieties of 'bush' kūmara, but compared to the
varieties we eat today they were very small in size, being no bigger than a finger.

The kūmara we buy in the supermarket today are different from the kūmara brought to
New Zealand by Māori. They come from larger South American varieties that were brought
out to New Zealand from the 1850’s on whaling ships from the Americas. The local Māori
and early settlers saw the good characteristics of these varieties and quickly adopted
them.

Source: https://www.kūmara.co.nz/about-kūmara.html
Other reading: https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1610/161014-sweet-potato.html
ILN 2 R1 Reading

Student’s name:_______________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_____________

ILN 2 R1 Reading

Student’s name:_______________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_____________

Part A. Answer the following questions:

1. What kind of text is this?

a) Information
b) A recipe
c) A letter

2. What is the main idea in the text?

a) How to cook kūmara
b) The history of kūmara
c) How to grow kūmara

3. Kūmara is a type of:

a) Sweet
b) Vegetable
c) Leafy green

4. According to the article, kūmara grows best in:

a) cold temperatures
b) warm temperatures
c) in the South Island

5. Where did Māori settlers bring kūmara from?

a) Pacific Islands
b) North Island
c) South America

6. The kūmara that Māori brought to New Zealand were:

a) much smaller than the ones we usually buy today
b) grew in a bunch of fingers like bananas do
c) were as big as a hand

7. Kūmara was brought to New Zealand by American settlers.

True False Not enough information

8. The kūmara we eat today are the same kūmara that Māori ate in pre-European times
True False Not enough information

9. When the European settlers brought bigger sweet potato varieties they:
a) Adopted some children
ILN 2 R1 Reading

Student’s name:_______________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_____________

b) Showed them to the Maori

c) Kept them for themselves

Fill in the gaps in the sentences below using words or collocations from the box:

different from widely widely grown

long history humans devastating

Early Māori settlers were the first __________ to arrive in New Zealand.

China has a very ______________ of tea cultivation.

Coffee is ______________ in Africa.

There are usually both red and orange kūmara ___________ available in New Zealand supermarkets.

The weather in Thailand is very ________________ the weather in New Zealand.

Christchurch suffered a _____________________ earthquake in 2011.

Paraphrase the following sentences:

1. Kūmara caterpillars could devastate a crop of kūmara.

2. The Māori grew kūmara with great horticultural skill.

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Kūmara were widely grown in New Zealand.

4. Kūmara today are different from those brought to New Zealand by the early Māori
settlers.

____________________________________________________________________________
ILN 2 R1 Reading

Student’s name:_______________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_____________

Kūmara chowder
750g kūmara
500mls milk
250g chopped onion
25g butter
450g can cream-style corn
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150mls cream

Peel and boil the kūmara in salted water until tender. Drain. Mash or put through a food
processor. Add milk. Sauté onion in butter until soft and transparent. Add to the chowder.
Add the can of creamed corn and bring slowly to the boil. Stir frequently or the soup will
catch. Add more milk if necessary but the soup should be thick. Stir in cream and gently
reheat. Serve in warm bowls and garnish with a little parsley.

Note: You can substitute fresh corn for the canned corn, but in this case, add some extra
milk.
Serves 6.
ILN 2 R1 Reading

Student’s name:_______________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_____________

Today we travel to Dargaville to meet kūmara grower Andre de Bruin. We grow here four
different types of cameras the traditional Owairaka Red, Toka Toka Gold, Beauregard and a
newer variety called Purple Dawn. We're planting the nursery plants out in August
September and October, so that the plants can grow up and be ready to plant it out in the
fields in October November and December. You'll see that we prepare the ground to a very
fine tilth, and that's because it's all hand planted. From planting to harvesting, we're
looking at between 120 and 130 days. We use a flail mower to cut all the canopy off which
all goes back into the ground, and has the ground nice and clean ready for the harvester to
come through. We use an elevated platform for harvesting. The kūmaras are lifted ou.t the
staff are picking the kūmaras off the vines placing them on the top belt which feeds them
through into the field bin. About 30% of our crop is harvested directly off the paddock into
the marketplace in February, March and April. The rest of our crop is harvested again in
February March and April but stored and cured and held in long term storage sheds to hold
them in perfect condition ready for market throughout the whole year. In the packhouse
here, we're washing the kūmara, we're grading it, and then we're packing it ready for
market.

This grower is committed to responsible production practices through a program called

New Zealand GAP. This involves third party audits of the farm against standards for food
safety, traceability worker welfare, sustainable practices and that the vegetables are
grown to a quality standard. For more information on kūmara and tasty recipes visit
vegetables.co.nz

Source: vegetables.co.nz Kūmara planting to plate video

https://www.vegetables.co.nz/vegetables-a-z/kumara-kumara/