The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-11-07
SCIENTIFIC READING.
Cocoa and Chocolate.

THERE are three species of shrubs or
Il trees having names so similar as to
be mistaken, but so dissimilar in charac-
ter that neither themselves nor their pro
ducts are ever confounded The Coca is
bush, not unlike our thorn in form and
appearance, found in some parts Of South
America. The Cocoa is a species of Palm,
which grows in most tropical countries
from fifty to eighty feet high, and has
been known for ages as producing the
Cocoa-nut The Cacao is a very different
tree, growing from twelve to twenty feet
in height, an evergreen, native of Amer
lea, the product of which was never
known in Europe till about the year 1920,
when it was introduced by the Spaniards
from Mexico. The name is more com
monty written Cocoa (Which Webster says
is corruption Of Cacao), and the Cocoa
of Commerce, of which Chocolate is
made, is the product of this tree while,
on the other hand, Cocoa mating is made
from the fiber of the palm or cocoa.nut
tree. This Cocoa or Chocolate tree
abounds in South America, and some Of
the West India Islands. 1t grows wild,
but is also extensively and proftably cul-
.ivated, The product is a fruit some
what resembling our cucumber, some five
or six inches long, and three or more
thick in the smaller species, but much
increased in size in the larger. The fruit
contains from ten to forty or fifty seeds,
arranged in rows within a sweet pulp
much like our watermelon. The fruit
natures twice in the year, in June and
December, and is chiefly valuable for
these seeds, though the pulp is also used
for food. The seeds, slightly acrid, and
bitter in taste, are sometimes prepared
for market by being simply dried in the
sun but more frequently they are placed
in large tubs, or buried in pits in the
earth, that they may ferment and 50 part
with portion of the bitter taste, after
which they are sun-dried and subsequent
ly roasted like coffee. This process caus-
es the shell to break and readily peel
away; the body of the seed also breaks
and, when pressed little, separates into
irregular pieces not unlike our split beans.
These are called nibs," and are separa-
ted from the shells by winnowing. The
shells are the article from which the we'll
known drink of our tables, which we
also call g shells" is made. They consti-
tute from ten to fifteen per cent. of the
whole weight, and contain only the small
est proportion of the peculiar properties
of the cocoa seed. The nibs" are the
purest form in which cocoa can be pur-
chased, it being impossible to adulterate
them without detection. The article
known as cocoa which we buy, ought to
be made by simply grinding these nibs
between heated stones and pressing the
whole oily product into mould where it
will cool; but of course in this process
there is opportunity for much adultera-
ton
Chocolate also ought to be made by
simply mixing pure cocoa paste with such
flavoring extracts as each maker may
choose The ancient Aztecs used vanilla
and different spices, and attained great
skill in making this, which was their ia
vorite beverage The pure article, how
ever, is invigorating, containing much
the same nutritve qualities as milk, and
also an astringent principle which gently
excites the nerves, and retards the waste
of the tissues like the similar principle
in tea aud coffee, only the excitement Of
the latter is more marked than that Of
chocolate. Chocolate is doubtless more
healthful
Our importations of cocoa, though
large, do not compare with those of tea
or coffee. OF tea we imported in the
year ending June 30th, 81 ,364,9l9 lbs;
of coffee, 327, ,992 ,049 lbs, while of cocoa
we imported only 3,445,453 lbs.