The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-10-25


ment or "butter," are prepared.
When the Spaniards first visited Mex
leo, four centuries ago, they found the
natives using chocolate. II was intro
duced into Europe as early as 1890, and
has since been more or less extensively
used in every civilized country. Lin
neus was 80 fond OF it that he gave to
the tree from which it was obtained
the name OF Theobroma--foed for the
gods. Chocolate and cocoa are only two
forms Of the same substance.
HOW COCOA Is OBTAINED
The tree twice year yields a crop of
reddish spongy fruit. shaped somewhat
like cucumber. The ripe fruit being
collected at the decline of the moon, the
tree continues its yield for twenty or
thirty years. Each fruit or pod con-
tains from six to fifty beans-usually
about twenty--and there are from ten
to twenty pounds of such beans from
each tree at each crop. The beans are
usually about the size Of large almonds.
They are frequently (from a confusion
of language) called indifferently "beans, Z"
'seeds, )" nuts, " Cherries" and "fruits, +"
but their character will be better under
stood by regarding them as beans con
tanned within a pod They are gener-
ally picked out and dried for exporta-
tion.
Besides the beans the pulp contains a
creamy and cordial juice, and by steam
ing and pressing the beans will yield
one-third of their weight of kind Of
butter to which the richness of cocoa is
due.
For preparing the beverage material
the beans are exported in their original
state, to be converted into cocoa OF choc-
olate by manufacturing process. They
are first roasted in slowly rotating ovens,
then broken by machine into such state
that the husks may be separated from
the kernels by blast of air, and they
are afterward treated and beaten and
converted into pulp by means of their
own oil.
The pulp, when ground between mill
stones till 1t assumes consistency some
thing like that of treacle, is in a state to
receive any Of the notifications that
will fit it for the market 1t may be
"plain cocoa" or homeopathic cocoa"
or vanilla chocolates" it may have ar
rowroot or sago or sugar mixed with it,;
or If the manufacturers be tinctured
with roguery there may perchance be
bean meal or other adulterants mixed
with the pulp.
CHOCOLATE IN MANY FORMS.
The pulp, when fully prepared in any
of these diverse ways, is cast into large
molds; the cakes thus produced are cut
into minute shreds by machine, and the
shreds are rubbed, sifted and packed for
sale
The preparations Of cocoa and choco-
late made in France are more numerous
than usually made in England or the
United States; they comprise vanilla
chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate bon
bons, chocolate papillotes, chocolate
crackers, chocolate pastilles, chocolate
with tarRxacum OF with sarsaparilla,
chocolate with tar--in short, there is no
end to the list; for once admit the prin-
cipal of mixing cocoa with vegetable in
fusions or decoctionS or essences and
the variety becomes interminable.
The French limit themselves to the
use VI tnC WOih InOCOAdtCB uCAANGu
from the Mexican name of the plant
(chocolatl); they seldom speak of cocoa. 4"
What are called cocoa nibs" are the
beans roughly crushed. "Flake cocoa"
also, is another name for the beans when
crushed between rollers, but before any
thing else has been added to them. The
husk of the seed after roasting con-
tains a good deal of nutriment; indeed,
so do the pods likewise, and all three are
more or less used in making cheap
cocoa.
The plant is certainly used in more
ways than coffee-drank as thick decoc-
ton (made to somewhat resemble grueD,
made into various confections and pas
tries, eaten as bonbons, etc.-while
poor decoction is drank in some places
by boiling the husls separated from the
beans.
While chocolate and cocoa contain an
essential principle, theobromine, com
parable to caffeine and theine-the aka
loids of coffee and tea-it is much less
potent as disturber of the nervous sys-
tenn; and chocolate and cocoa are pro
portionally more welcome as beverage,
besides possessing specially nutritiye
! qualities, which render them much
more sustaining than tea.-Dr. H. N
Bell in Sanitarian.