The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-07-19
oAcAo, COCA, COCO AND COCOA.
4 Clearing Up of singular Confusion Of
Names.

4 Clearing Up of singular Confusion o.
Names.
A striking example Of the ignorance OF
tropical things on the part Of dwellors ia
temperate regions IL to be found ia the
confusion into which the articles various
iy termed cacao, coca, coco, cocoa, have
been got by shippers, tradesmcn, diction-
tiouary and encyclopedia makers, and the
public following them There are four
widely separated vegetable growths that
are yariously mixed under these names.
The first cacao, il well placed in the
genus thpobromn, name given II by Lin
neus, aud signiiyiug food for the gods
The specific name comes from the Portu-
Pucse "cacau, ~ IN turn derived from the
ancient Mexican "cacautl.n Its name IL
almost universally spelled cocoa in the
United States and England and confused
with the cocoanut Of the palm tribe with
which it has far less natural affinity than
has the rose with the pear. All the die
tionnries confuse or misapply these names
Even the Encyclopedia Britannica talks
Of the cocoon tree, and, though admitting
that it is "more properly cacao, says un
der that heading see Cocoa Worcester's
school dictionary actually says, Cocoa,
n beverage made Of the cocoauut," which
fine gooseberry pie as product Of the as
paragus plant.
The cacao is a small evergreen tree from
10 to 80 feet high under cultivation and
higher in its native forests. Though a
native Of America, from Mexico TO Peru,
il was introduced into Africa over 200
years ago, where it has since escaped from
cultivation and may now be found grow
ing wild. Its somewhat egg shaped pods
are from TO ~ inches long, with thick,
almost woody rind. Ten elevated outside
ridges indicate five celled fruit. This con
tains from % to 100 seeds imbedded in
the sweetish pulp. These are the "cacao
beans" from which are prepared seed. The
tree must have plenty Of heat and rain, a
deep, rich soil and but little wind. The
best cacao is that of Nenezuela-Carac
cacao.
The cncao pods are gathered twice a
year, in June and December. Roasted and
Invested Of husks, the pods become 'cacao
nibs;" ground into paste, sweetened and
| Favored, they yield chocolate; in "A crude,
unsweetened paste, cacno, enormously call
ed coco, with the oil extracted, dried and
| powdered, "broma," and the oil Of the
| seed yields nonrancid fat, "cacao but
ter" much used in pharmacy.
The second Of our quartet, coca, often
! incorrectly spelled cuca, is "A shrub closely
resembling blackthorn and native of the
Andes, attaining six or eight feet in height,
! with straight branches and brilliant green
leaves. The latter, when chewed, produce
a sense Of warmth In the mouth, having n
pleasant, pungont taste.
! OF coco much less can be said than OF
| the others. So little Is il known in north
ern countries tbat8he dictionaries and en-
] cyclopedias, with one exception, ignore it,
| II yields n root which, properly cooked,
/ Is not n. Ike sweet potato, and which /
| have founO palntable and very nourishiDg
/ 1t Is not G.. sufficient value, however, to
come into general use where either pota-
| toes, breadtruit or plantains abound.
| The last q our quartet, the cOcoanut
| palm, Is the most widely distributed OF
| tropical grOwths and without exception
the most useful Of any single one of ma
| ture = prOducts-saye earth, air and water.
The cocOanut palm, which the Ency-
| clopcdia Britannica enormously thinks
| should be called cOconut, grows from 40
| to 10 feet high and is sometimes 2 feet
| in diameter The trunk Is exceedingly
elastic. ! have seen trees 10 feet high bend
in n hurricane till their tops touched the
ground and then right themselves unin-
| jured, n moment after. The leaf, some
times over 20 feet long, has midrib Dor
dered by many long leaflets, the whole re
sembling a mammoth feather. The nuts
grow in punches Of 10 10 90, nre II to Is
! inches long and TO o in diameter. San
Francisco CHRONICLES.