The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1915-01-11
CHOCOLATE CALLED
FOOD OF THE GODS"
IN SOUTH E R

I'm every civilized country Of the
world the dark brown cake OF COM
mercial chocolate is known. and
wherever candies ana CONNECTIONS de-
light the appetite Tor sweets shared
by many Of the adults and practically
all OF the children OF all nations the
chocolated-coated bon bon Is a favor
lie. Chocolate has become both food
and drink In many lands. but OF the
millions who now use 1t comparative
- few know that II is made from a
bean which grows on a beautiful
tropical trce"--writes Edward Alhes
In the January number Of the Bulle-
tin Of the Pan American Union. Still.
Il IL quite an old story. this drinking
~ chocolate. cocoa. on Cacao. ns the
author points out In the story. Colum-
bus II said to have introduced the de-
lightful drink into Europe. for cacuo
ls indigenous to the tropical regions
Of the Americas, and prior TO the
~discovery OF the western world u was
unknown elsewhere.
Chocolate. az Il was known by the
Aztecs Of Mexico. formed the favo.ite
beverage OF the luxurious Montezuma
no less than so lars being prepared
FOR the monnrch's daily consumption.
The Incas Of Peru cultivated great
fields OF cacao. and the connection
made from the bear had been In use
among them for centuries before The
Spanish conquest. So the story of
G Il rather old In the New"
world ard q little over 500 years
young in the "Old,"
Theobroma cac..o Is the scientific
name Of the tree. aud Il mean food
for the gods" Il IL found most plcn
tifully IN Ecuador. Brazil. Trinidad.
Venezuela and tho Dominican repuh-
lie. u grows Ia q height of 1G or rs
feet when cultivated. The fruit IL a
pod shaped like a cucumber. from Z
to 10 inches long and from 3 to Z
inches In diameter. has q thick leath-
cry rind. and ~ interior IL divided in
10 2 long cells In each ~ which h a
row OF from = la 10 seeds imhcdded
In % soft pink pulp. These seeds,
" iich look much like thick almonds.
the cacao beans Of commerce.
The picking ON large plantations
generally takes place twice n ear. AL
though there are no regular seasons.
the trees frequently having buds
flowers and fully ripcncd pods on
them AT the same time. The pods.
grow directly out of n TRUNK
as well as from the limbs, are cut of
with O. specially designed instrument
known az 20 cacao picker" a sharp
N-shuped blade attached to a long
pole. and so constructed that each
pod may Doe cut from the tree by
workmen without damaging
the other pods or the limbs ~
the tree. The severed pods are gath
cred in heaps and left lying on the
ground FOR q day or two before being
opened and the beans extracted or
After tho acid juice and
pulp has been rmoyed the beans are
according To size and state
az ripencss and then taken to the
boxes THESE are made OF
wood. are cubic In form, aud from 3
or I feet each way In size. They are
provided with a grating at the base
through which the liauid products Of
fermentation can pass away. Tho
Aeans are placed in those receptacles
aud allowed to ferment for several
days and then taken out and dried
hy the natural agency OF the
or hy the mechanical means of
hot air blasts. They are then ready
Tor the market
Upon their arrival at the factory
beans are usually blended TO got
the best results. they are roasted.
ground Ia a fineness of flour,
lnd hy this reduction process become
n thick. vlscous LIQUID owing To tho
presence In the beans OF the lat. or
cocoa butter az &c Is called. Up 20
Iihs point an products Of cacao are
about the same. But II the product
know - Cocoa IL desired, this
BE- Iluced between sheets OF
fin cloth and then put into presses
and the Fat or "huttcr' expressed
the mass. After the butter Is
extracted the chcno can he dried
and pulverizcd, In other words. cho- |
colute il caCao with the fat left IN. |
while oco n cacao with tho Tat eN-
Both preparations have sti-
mulating and nutritivc qualities. the
due TO the presence 81 the aka
Ioid called theohromin similar a. caf-
fein. the active principle Of coffee. !
while the nutritive value, which
makes "a food as wei as 4 drink OF
chocolate, is due 10 the oils and veg
ingredients ot the cacao bean.
In a cup Of chocolate made from the
product all the nutritive factors
are retained. some idea az ~ the /,
Of chocolate mas be had
when Il Is stated that accurate stats |,
ties show that the world consumed
26i,bS2 tons 81 cacao In 1913 and
that In the first five months 81 1914
no loss than 1850 Ions were used