The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-04-01
THE FOOD FOR THE GODS"

'ln every civilized country of the
world the dark brown cake of COM
mercial chocolate is known, and wher-
lever candies and CONNECTIONS delight
the appetite for sweets shared by
many of the adults and practically all
Iof the children of all nations the choc-
IOlate-coated bonbon is fayorite.
Chocolate has become both food and
drink in many lands, but of the mil
lions who now use it comparatively
few know that it is made from bean
which grows on q beautiful tropical
tree" writes Edward Albes in the
January number of the Bulletin OF
the Pan American Union. Still, it Is
quite an old story, this drinking OF
chocolate, cocoa, or cacao, as the au-
tlor points out in his story. Column
bus is said to have introduced the de-
lightful drink into Europe, for cacao
il indigenous to the tropical regions
Of the Americas. and prior to the dis
covery of the western world it was
unknown elsewhere.
Chocolate, as it was known by the
Nztecs of Mexico, formed the favorite
beverage of the luxurious Montezuma,
Tor that mOnarch's daily consumption.
I he Incas of Peru cultivated great
fields OF cacaO, and the COncoction
made from the bean had been in use
..mong them for centuries before the
Spanish conquest SO the story of
cacao is rather old in the New"
world and a littlo over 400 years
young in the old
TheobrOma cacaO is the scientific
name of the tree, and it means food
for the gods" 1t is found most plcnti-
fully in Ecuador, Brazil, Trinidad,
Venezuela, and the Dominican Repub-
lic. 1t grows to a height OF l6 or Is
feet when cultivated. The fruit is
pod shaped like a cucumber, from I
. to 10 inches long and from to 4
inches in diameter, has . thick lcath-
cry rind, and its interior is divided
into long cells in each of which is a
row of from to ~ seeds imbedded in
look much like thick almonds. are
The cacao beans CT commerce.
The picking on large Plantations
generally takes place. twice a 70 r, al.
though there are no regular seasons,
the trees frequently having buds,
flowers, and fully riponed pods on
them at the same time. The pods,
which grow directly out Of tho trunk
as well as from the limbs, are cut off
with q specially designed instrument
! known as a cacao picker" sharp "
| shaped blade attached to a long pole,
! and SO constructed that each pod may
! lie cut from the tree by skilled work
| men without damaging either the 9th
| or pods or tho limbs of the tree. The
severed pods are gathered in heaps
and lett lying on the ground fer a day
or two before being opened and the
beans extracted or shelled After the
acid juice and pulp has been removed
the beans are assorted according TO
| size and state of ripeneSs and then
taken 20 the sweating boxes" These
are made Of wood, are cubic in form,
and from or feet each way in size.
They are provided with grating at
the base through which the liquid
products of fermentation can pass
Iaway. The beans are placed in these
Ireceptacles and allowed to ferment
| for several days, and then taken out
and dried either BY the natural agen.
cy of the sun or by the mechanical
means of hot air blasts. They are
then ready for the market. Some
idea as to the popularity of chocolate
may, be had when it Is stated that
accurate statistics show that the
world consumed 251,5S2 tons OF cacao
in 1918 and that in the first i've
months OF 1914 no less than 134.54y
tons were used. or the last amount
Ecuador alone furnished 25,O3S tens.