Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-01-08
THE FOOD FOR THE GODS"

I'm every civilized country OF the
world the dark brown cake Of CONNER
cial chocolate is known, and wherever
candies and CONNECTIONS delight the APP
petite for sweets shared by many OF the
adults and practically all OF the chill
dren OF all nations. the chocolate coat
ed hon-bon IL Il favoritc. Chocolate has
become both food and drink in many
lands. but of the millions who now use
IL comparatively fcw know that it is
made from a bean which grows on 3,
beautiful tropical tree" writes Edward
Albcs In the January number OF the
I3uleltin of the an-Amcr.can Union
still. it is quite an old story. this drink
ing Of chocolate, cocoa. or cacao, as the
author points out in his story. Co.
lumbus is said to have introduced the
delightful drink into Europe for cacao
is indigenous to the tropical regions Of
the Americas. and prior TO the dscov-
cry OF the Western world 1t was un-
known elsewhere.
Chocolate. as 1t was known by the
Aztecs OF Mexico, formed the favorite
beverage OF the luxurious Montczuma,
no less than fifty jars being prepared
for that monarch's daily consumption.
The lncas Of Peru cultivated great
fields OF cacaO, and the concoction made
from the bean had been In use among
them for centuries before the Span
ish conquest. So the story OF cacao is
rather old in the new" world. and Il
little 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-
lie. II grows to a height Of sixteen or
eighteen feet when cultivated. The
fruit is n pod shaped like n cucumber.
from seven to ten inches long and from
three TO four inches in diameter, has n
thick leathery rind, and it's interior is
divided into five long cells. in each of
which is a row Of from five to ten seeds
imbedded In soft pink pulp These
seeds, which look much like thick al
monds, are the cacao beans of com
mcrce.
The picking OH large plantations
generally takes place twice year, al
though there are no regular seasons,
the trees frequently having buds. flow
ers, and fully rtpencd pods on them al
the same time. The pods. which grow
directly out of the trunk as we'll as from
the limbs, are cut off with specially
designed instrument known as Il cacao
picker" a sharp V-shaped blade. at
tached to Il long pole, and so construct
ed that each pod may be cut from the
tree by skilled workmen without dam
aging either the other pods or the limbs
of the tree. The several pods are
gathered in heaps and left lying on the
ground for day or two before being
opened and the beans extracted or
shelled. After the acid juice and pulp
has been removed the beans are as
sorted according to size and state of
ripeness, and then taken to the Sweat
ing boxes" These are made Of wood,
arc cubic in form. and from three tn
fou: feet each way I'm size. They are
provided with a grating ut the base
through which the liquid products OF
fermentation can pass away. The beans
arc placed in these rcceDtacles and al
lowed to ferment for several days, and
then taken out and dried either by the
natural agency of the sun or by tho
mechanical means of hot air blasts
They are then ready for the market
Upon their arrival at the factory tho