*£ i QG I LIBRARY -•so UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. QIKT OK Received &&*^l.a„.i88 & Accessions No. <3 *2r.J&. %:$ Shelf No. 0* With the compliments of 'Walter BalCer SfZ&., Dorchester, Mass. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 200/ with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/cocoachocolateshOObugbrich 'UNIVERSITY THE CHOCOLATE GIRL- BY LIOTARD. FROM THE ORIGINAL PAINTINC IN THE DRESDEN GALLERY COCOA CHOCOLATE A SHORT HISTORY OF THEIR PRODUCTION- AND USE WITH A FULL AND PARTICULAR ACCOUNT OF THEIR PROPERTIES, AND OF THE VARIOUS METHODS OF PREPARING THEM FOR FOOD Published by WALTER BAKER & COMPANY Dorchester, Mass., U.S.A. 17S0-18S6 b i 3 Copyright, 1SS6, By WALTER BAKER & CO. 3 2.o^T~ press or BOSTON. CONTENTS. Page Sources of information . . . . vii I. Introduction — showing the remarka- ble INCREASE IN THE CONSUMPTION OF COCOA AND CHOCOLATE IN GREAT BRIT- AIN AND THE UNITED STATES ... I II. The cacao-tree — where and how cul- tivated — METHOD OF CURING THE FRUIT, ETC. .7 III. Early use of cocoa and chocolate in mexico, europe, etc. . . . .26 IV. Properties of the different parts of the fruit, and of its products . . 45 IV CONTENTS. Page V. Value of cocoa and chocolate as ar- ticles OF FOOD, WITH OPINIONS OF THE MOST EMINENT PHYSICIANS . . . 52 VI. Cocoa-butter — its purity, qualities, etc. HEALING 82 VII. Receipts Different methods of preparing drinks Plain chocolate Frothed chocolate . Milled chocolate Baker's Premium No. i Baker's vanilla chocolate Baker's Breakfast cocoa . Baker's Cocoa-paste Baker's Eagle French chocolate German sweet chocolate Baker's Racahout des Arabes Baker's broma Baker's Cocoa-shells Baker's prepared cocoa . Baker's Premium cracked cocoa 9> 9i 94 96 97 93 98 99 99 99 100 100 100 101 IOI IOI CONTENTS. V Page Receipts, continued. Chocolat au lait (French) . . . 102 Chocolat a Teau . 102 Spanish chocolate . . 102 Egg chocolate . 103 German egg chocolate . 103 Parisian egg chocolate . . 104 Wine chocolate 106 Chocolate wine 106 Chocolate puddings . 106 Chocolate mixture . . Ill Chocolate cake . Ill Chocolate cakes 116 Chocolate macaroons 119 Chocolate tartlets . 119 Chocolate filling for cake 120 Chocolate wafers . 121 Chocolate jumbles . . 122 Chocolate Eclairs . 123 Chocolate cream puffs . 127 Chocolate blanc-mange . 128 Chocolate custards. 131 Chocolate Bavarian cream 133 Chocolate souffles . 134 Chocolate meringue 136 Chocolate creams . 136 Cream chocolates . 133 VI CONTENTS. Page eipts, continued. Chocolate fondant .... 138 Chocolate Charlotte Russe . 139 Chocolate custard pies . 140 Chocolate pie (rich) 140 Chocolate ice cream 141 Chocolate cream drops . M3 Chocolate caramels 144 Cream chocolate caramels . 145 Chocolate candy .... 146 Creme de cacao .... 147 Chocolate parfait amour 147 Bavaroise au chocolat . 148 Chocolate syrup .... 148 Chocolate syrup for soda water . . 149 Chocolate icing or coating . 150 Chocolate whip 150 Chocolate drops, with nonpareils . 15* SOURCES OF INFORMATION. " A New Survey of the West Indies," etc., by Thomas Gage. 2d edition, London, 1655. "The Natural History of Chocolate," by a French Officer; translated by Dr. R. Brookes, and printed in London, 1730. "Foods": (International scientific series), by Dr. Edward Smith, London, 1873. " The Beverages we Infuse " : Blackwood's Magazine, v. 75, 1854. " Physiologie du Gout," by J. Anthelme Bril- lat-Savarin. New edition, 2 v., Paris. " Le Cacao et le Chocolat, considered aux points de vue botanique, chimique, physiolo- gique, agricole, commercial, industrial et eco- nomique." Par Arthur Mangin, Paris, 1862. " A Practical Treatise on the Analysis of Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Chocolate, etc.," by J. Alfred Wanklyn, Public Analyst, etc., London, 1874. Vlll SOURCES OF INFORMATION. " McCulloch's Dictionary of Commerce and Commercial Navigation," London, 1882. " Spon's Encyclopaedia of the Industrial Arts," etc., Div. II., London, 1880. " Encyclopaedia Britannica," 9th edition, Arti- cle " Cocoa." Lecture on " Chocolate," before the Sheffield Scientific School, New Haven, 1881, by Pro- fessor Daniel C. Eaton. "A Manual of Hygiene," prepared especially for use in the medical service of the army, by Edmund A. Parkes, M.D., F.R.S., London, 1864. " A Treatise on Hygiene and Public Health," edited by Albert H. Buck, M.D., New York, 1879. The "Cantor" Lectures on Food, by H. Letheby, London, 1872. " Cocoa," by John R. Jackson. " Nature," v. 2, 1S70. "Adulterations of Food," by Rowland J. Atcheriy, Ph.D., London, 1874. " Lectures on Diet and Regimen," by A. F. M. Willick, M.D., 3d edition, London, 1801. Paper on "Chocolate," in the " Annales de Physique et de Chimie," by M. Boussingault, member of the French Institute. 11 History of American Manufactures," by J. L. Bishop. SOURCES OF INFORMATION. IX Reports on Commerce and Navigation, and Consular Reports, United States and Great Britain. Works on Cookery, by Maria Parloa, Pierre Caron, Pierre Blot, Mrs. M. F. Henderson, Marion Harland, Flora Neely, Matilda Lees Dods, Mrs. Blair, Sara T. Paul; also, the " Confectioner's Journal," " The Dessert Book," " Choice Receipts," etc. COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. m CONSUMPTION, DURING the last half-century the con- sumption of cocoa in various forms has increased to an extraordinary extent, both in this country and Great Britain. This is due to several causes, among the most prominent of which are, (i) a reduc- tion in the retail price, which brings it within the means of the poorer classes 5(2) a more general recognition of the value of cocoa as an article of diet, and (3) im- provements in methods of preparation, by which it is adapted to the wants of differ- ent classes of consumers. Z COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. There is no doubt that, if it had not been for the monopoly of the production which Spain long possessed, and which kept the price, on its first introduction into England, at a point where only the rich could afford to buy it, cocoa would have come into as general use there as it did in Spain, and would, perhaps, have been received with more favor than tea cr coffee, which were introduced about the same time. It appears that, in the time of Charles II., the price of the best chocolate (very crude, undoubtedly, as compared with the present manufactures), was 6s. 8d. a pound, which, if we take into account the greater purchasing power of money at that time, would be equal to at least $5 a pound at this time for a coarse compound. Humboldt estimated the consumption of cocoa in Europe, in 1806, at 23,000,000 pounds per annum, of which from 6,000,000 to 9,000,000 were supposed to be consumed CONSUMPTION. 3 in Spain. From the latest official returns of imports and consumption in the principal countries it appears that over 70,000,000 pounds are now used. France heads the list with 26,750,250 pounds ; Spain comes next, with 16,450,000; England consumes 13,966,512; the Netherlands, 5,475,000; Germany, about 3,250,000, and Belgium, 1,245.000. The United States stands next to Great Britain in the list of consumers, the amount of crude cocoa entered for con- sumption last year being about 8,500,000 pounds. The returns of exportations from the countries in which the article is pro- duced are so incomplete that it is im- possible to state definitely the total amount exported ; but it is probably not far from 80,000,000 pounds per annum. Reckoning the consumption in the coun- tries where it is raised at not less than 20,000,000 pounds, it may safely be as- sumed that the total annual product does not fall short of 100,000,000 pounds. 4 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. While the average price of the raw prod- uct has steadily increased during the last thirty years (from 47s. per cwt., between 1854-60, to 74s. between 1881-841), the retail price of the prepared cocoa has fallen. This is due to improvements in machinery and methods of handling, and to the sharp competition between the lead- ing manufacturers. In 1820 the quantity of cocoa entered for home consumption in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was only 267,321 pounds; in 1884 it amounted to 13,966,512 pounds of crude cocoa, and 1,033,173 pounds of chocolate, — in all about 15,000,000 pounds, an increase of 5,500 per cent, in sixty-four years. The population, in the meantime, had increased only 73^ per cent. ; the use of tea had in- creased only 457 per cent., and of coffee only 356 per cent. During the last twenty- 1 Mulhall's (English) Price Lists. CONSUMPTION. 0 five years the consumption of cocoa and its products in the United Kingdom has in- creased about 230 per cent. The con- sumption per inhabitant is about 63/s oz. In the United States the increased con- sumption in recent years has been no less striking. The amount of cocoa retained for home consumption in i860 was only 1,181,054 pounds ; in 1885 it was 8,426,787 pounds (that is, cocoa, crude cocoa and shells, not including chocolate, which is classed, in the official returns of imports, under the general head of u farinaceous articles"), — an increase of 614 per cent, in twenty-five years. The population in- creased during that period less than 60 per cent. The consumption of tea increased 153 per cent., and of coffee 196 per cent. In view, therefore, of the great and constantly increasing use of this product, its properties and supply become questions of the highest economic and hygienic im- portance. For the purpose of satisfying 6 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. the desire for information upon a subject which is of such general interest we have collected, from the most authentic sources, such facts in relation to the growth of the cacao-tree, the preparation of its fruit for the market, and the value of the different preparations for dietary purposes, as may serve to increase the common stock of knowledge in regard to one of the staple articles of food. THE CACAO-TREE. II. THE CACAO-TREE. THE term " Cocoa" is a corruption of " Cacao," but is almost universally used in English-speaking countries. The cacao-tree belongs to the natural order of Sterculiaceae, — a family of about 41 gen- era and 521 species, inhabiting the warmer regions of the world. None of them grow naturally in our climate, or in Europe, and, excepting the little yellow-flowered Mahernie, they are very seldom seen in our conservatories. The cacao-tree can be cultivated in suit- able situations within the 25th parallels of latitude. It flourishes best, however, with- in the 15th parallels, at elevations varying from near the sea-level up to about 2,000 feet in height. The following table con- 8 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. tains the principal species, the places where grown, and the commercial name : — Botanical Name. Theobroma angustifolia , T. bicolor . . T. Cacao (sati- va) . . . . Where Grown. Commercial Name. Mexico. Brazil . . . New Granada, Australia, Bourbon, Ceylon, Cuba, Dominico, Guadaloupe, Guatemala . Guinea . . Hayti, India, Jamaica, Java, Madagascar, Martinique, Mauritius, Philippines, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad, Maranhan. Bahia. Magdalena. The name of each country. Central Amer- ican. African. The name of each country. THE CACAO-TREE. Botanical Name. T. Cacao (sati- va.) T. glauca. T. Guyanensis, T. microcarpa, T. ovalifolia T. speciosa . . T. sylvestris . Where Grown. > Venezuela . Cayenne Surinam. J Ecuador } Peru . . Mexico . Brazil . Brazil . Jamaica . Commercial Name. ^ Maracaibo. ' l Caracas. . Berbice. Surinam. . Esmeralda. . Guayaquil. Soconusco. Para. Besides the above-mentioned species, distinguished by botanists, T. Cacao, which is the most widely and largely cul- tivated, is divided by cocoa-planters into several varieties, the differences observed being due to the long-continued influences of varied climates, soils and modes of cult- ure. The best of these is the Creole (or Criollo of the Spanish inhabitants of South America). The pods are small; but the nuts are thick, short, and almost globular, pale crimson in color, and of slightly bitter but agreeable flavor. This variety is 10 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. becoming scarce, chiefly through the bad policy of replacing decayed trees by in- ferior specimens. The next variety is the For aster o, the best kinds of which are the Cundeamar, of two descriptions, one with yellow, the other with red pods. The former is the better, containing large seeds which, in color and the ease with which they are fermented, resemble the Criollo. The third variety is the Amelonado ; and the fourth and lowest is the Calabacillo, whose seeds are small, bitter, and of a dark crimson color. All the varieties except the Criollo, which is probably confined to Venezuela, are known collectively as Trinitario, or " Trinidad," — the best being but little in- ferior to Criollo in the matter of quality, and superior on the score of fruitfulness. Hence Trinidad forms the principal nursery from which plants or seeds are procured for new plantations. The various kinds of cocoa may be THE CACAO-TREE. 11 placed in about the following order of merit: Soconusco (Mexico) and Esmeralda, (Ecuador), mostly, it is said, consumed at home ; Caracas and Puerto Cabello (Vene- zuela) ; Trinitario ; Magdalena and Car- thagena, New Granada ; Para ; Bahia.1 The British West Indies appear to take the lead among the producers for exporta- tion ; Ecuador stands second, Venezuela third, and Brazil fourth. The larger part of the Brazilian crop goes to France ; and the larger part of the Ecuadorian to Spain. A French officer who served in the West Indies for a period of fifteen years, during the early part of the last century, wrote, as the result of his personal observations, a treatise on "The Natural History of Choco- late, being a distinct and particular Account of the Cacao-Tree, its Growth and Culture, 1Spon's Encyclopaedia, etc., Div. II. 12 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. and the Preparation, Excellent Properties, and Medicinal Virtues of its Fruit," which received the approbation of the Regent of the Faculty of Medicine at Paris, and which was translated and published in London in 1730* From this rare and valuable little work the following extracts are made : — " The cacao-tree almost all the year bears fruit of all ages, which ripens suc- cessively, but never grows on the end of little branches, as our fruits in Europe do, but along the trunk and chief boughs, which is not rare in these countries, where several trees do the like. Such an unusual appearance would seem strange in the eyes of Europeans, who have never seen any- thing of that kind ; but, if one examines the matter a little, the philosophical reason of this disposition is very obvious. One may easily apprehend that if nature had placed such bulky fruit at the ends of the branches their great weight must necessa- THE CACAO-TREE. 13 rily break them, and the fruit would fall before it came to maturity. u The fruit is contained in a husk, or shell, which, from an exceedingly small begin- ning, attains in the space of four months to the bigness and shape of a cucumber. The lower end is sharp, and furrowed length- wise like a melon. This shell in the first months is either red or -white, or a mixture of red and yellow. This variety of colors makes three sorts of cacao-trees, which have nothing else to distinguish them but this. ... If one cleaves one of these shells lengthways it will appear almost half an inch thick, and its capacity full of choco- late kernels^ the intervals of which, before they are ripe, are filled with a hard white substance, which at length turns into a mucilage of a very grateful acidity. For this reason it is common for people to take some of the kernels with their covers and hold them in their mouths, which is mighty refreshing, and proper to quench thirst. 14 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. But they take heed of biting them, because the films of the kernels are extremely bitter. " When one nicely examines the inward structure of these shells, and anatomizes, as it were, all their parts, one shall find that the fibres of the stalk of the fruit pass- ing through the shell are divided into five branches ; that each of these branches is subdivided into several filaments, every one of which terminates at the larger end of these kernels, and altogether resembles a bunch of grapes, containing from twenty to thirty-five single ones, or more, ranged and placed in an admirable order. When one takes off the film that covers one of the kernels the substance of it appears, which is tender, smooth, and inclining to violet color, and is seemingly divided into several lobes, though in reality they are but two ; but very irregular and difficult to be disen- gaged from each other." An interesting supplement to this de- THE CACAO-TREE. 15 scription of the product in the West Indies, written more than a century and a half ago, will be found in the following report, made last year to the State Department at Wash- ington, by the U.S. Consul at La Guayra, in relation to the cultivation of cocoa in Venezuela, where the choicest variety of the exported product, the Caracas, is raised : — 44 The tree grows to the average height of thirteen feet, and from five to eight inches in diameter, is of spreading habit and healthy growth, and, although requiring much more care and attention than the coffee-tree, yet its equally reliable crops require comparatively little labor in prop- erly preparing for the market. 44 . . . There are two varieties of the cocoa-tree cultivated in Venezuela, known as El Criollo and El Trinitario, respec- tively, the former of which, though not so prolific nor as early fruiting as the latter, is yet superior to it in size, color, sweet- 16 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. ness, and oleaginous properties of the fruit, and in the fact that it always finds ready sale, while the latter is often dull or neg- lected. The difference in price of the two varieties is also marked, the former being quoted at $28 to $30 per fanega (no pounds), while the latter commands ap- proximately half that price. u While coffee can be successfully culti- vated under a temperature of 60 degrees F., the cocoa-tree, for proper development and remunerative crops, requires a tem- perature of 80 degrees F. ; hence the area of the cocoa belt is comparatively re- stricted, and the cocoa-planter presumably has not to fear the fierce competition that he has encountered in the cultivation of cotton and coffee. Besides the condition of temperature above stated, this crop needs a moist soil and humid atmosphere, and so the lands along the coast of the Caribbean sea, sloping from the mountain- tops to the shore, bedewed* by the exha- THE CACAO-TREE. 17 lations of the sea and irrigated by the numerous rivulets that course down the valleys, are found to be, in all respects, well adapted to the profitable cultivation of cocoa. And while the lands in the interior possessing facilities for irrigation may be said to be equally as good for the purpose, yet the absence of roads, and the consequently difficult transportation of produce on the backs of donkeys over rugged mountain paths, materially reduce the profits on the crop before it reaches the market. " A cocoa plantation is set in quite the same manner as an apple-orchard, except that the young stalks may be transplanted from the nursery after two months' growth. No preparation of the soil is deemed neces- sary, and no manures are applied. The young trees are planted about fifteen feet equidistant, which will accommodate two hundred trees to the acre. Between rows, and at like spaces, are planted rows of the 18 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. Bucare, a tree of rapid growth, that serves to shade the soil as well as to shield the young trees from the torrid sun. Small permanent trenches must be maintained from tree to tree throughout the entire length of the rows, so that, at least once in the week, the stream, descending from the mountains, may be turned into these little channels and bear needful moisture to trees and soil. At the age of five years the plantation begins to bear fruit, and annually yields two crops, that ripening in June being termed the crop of San Juan, and that maturing at Christmas being known as the crop of La Navidad. The average age to which the trees attain, under proper care, may be estimated at forty years, during which period it will give fair to full crops of fruit ; but of course it must be understood that, as in our fruit-orchards, a new tree must be set from time to time to replace one that may be decayed or blighted. After careful THE CACAO-TREE. 19 inquiry it may be safely stated that the average crop of the cocoa plantation at ten years of age, and under a proper state of cultivation, will amount to five hundred or six hundred pounds per acre. " The fruit or seed of the cocoa, in form, size, and color, is quite similar to the almond. These seeds, to the number of sixty or eighty,1 are encased in a pod, 1 This statement is incorrect. The average number is about twenty-five ; the maximum number would not exceed forty. It is curious to note the different statements of those who are regarded as authorities on the subject. Dampier ("A New Voyage round the World") says there are com- monly near a hundred; Thomas Gage ("New Survey of the West Indies") says there are from thirty to forty; Colmenero (" A Curious Discourse upon Chocolate ") says ten or twelve; Oexmelin ("The History of Adventures ") says ten to fourteen. The French officer, in his "Natural History of Chocolate," says (and says truly), " I can affirm, after a thousand trials, that I never found more nor less than twenty-five. Perhaps, if one were to seek out the largest shells in the most fruitful soil and growing on the most flourishing trees, one might find forty kernels; but as it is not likely one would ever meet with more, so, on the other hand, it is not probable one would ever find less than fifteen except they are abortive, or the fruit of a tree worn out with age in a barren soil, or without culture." 20 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. which, except in color, is the counterpart of a young muskmelon, being elongated and ribbed in the same manner. Its color, when green, is like that of the egg-plant, but, on ripening, it assumes a reddish hue. A peculiarity of the cocoa is that it bears fruit " from the ground up," the trunk yielding fruit as well as the branches. Upon ripening, the pods are gathered from the trees and heaped in piles on the ground, where they are left for some days to ferment, after which they burst open, when the seed must be shelled out. After a light exposure to the sun, during which time great care must be taken to protect them from the rain, they are sacked and ready for market. u The cocoa-trees, when very young, require to be carefully watched, to protect them from the ravages of the borers, which, instead of entering the trees near the ground or in the roots, as is the case with the borers in our peach-orchards, burrow under THE CACAO-TREE. 21 the bark of the trunk and girdle the trees. After a few years of care all danger from this source is removed. The only disease to which the tree is subject is la ?nancha, which is an affection similar to the pear blight in the United States, though not so obstinate and fatal, and which, by promptly cutting away the diseased bark, may be usually arrested. The squirrels and wood- peckers also must be guarded against, as they are very fond of the young fruit. It happens too, though rarely, that a period of ten or twelve days of continuous rainy and cloudy weather ensues, in which event much of the fruit is blighted and falls from the trees. These, it is believed, comprise all the casualties to which the tree and the green crop are exposed ; but which, when compared with the usual contingencies that affect our own orchards and fruit crops, may not be considered more damaging or discouraging. 44 In the tillage of the soil and the econo- 22 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. mies of agriculture the people of Vene- zuela are probably not in advance of those who scratched and scraped the earth before the deluge. A people that will plough with a forked stick, and plant corn with an iron crow-bar, as is practised here, have much to learn in respect to the laws of nature and the appliances of art. And the resultant idea, on a practical review of the subject, is that, if a fair amount of intelligent industry and care could be in- vested in the cultivation of this crop, it would undoubtedly yield a surprisingly satisfactory percentage of remunerative returns." The method of preparing the fruit for shipment is thus described in the recent edi- tion of the " Encyclopaedia Britannica " : — " In gathering, the workman is careful to cut down only fully ripened pods, which he adroitly accomplishes with a long pole armed with two prongs, or a knife at its THE CACAO-TREE. 23 extremity. The pods are left in a heap on the ground for about twenty-four hours ; they are then cut open and the seeds are taken out and carried in baskets to the place where they undergo the operation of sweating or curing. There the acid juice which accompanies the seeds is first drained off, after which they are placed in a sweat- ing-box, in which they are enclosed and allowed to ferment for some time, great care being taken to keep the temperature from rising too high. The fermenting process is, in some cases, affected by throw- ing the seeds into holes or trenches in the ground and covering them with earth or clay. The seeds in this process, which is called claying, are occasionally stirred to keep the fermentation from proceeding too violently. The sweating is a process which requires the very greatest attention and experience, as on it, to a great extent, de- pends the flavor of the seeds and their fit- ness for preservation. The operation varies 24 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. according to the state of the weather, but a period of about two days yields the best results. Thereafter the seeds are exposed to the sun for drying, and those of a fine quality should then assume a warm, red- dish tint, which characterizes beans of a superior quality." The shell of the nut is prolonged in the form of thin septa into the inner part of the seed. The relative proportions of shell and nib are approximately as I : 8, the nib being much the more abundant. They vary considerably in size. Single seeds may be picked out which weigh as much as 2.7 grammes ;' but the average weight is much less, viz., 1.2 grammes. The following determinations of the weights of the different kinds of seeds were made by J. Alfred Wanklyn, the well- known analyst : — 1 A gramme is equal to 15.432 English grains. THE CACAO-TREE. 25 Name of Cocoa. Weight of ioo Nuts. Grammes. Common Trinidad 98. Fair, good Trinidad . . . . 123.2 Very fine Trinidad 178.7 Medium Granada io4-5 Fine Granada 131. Caracas I3°«3 Dominican no. Fine Surinam 122. Fine Surinam (small) .... 7I*5 Bahia (Brazil) 118. Mexican 13^-5 African 128. The nut, in its unprepared condition, is not an article of retail trade. Before it reaches the consumer it requires much preparation, and without such preparation it is in as impracticable a condition as unground grain before the miller has con- verted it into flour. 26 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE, III. EARLY USE. THE name chocolate is nearly the same in most European languages, and is taken from the Mexican name of the drink, chocolatl, or cacahuatl. All is common enough in Mexican words, and is known to signify water. What the first part of the word means is not so clear. A French writer says it signifies noise ; and that the drink was so named because it was beaten to a froth before being drunk. The Spaniards found chocolate in com- mon use among the Mexicans at the time of the invasion under Cortez, in 1519, and it was introduced into Spain immediately after. The Mexicans not only used choco- late as a staple article of food, but they used the seeds of the cacao-tree as a medium EARLY USE. 27 of exchange. An early writer says, " In certain provinces called Guatimala and Soconusco there is growing a great store of cacao, which is a berry like unto an almond. It is the best merchandise that is in all the Indies. The Indians make drink of it, and in like manner meat to eat. It goeth currently for money in any market, or fair, and may buy flesh, fish, bread or cheese, or other things." In the "True History of the Conquest of Mexico," by Bernal Diaz, an officer under Cortez, it is related that " from time to time a liquor prepared from cocoa and of a stimulating or corroborative quality, as we are told, was presented to Mon- tezuma in a golden cup. We could not at the time see if he drank it or not, but I observed a number of jars — above fifty — brought in and filled with foaming choco- late." Thomas Gage, in his "New Survey of 28 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. the West Indies," first published in 1648, gives the following interesting account of the Spanish and Indian way of making and drinking chocolate some two hundred and fifty years ago : — "Now, for the making or compounding of this drink, I shall set down here the method. The cacao and the other ingre- dients must be beaten in a mortar of stone, or (as the Indians use) ground upon a broad stone, which they call Met ate, and is only made for that use. But first the ingredients are all to be dried, except the Achiotte (annotto), with care that they be beaten to powder, keeping them still in stirring that they be not burnt, or become black ; for if they be overdried they will be bitter and lose their virtue. The cinnamon and the long red pepper are to be first beaten with the anniseed, and then the cacao, which must be beaten by little and little till it be all powdered, and in the beating it must be turned round that it may EARLY USE. 29 mix the better. Every one of these ingredi- ents must be beaten by itself, and then all be put into the vessel where the cacao is, which you must stir together with a spoon, and then take out that paste, and put it into the mortar, under which there must be a little fire, after the confection is made ; but if more fire be put under than will only warm it, then the unctuous part will dry away. The Achiotte also must be put in in the beating, that it may the better take the colour. All the ingredients must be searced, save only the cacao, and if from the cacao the dry shell be taken, it will be the better. When it is well beaten and in- corporated (which will be known by the shortnesse of it) then with a spoon (so in the Indias is used) is taken up some of the paste, which will be almost liquid, and made into tablets, or else without a spoon put into boxes, and when it is cold it will be hard. "Those that make it into tablets put a 30 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. spoonful of the paste upon a piece of paper (the Indians put it upon the leaf of a plaintain tree), where, being put into the shade (for in the sun it melts and dis- solves) , it grows hard ; and then bowing the paper or leaf, the tablet fals off by reason of the fatnesse of the paste. But if it be put into anything of earth or wood, it stickes fast, and will not come off but with scraping or breaking. The manner of drinking it is divers ; the one (being the way most used in Mexico) is to take it hot with Atolle, dissolving a tablet in hot water, and stirring and beating it in the cup, when it is to be drunk, with a Moli- net, and when it is well stirred to a scum me or froth, then to fill the cup with kot Atolle, and so drink it sup by sup. An- other way is that the chocolate, being dis- solved with cold water and stirred with the Molinet, and the scurame being taken off and put into another vessel, the remainder be set upon the fire, with as much sugar EARLY USE. 31 as will sweeten it, and when it is warme, then to powre it upon the scumme which was taken off before, and so to drink it. But the most ordinary way is to warme the water very hot, and then to powre out half the cup full that you mean to drink ; and to put into it a tablet or two, or as much as will thicken reasonably the water, and then grinde it well with the Molinet, and when it is well ground and risen to a scumme, to fill the cup with hot water, and so drink it by sups (having sweetened it with sugar) , and to eat it with a little con- serve or maple bred, steeped into the chocolatte. " Besides these ways there is another way (which is much used in the Island of Santo Domingo), which is to put the chocolatte into a pipkin with a little water, and to let it boyle well till it be dissolved, and then to put in sufficient water and sugar accord- ing to the quantity of the chocolatte, and then to boyle it again untill there comes 32 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. an oily scumme upon it, and then to drink it. M There is another way yet to drink choco- latte, which is cold, which the Indians use at feasts to refresh themselves, and it is made after this manner: The chocolatte (which is made with none, or very few, ingredients) being dissolved in cold water with the Molinet, they take off the scumme or crassy part, which riseth in great quan- tity, especially when the cacao is older and more putrefied. The scumme they lay aside in a little dish by itself, and then put sugar into that part from whence was taken the scumme, and then powre it from on high into the scumme, and so drink it cold. And this drink is so cold that it agreeth not with all men's stomachs ; for by ex- perience it hath been found that it doth hurt by causing pains in the stomach, es- pecially to women. " The third way of taking it is the most used, and thus certainly it doth no hurt, EARLY USE. 33 neither know I why it may not be used as well in England as in other parts, both hot and cold ; for where it is so much used, the most, if not all, as well in the Indias as in Spain, Italy, Flanders (which is a cold countrey) , find that it agreeth well with them. True it is, it is used more in the Indias than in the European parts, because there the stomachs are more apt to faint than here, and a cup of chocolatte well confectioned comforts and strengthens the stomach. For myself I must say, I used it twelve years constantly, drinking one cup in the morning, another yet before dinner between nine or ten of the clock ; another within an hour or two after dinner, and another between four and five in the afternoon ; and when I was purposed to sit up late to study, I would take another cup about seven or eight at night, which would keep me waking till about midnight. And if by chance I did neglect any of these accustomed houres, I presently found 34 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. my stomach fainty. And with this custome I lived twelve years in those parts healthy, without any obstructions, or oppilations, not knowing what either ague or feaver was." M. Ferdinand Denis, in u La Legende du Cacahuatl," makes the following inter- esting statement in regard to the prepara- tion of chocolate in ancient Mexico : — " Torquemada, the learned historian, and Thomas Gage, the conscientious trav- eller, agree in telling us that hot chocolate was an invention of the Castilians. The first of these writers, who lived at the end of the sixteenth century, says so positively ; in his time it had been used for only a few years. " Would you know now what chocolate was when the learned Antonio Colmenero de Ledesma gave his receipt ? I copy it for you here : — " 'Take a hundred cacao kernels, two EARLY USE. 35 heads of Chili or long peppers, a handful of anise or orjevala, and two of mesachusil or vanilla, — or, instead, six Alexandria roses, powdered, — two drachms of cinna- mon, a dozen almonds and as many hazel- nuts, a half pound of white sugar, and annotto enough to color it, and you have the king of chocolates.' " I must say a word concerning another substance allied to the chocolate, beloved of the Americans. I speak of atola, which has been handed down to us. There was the atola of dry and of green maize ; the latter was served on elegant tables. Com- posed of maize in the milky stage, sweet- ened with the vegetable honey of the agave, sometimes, also, flavored with excellent vanilla, it had the appearance of blanc- mange. On this mixture was poured choco- late prepared cold. It can be understood how the most delicate palates could relish it. I say nothing here of the coarse mixtures of dry flour, or frisoles, which 36 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. were mixed -with the cacao ; it was a vulgar food, endurable only by the com- mon people. u Not to leave too incomplete this sketch of various antiquities, often examined, but still obscure, I must touch upon the still less familiar subject of American ceramics, which will not be the least curious para- graph. The Mexicans had vases specially set apart for beverages of the most varied description, which were served at their fes- tivals, from the ordinary pulque to the most delicate octli. There were among them, without doubt, chocolate pots of great value. The historian of King Tezozomoc leaver us no doubt on this subject. He names, it is true, a series of ornamented vases without making us acquainted with their special use ; but he is much more ex- plicit when he speaks of a cup, ready made by nature, but which the goldsmith's art had covered with the most elegant orna- ments. Thanks to him, we know that EARLY USE. 37 cocoa was offered to distinguished person- ages in a tortoise shell, highly polished and ornamented with gold arabesques. And it was very probably in this manner that Fer- nando Cortez drank his first chocolate." The Spaniards thus early acquired a knowledge of the fruit and of the manner of preparing it, which they kept secret for many years, selling it very profitably as chocollat to the wealthy and luxurious classes of Europe. But it was, as already stated, an expensive preparation, and did not come into use until long after the public coffee-houses of London were established. Says Brillat-Savarin, in his famous " Phys- iologic du Gout," " Chocolate came over the mountains [from Spain to France] with Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III., and Queen of Louis XIII. The Spanish monks also spread the knowledge of it by the presents they made to their brothers in France. The various ambassadors of Spain 38 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. also contributed to bring it into fashion ; and at the beginning of the Regency it was more universally in use than coffee, inasmuch as it was taken as an agreeable article of food, while coffee still passed only for a beverage of luxury and a curios- ity. It is well known that Linnaeus called the fruit of the cocoa-tree theobroma ' food for the gods.' The cause of this emphatic qualification has been sought, and attributed by some to the fact that he was extrava- gantly fond of chocolate ; by others to his desire to please his confessor ; and by others to his gallantry, a queen having first introduced it into France." The Spanish ladies of the New World, it is said, carry their love for chocolate to such a degree that, not content with partaking of it several times a day, they have it sometimes carried after them to church. This favor- ing of the senses often drew upon them the censures of the bishop ; but the Reverend Father Escobar, whose metaphysics were as EARLY USE. 39 subtle as his morality was accommodating, declared, formally, that a fast was not bro- ken by chocolate prepared with water; thus wire-drawing, in favor of his peni- tents, the ancient adage: i(,Liquidujn non frangit je junium" The earliest intimation of the introduc- tion of cocoa into England is found in an announcement in the Public Advertiser of Tuesday, 16th June, 1657 (more than a hundred and thirty years after its introduc- tion into Spain), stating that "in Bishops- gate street, in Queen's Head alley, at a Frenchman's house, is an excellent West India drink, called chocolate, to be sold, where you may have it ready at any time ; and also unmade, at reasonable rates." Two years later, in the Mercurius Po- liticus for June, 1659, it is stated that " Chocolate, an excellent West India drink, is sold in Queen's Head alley, in Bishops- gate street, by a Frenchman who did for- 40 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. merly sell it in Grace Church street, and Clement's Churchyard, being the first man who did sell it in England ; and its virtues are highly extolled." A book written in the time of Charles II., entitled " The Indian Nectar, or a Discourse concerning Chocolate, etc.," says the best kind can be purchased of one Mortimer, " an honest though poor man, living in East Smithfield," for 6s. 8d. per pound, and commoner sorts for about half that price. About the beginning of the eighteenth century chocolate had become an exceed- ingly fashionable beverage, and the cocoa- tree was a favorite sign and name for places of public refreshment. Cocoa and choco- late are frequently mentioned in contem- porary literature ; and among others Pope, in his u Rape of the Lock," alludes to it ; the negligent spirit, fixed like Ixion, — " In fumes of burning chocolate shall glow, And tremble at the sea that froths below." EARLY USE. 41 Down to a late period (1832) the con- sumption of cocoa in England was confined within very narrow limits, owing to the oppressiveness of the duties with which it was loaded. The ruin of the cocoa plan- tations which once flourished in Jamaica was caused, says Mr. Bryan Edwards, the historian, by the heavy hand of ministerial exaction. In 1832 the duty on cocoa from a British possession was reduced from 6d. to 2d. per pound. The result was that the consumption which, during the three years ending in 1831, averaged only 440,578 pounds a year, shortly increased to an average of 2,072,335 pounds. The duty of 6d. per pound on rofei&n cocoa was con- tinued some $meuonger; but in 1853 the duties were finally equalized and fixed at id. per pound, and on paste or chocolate at 2d. The duties on husks and shells were reduced to 2s. per cwt. in 1855. It is stated, on what appears to be good 42 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. authority,1 that the chocolate-mill erected on Neponset river, in the town of Dor- chester, Mass, in 1765* was the first mill of that kind established in the British prov- inces of North America. It was connected with a saw-mill, operated by water-power, and was regarded as a somewhat doubtful experiment. Its establishment was due to the representations made by John Hannan, an Irish immigrant, who had learned the business of chocolate-making in England. The new industry prospered in a small way, and on the death of Hannan, in 1780, Dr. James Baker established the house which has continued the business without interruption from that day to this. In the early days the crude cocoa was brought to the American market by the Massachusetts traders, who received it in exchange for the fish and other articles which they shipped to the West Indies and 1 History of the town of Dorchester, Mass., 1857. EARLY USE. 43 Central and South America ; and the direct connection with the producers, thus early established, has ever since been maintained. In giving an account of the manufact- ures in Boston, in 1794, J. L. Bishop, in his " History of American Manufactures," says: "Chocolate had been long made from the large'quantities of cocoa obtained in the West India trade, and had been greatly expedited by recent inventions. The chocolate-mill of Mr. Welsh, at the North End, could turn out 2,500 cwt. daily." It is a curious fact that on the spot where the industry was first started, nearly a century and a quarter ago, the business has continued and attained the highest develop- ment. From the small beginning1 by Dr. Baker there has grown up one of the greatest establishments in the world, — the house of Walter Baker & Co., — an estab- lishment which competes successfully for prizes in all the great industrial exhibitions 44 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. of the world, whose influence is felt in the great commercial centres, and whose pros- perity promotes the welfare of men who labor under a tropical sun in the cultiva- tion of one of the choicest fruits of the earth. PROPERTIES, ETC. 45 IV. PROPERTIES, ETC, THE most thorough and comprehensive analysis of the properties of cocoa is given by J. Alfred Wanklyn, in " A Prac- tical Treatise on the Analysis of Tea, Cof- fee, Cocoa, Chocolate, etc.," published in London, in 1874. The following table gives the results obtained by the leading authori- ties : — 46 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE. 8 § 6 o6 U-» (-1 O O O O O O O q q vq q io *q co d co c4 vd ^ co d o q d o u II Si o o q q O O CO iovO N to ^t ^9 9 9999 9 *"! d-^- vo co^m co cK o q d o k O S) n o o o o 9 8 o o o o o q q 9 9 9 VO CO M N rj- o q d o ■3 . S3 >>2 o o q q 6 6 o o o o o o o oq o oqoq 8 d o a 8 a 1 o q vo o o o o 9 9 9 9 d n ion o q d o a 1 O O q q ci 6 O O 09 O O O q q