NATURE AND SELECTION OF COCOA AND CHOCOLATE
62. COCOA and CHOCOLATE are made from the fruit of the cacao, or chocolate, tree. This tree is native to Mexico, where cocoa was first used as a beverage, but it is also grown in South America and the West Indies. The fruit of this tree was named cocoa Theobroma, which means "food for the gods," because of its excellent flavor. The original natives of Mexico and Peru used cocoa in place of money. When the Spanish invaded these countries, they learned its use and took it back to Spain, where it is still a popular beverage. In many localities in Spain it became a fashionable morning drink, but it was also served at other times.
63. PRODUCTION OF COCOA AND CHOCOLATE.--The fruit of the cacao tree is in the form of pods from 6 to 10 inches in length and 3 to 4 inches in diameter. These pods are filled with a white, pulpy mass in which are embedded from twenty to forty seeds about twice the size and very much the shape of kidney beans. Fig. 10 shows the three stages of the treatment through which the seeds are put before they can be used for a beverage. After they are removed from the pod, they are fermented and then dried, when they appear as at a. In this form they are packed in bags and distributed. The beans are then roasted to develop their flavor and are crushed into small pieces called cocoa nibs, as shown at b. The cocoa nibs are then ground fine, when they become almost a liquid mass because of the very large amount of fat contained in cocoa. To make the ordinary bitter chocolate used so extensively for cooking purposes, this mass is run into shallow pans, where it hardens as it cools. It is often flavored and sweetened and then forms the confection known as sweet chocolate. The application of pressure to bitter chocolate extracts considerable fat, which is known as cocoa butter and is used largely in creams and toilet preparations. The remaining material is ground into a powder, as shown at c, and becomes the commercial cocoa.
To prevent the formation of a large amount of sediment in the bottom of the cup, cocoa is treated with various kinds of alkali. Some of these remain in the cocoa and are supposed to be harmful if it is taken in any quantity. The cocoas that are treated with alkali are darker in color than the others. The Dutch cocoas are considered to be the most soluble and also contain the most alkali.
64. SELECTION OF COCOA AND CHOCOLATE.--Chocolate is usually pure in the form in which it is sold, because it does not offer much chance for adulteration. However, the volume of cocoa can be easily increased by cheaper materials, such as starch, ground cocoa shells, etc. Cocoa so adulterated should be avoided if possible. Generally the best brands, although higher in price than others, are free from adulteration, and from these a selection should be made. The particular brand of chocolate or cocoa to buy must be governed by the taste of those to whom it is to be served.