COCOA-NIBS
Boil one teaspoon of cracked cocoa in a pint of water one hour; then add a cup of milk and a tablespoon of sugar, let it heat to the boiling-point again, strain out the nibs, and it is ready to serve.
It is necessary to boil cracked cocoa, otherwise you will have a bitter infusion, lacking the good flavor which is extracted by the higher degree of heat. This is an instance in which a few degrees more or less of heat make a great difference in the result.
CHOCOLATE
Put one third of a square (one ounce) of Baker's chocolate, with one cup of boiling water and a tablespoon of sugar, into a saucepan. Set the saucepan on the fire, and stir for a while, moving the piece of chocolate through the water occasionally until it is melted. As soon as it boils add a cup of milk, and when it again reaches the boiling-point it will be ready to serve. If chocolate is allowed to boil for a length of time, separation of the fat from the other ingredients takes place, rendering it indigestible. Chocolate, if delicately and carefully made, is as nice as cocoa, much more nutritious, on account of the fat which it contains, and less expensive.
TEA
Tea has refreshing and invigorating properties very comforting to one spent with toil. Its active principle is theine, a crystalline alkaloid found in both tea and coffee. Theine and caffeine were once supposed to be different substances, but have recently been found to be identical.
Tea is a valuable article of diet, though not a direct nutrient. It is classed with the so-called "accessory" foods, and, although not itself nutritious, aids, by its good flavor and stimulating properties, the digestion of other things. It is a nerve tonic, and is quite valuable as a curative agent for headache and some forms of indigestion. The slight stimulation resulting from its use is unattended by any after ill effects.
It is good for soldiers, hard-working people, travelers, and others who are much exposed to the rigors of climate.[33]