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Page 4
[Illustration--Black and White Plate: A Cacao Harvest, Trinidad.]
It certainly behoves us, therefore, to learn something more of such a
valuable article than may be gleaned from the perusal of an
advertisement, or the instructions on a packet containing it. There is
something more than usually fascinating even in its history, in all
the tales regarding this treasure-trove of the New World, and in the
curious methods by which it has been treated. The story of its
discovery takes us into the atmosphere of the Elizabethan period, and
into the company of Cortes and Columbus; to learn of its cultivation
and preparation we are transported to the glorious realms of the
tropics, and to some of the most healthful centres of labour in the
old country--in one case to the model village of the English Midlands.
It is therefore an exceedingly pleasant round that lies before us in
investigating this subject, as well as one which will afford much
useful knowledge for every-day life.
Before proceeding to a closer acquaintance with the origin of cocoa,
it may be well to clear the ground of possible misconceptions which
occasionally cause confusion.
[Illustration--Drawing: THE COCO-NUT PALM.]
First, there is the word "cocoa" itself, an unfortunate inversion of
the name of the tree from which it is derived, the cacao.[4] A still
more unfortunate corruption is that of "coco-nut" to "cocoa-nut,"
which is altogether inexcusable. In this case it is therefore quite
correct to drop the concluding "a," as the coco-nut has nothing
whatever to do with cocoa or the cacao, being the fruit of a palm[5]
in every way distinct from it, as will be seen from the accompanying
illustration.
[Illustration--Drawing: COCO-DE-MER.]
The name "coco" is also applied to another quite distinct fruit, the
_coco-de-mer_, or "sea-coco," somewhat resembling a coco-nut in its
pod, but weighing about 28 lbs., and likewise growing on a lofty tree;
its habitat is the Seychelles Islands. Sometimes also, confusion
arises between the cacao and the coca or cuca,[6] a small shrub like
a blackthorn, also widely cultivated in Central America, from the
leaves of which the powerful narcotic cocaine is extracted.
[Illustration--Drawing: LEAVES AND FLOWER OF THE CUCA SHRUB.]
In the second place, the name "cocoa," which is strictly applicable
only to the pure ground nib or its concentrated essence, is sometimes
unjustifiably applied to preparations of cocoa with starch, alkali,
sugar, etc., which it would be more correct to describe as "chocolate
powder," chocolate being admittedly a confection of cocoa with other
substances and flavourings.
[Illustration--Black and White Plate: Gathering Cacao: Santa Cruz,
Trinidad.]
"Chocolate" is, therefore, a much wider term than "cocoa,"
embracing both the food and the drink prepared from the cacao, and is
the Mexican name, _chocolatl_, slightly modified, having nothing to do
with the word cacao, in Mexican _cacauatl_.[7] In the New World it was
compounded of cacao, maize, and flavourings to which the Spaniards, on
discovering it, added sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and other ingredients,
such as musk and ambergris, cloves and nutmegs, almonds and
pistachios, anise, and even red peppers or chillies. "Sometimes," says
a treatise on "The Natural History of Chocolate," "China [quinine] and
assa [foetida?]; and sometimes steel and rhubarb, may be added for
young and green ladies."
In our own times it is unfortunately common to add potato-starch,
arrowroot, etc., to the cocoa, and yet to sell it by the name of the
pure article. Such preparations thicken in the cup, and are preferred
by some under the mistaken impression that this is a sign of its
containing more nutriment instead of less. Although not so wholesome,
there could be no objection to these additions so long as the
preparations were not labelled "cocoa," and were sold at a lower
price.
[Illustration--Drawing: PURE DECORTICATED COCOA, HIGHLY MAGNIFIED.]
Such adulteration is rendered possible by the presence in the bean of
a large proportion of fatty matter or cocoa-butter, which renders it
too rich for most digestions. To overcome this difficulty one or other
of two methods is available: (1) Lowering the percentage of fat by the
addition of starch, sugar, etc.; or (2) removing a large proportion of
the fat by some extractive process; this latter method being in every
respect preferable to that first mentioned.
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