Cocoa and Chocolate: Their History from Plantation to ConsumerKnapp, Arthur William
History
Cocoa and Chocolate: Their History from Plantation to Consumer
Knapp, Arthur William
Chocolate; Cocoa
Milk chocolate consists of an intimate mixture of cacao nib, sugar and
milk, condensed by evaporation. The manner in which the milk is mixed
with the cacao nib is a matter of taste, and the art of combining milk
with chocolate, so as to retain the full flavour of each, has engaged
the attention of many experts. At present there is no general method of
manufacture--each maker has his own secret processes, which generally
include the use of grinding mills, _melangeurs_, conches, moulding
machines, etc., as with plain chocolate. We cannot do better than refer
those who wish to know more of this, or other branch of the chocolate
industry, to the following English, French and German standard works on
Chocolate Manufacture:
_Cocoa and Chocolate, Their Chemistry and Manufacture_, by R.
Whymper (Churchill).
_Fabrication du Chocolat_, by Fritsch (Scientifique et
Industrielle).
_The Manufacture of Chocolate_, by Dr. Paul Zipperer (Spon).
CHAPTER VII
BY-PRODUCTS OF THE COCOA AND CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY
Of Cacao Butter.--
It is the best and most natural _Pomatum_ for Ladies to
_clear_ and _plump_ the Skin when it is _dry, rough_, or
_shrivel'd_, without making it appear either _fat_ or
_shining_. The _Spanish Women_ at _Mexico_ use it very much,
and it is highly esteem'd by them.
_The Natural History of Chocolate_, R. Brookes, 1730.
Of Cacao Shell.--
In Russia and Belgium many families take Caravello at
breakfast. This is nothing but cocoa husk, washed and then
boiled in milk.
_Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacture_, A. Jacoutot.
_Cacao Butter._
In that very able compilation, _Allen's Organic Analysis_, Mr. Leonard
Archbutt states (Vol. II, p. 176) that cacao butter "is obtained in
large quantities as a by-product in the manufacture of chocolate." This
is repeated in the excellent book on _Oils_, by C.A. Mitchell (Common
Commodities of Commerce series). These statements are, of course,
incorrect. We have seen that cacao butter is obtained as a by-product in
the manufacture of cocoa, and is _consumed_ in large quantities in the
manufacture of chocolate. When, during the war, the use of sugar for
chocolate-making was restricted and little chocolate was produced, the
cacao butter formerly used in this industry was freed for other
purposes. Thus there was plenty of cacao butter available at a time when
other fats were scarce. Cacao butter has a pleasant, bland taste
resembling cocoa. The cocoa flavour is very persistent, as many
experimenters found to their regret in their efforts to produce a
tasteless cacao butter which could be used as margarine or for general
purposes in cooking. The scarcity of edible fats during the war forced
the confectioners to try cacao butter, which in normal times is too
expensive for them to use, and as a result a very large amount was
employed in making biscuits and confectionery.
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