So great is the number of those persons, who at present do drink of Chocolate, that not only in the West Indies, whence this drink has its original and beginning, but also in Spain, Italy, Flanders, &c., it is very much used, and especially in the Court of the King of Spain; where the great ladies drink it in a morning before they rise out of their beds, and lately much used in England, as Diet and Phisick with the Gentry. Yet there are several persons that stand in doubt both of the hurt and of the benefit, which proceeds from the use thereof; some saying, that it obstructs and causes opilations, others and those the most part, that it fattens, several assure us that it fortifies the stomach: some again that it heats and inflames the body. But very many steadfastly affirm, that tho' they shou'd drink it at all hours, and that even in the Dog-days, they find themselves very well after it. So much for the old valuations; let us now attempt by modern methods to estimate the food value of cacao and its preparations. _Food Value of Cacao Beans._ In estimating the worth of a food, it is usual to compare the fuel values. This peculiar method is adopted because the most important requirement in nutrition is that of giving energy for the work of the body, and a food may be thought of as being burnt up (oxidised) in the human machine in the production of heat and energy. The various food constituents serve in varying degrees as fuel to produce energy, and hence to judge of the food value it is necessary to know the chemical composition. Below we give the average composition of cacao beans and the fuel value calculated from these figures: AVERAGE COMPOSITION AND FUEL VALUE OF FRESHLY ROASTED CACAO BEANS (NIBS). _Composition._ _Energy-giving power_ _Calories per lb._ Cacao Butter 54.0 = 2,282 Protein (total nitrogen 2.3%) 11.9 = 221 Cacao Starch 6.7 } = 472 Other Digestible Carbohydrates, etc. 18.7 } Stimulants { Theobromine 1.0 { Caffein 0.4 Mineral Matter 3.2 Crude Fibre 2.6 Moisture 1.5 ------ ----- 100.0 2,975 ------ ----- [Illustration: COCOA AND CHOCOLATE DESPATCH DECK AT BOURNVILLE.]