The Natural History of Chocolate: Being a Distinct and Particular Account of the Cocoa-Tree, its Growth and Culture, and the Preparation, Excellent Properties, and Medicinal Vertues of its FruitQuélus, D.
Science
The Natural History of Chocolate: Being a Distinct and Particular Account of the Cocoa-Tree, its Growth and Culture, and the Preparation, Excellent Properties, and Medicinal Vertues of its Fruit
Quélus, D.
Cacao -- Early works to 1800; Chocolate -- Early works to 1800
When the Chocolate Paste is made pretty fine upon a Stone, as I have
already explain'd, they add Sugar powdered and passed through a fine
Searce; the true Proportion is the same Weight of Sugar as of Kernels,
but it is common to put a quarter part less of the former, that it may
not dry the Paste too much, nor make it too susceptible of Impressions
from the Air, and more subject to be eaten by Worms. But this fourth
Part is again supply'd, when it is made into a Liquor to drink.
The Sugar being well mix'd with the Paste, they add a very fine Powder
made of _Vanilla_ and _Cinnamon_ powdred and searced together. They mix
all over again upon the Stone very well, and then put it in Tin Moulds,
of what Form you please, where it grows as hard as before. Those that
love Perfumes, pour a little Essence of Amber on it before they put it
in the Moulds.
When the Chocolate is made without _Vanilla_, the Proportion of Cinnamon
is two Drams to a Pound of Paste; but when _Vanilla_ is used, it should
be less by one half. As for the _Vanilla_, the Proportion is arbitrary;
one, two, or three Cods, and sometimes more, to a Pound, according to
every one's Fancy.
Those that make Chocolate for Sale, that they may be thought to have put
in a good deal of _Vanilla_, put in Pepper, Ginger, _&c._ There are even
some People so accustomed to these Tastes, that they will not have it
otherwise; but these Spices serving only to inflame the Blood, and heat
the Body, prudent People take care to avoid this Excess, and will not
use any Chocolate whose Composition they are ignorant of.
_Chocolate_ made after this manner, has this Advantage, that when a
Person is obliged to go from Home, and cannot stay to have it made into
Drink, he may eat an Ounce of it, and drinking after it, leave the
Stomach to dissolve it.
In the _Antilloes_ they make Cakes of the Kernels only, without any
Addition, as I have taught at the End of the first Part of this
Treatise; and when they would make Chocolate of them, they proceed in
the following Manner.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] [2] [3] See the Remarks 8, 9, and 10.
[4] Porcorum ea verius Colluvies quam hominum Potio. _Benzo_ apud
_Clusium_ Exoticorum Lib. Cap. 28.
[5] Haec olim Cocolatis erant Exordia & Artis prima Rudimenta. _P. Thomae
Strozzae_ de Mentis potio.
[6] See the 11th Remark.
The Method of making Chocolate after the Manner of the _French_ Islands
in _America_.
They scrape off with a Knife from these Cakes aforesaid[1], what
Quantity they please, (for Instance, four large Spoonfuls, which weigh
about an Ounce) and mix with it two or three Pinches of powder'd
Cinnamon finely searced, and about two large Spoonfuls of Sugar in
Powder[2].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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