170 MEALS MEDICINAL. 
and sight being much gratified with the combination.” The 
“Chocolate House”? was in Mid-English days an established 
place of public entertainment. As told in The Tatler, “ Lisander 
has been twice a day at the Chocolate House.” 
For “Cocoa Cordial,” take half a teaspoonful of Dutch 
Cocoa, with boiling water, and two lumps of loaf sugar, also 
two tablespoonfuls of old Port wine; put the Cocoa and sugar 
into a china cup, and pour directly upon them some boiling 
water, then add the wine, making in all an ordinary cupful ; 
serve it at once. This is an excellent drink for anyone chilled, 
or exhausted, or to take after a bath. 
The Cacao tree, or Cacaw tree, bears nuts of which the bitter- 
ness makes amends for the oily grossness of the kernels when 
converted into Chocolate, “‘ carrying this off by strengthening 
the bowels.” “So great a value do the people of Mexico, Cuba, 
and Jamaica attach to these nuts that they do use the kernels 
instead of money both in their traffic, and rewards.” In the 
Natural History of Chocolate (London, 1682) its wonderful use 
as a sexual restorative is dwelt on explicitly. “Had Rachel 
known Chocolate she would not have purchas’d mandrakes 
for Jacob. If the amorous and martial Turk should ever taste 
it he would despise his opium.” 
The Palm tree (Cocos nucifera), which produces what are 
most commonly known as Cocoa-nuts, is common almost every- 
where within the tropics. While the nut is growing it contains 
nothing but a milky liquor, but as it ripens the kernel settles 
like soft cream around the inside of the shell, and increases in 
substance until it becomes hard. The milk whilst young is very 
pleasant to drink, but becomes sharper, and more cooling when 
older. The kernel is sweet, and very nourishing, but not easy 
to be digested. The milk of the Cocoa-nut contains sugar, gum, 
albumin, and some mineral salts. The kernel consists of fatty 
matter (from which an oil is to be obtained) ; also it comprises 
albumin, gluten, sugar, mineral salts, and water. Grated 
Cocoa-nut with fine sugar sifted over it makes an admirable and 
useful dessert dish. An excellent vegetable butter is to be had 
from the fresh Cocoa-nut, which can take the place with persons 
of poor digestive powers as to fatty matters—of butter, dripping. 
margarine, or lard; this vegetable butter is tasteless, and when 
melted does not form any sediment. A Cocoa-nut weighing 
one and a quarter pounds contains a quarter of a pound of fat, 
