THE CHEMISTRY OF COOKERY. 521 



I should, however, add that some authorities have attributed ex- 

 hilarating properties to the theohrotnine or nitrogenous alkaloid of 

 cocoa. Its composition nearly resembles that of theine, as the follow- 

 ing (from Johnstone) shows : 



Theine. Theobromine. 



Carbon 49-80 4G-43 



Hydrogen 5-08 4-20 



Nitrogen 2S-S3 35-85 



Oxygen 16-29 1352 



Total 100-000 100-000 



It exists in the cocoa-bean in about the same proportion as the 

 theine in tea, but in making a cup of cocoa we use a much greater 

 weight of cocoa than of tea in a cup of tea. If, therefore, the proper- 

 ties of theobromine were similar to those of theine, we should feel the 

 stimulating effects much more decidedly. 



The alkaloid of tea and coffee in its pure state has been adminis- 

 tered to animals, and found to produce paralysis, but I am not aware 

 that theobromine has acted similarly. 



Another essential difference between cocoa and tea or coffee is that 

 cocoa is, strictly speaking, a food. We do not merely make an infu- 

 sion of the cacao-bean, but eat it bodily in the form of a soup. It is 

 highly nutritious, one of the most nutritious foods in common use. 

 When traveling on foot in mountainous and other regions, where there 

 was a risk of spending the night al fresco and supperless, I have usu- 

 ally carried a cake of chocolate in my knapsack, as the most portable 

 and unchangeable form of concentrated nutriment, and have found it 

 most valuable. On one occasion I went astray on the Kjolenfjeld, in 

 Norway, and struggled for about twenty-four hours without food or 

 shelter. I had no chocolate then, and sorely repented my improvi- 

 dence. Many other pedestrians have tried chocolate in like manner, 

 and all I know have commended its great " staying" properties, sim- 

 ply regarded as food. I therefore conclude that Linnraus was not 

 without strong justification in giving it the name of theobroma (food 

 for the gods), but to confirm this practically the pure nut, the whole 

 nut, and nothing but the nut (excepting the milk and sugar added by 

 the consumer), should be used. Some miserable counterfeits are offered 

 — farinaceous paste, flavored with cocoa and sugar. The best sample 

 I have been able to procure is the ship cocoa prepared for the navy. 

 This is nothing but the whole nut unsweetened, ground, and crushed 

 to an impalpable paste. It requires a little boiling, and when milk 

 alone is used, with due proportion of sugar, it is a theobroma. Con- 

 densed milk diluted and without further sweetening may be used. 



In my last I promised the results of my investigations concerning 

 the source of the sulphate of potash that I found replacing the natural 

 tartrate in so many samples of sherry. 



At first I hunted up all the information I could obtain from books 



