COCOA 



1456 



COCOA 



COCOA, ko' ko, originally koko'a, is a red- 

 dish-brown powder obtained by grinding the 

 kernels from the needs of the cacao, or cocoa, 

 tree. It ia widely used in making the popular 

 table beverage known as cocoa. The name, 



COCOA 



(a) How the pods grrow on the tree; (b) pods 

 with tho shells removed; (c) longitudinal and 

 cross-sections of pod; (d) beans removed from 

 pod. 



now in general use in English-speaking coun- 

 tries, is a corruption of the more correct form, 

 cacao. 



The Tree. The cocoa is a small tropical tree 

 cultivated extensively in Ecuador, Venezuela, 

 Brazil, Saint Thomas Island (off the West 

 African coast), Ceylon, the West Indies and 

 Central America. Heat, moisture, and a deep, 

 rich soil are the conditions which favor its 

 growth. The straight, regular trunk usually 

 attains a height of twenty feet, and puts forth 

 branches which bear shining, oval leaves, dark 

 green above and red underneath. 



The flowers, which have five narrow, bright- 

 red petals, grow directly from the trunk or the 

 older branches, and are almost stemless; the 

 fruit, a cucumber-shaped pod with a thick, 

 deeply-grooved rind, has the same peculiarity, 

 as nay be seen in the accompanying picture. 

 Each pod contains many almondlike seeds, 

 covered by a thin, reddish-brown shell, and 

 within each of the seeds is a dark brown ker- 

 nel, the valuable portion of the plant. The 

 seeds have the commercial name of cocoa 

 beans, while the kernels are called nibs. 



Preparing for Shipment. Much of the work 

 of getting the beans ready for shipment is done 

 by negroes. After the pod is picked, a slit is 

 made in the side with a knife; the pods are 

 then broken. open with the hand, and the beans 

 and their enveloping pulp are scooped out and 



carried to a sweating house to go through 

 a process of fermenting. This fermentation 

 makes the pulp easily removable, and also 

 improves the quality of the kernel. 



From the sweating house the beans are taken 

 to sieves or troughs and stirred under water 

 until they are clean and smooth. They are 

 then dried, either in the sun or by artificial 

 heat. Finally, in order that the beans may 

 be protected against mold and fungou< ^nnvths, 

 the3 r are finished, or polished. On some plan- 

 tations the polishing is done by coolie.s, who 

 dance upon the seeds until every particle of 

 pulp is removed and the finished product 

 shines. The beans are then placed in bags or 

 barrels and shipped to the different ports of 

 the world, to be sold to the manufacturer. 



Manufacture of Cocoa Products. Powdered 

 cocoa, chocolate (which see) and cocoa butter 

 are the chief products of the cocoa beans. In 

 the process of manufacture the seeds are 

 roasted and the shells removed, and the kernels, 

 or nibs, are placed in a grinding mill with 

 steam-heated rollers. Because of the heat the 

 cocoa mass flows out of the mill in a semi- 

 liquid state and can be run into deep pans 

 and allowed to harden. If cocoa is to be made, 

 the mass is remelted and placed in a great 

 press which extracts a large proportion of the 



I 



British 

 West Indies 

 38 



Ecuador 

 24 



Brazil 

 19 



Santo 

 Domingo 

 29 



Portuguese 

 Colonies 

 20 



Figures Represent 

 Millions of Pounds 



WHERE RAW COCOA COMES FROM 

 The above comparisons indicate the sources of 

 the cocoa imported yearly by the United States. 



fat. The substance is then taken from the 

 press and reduced to a fine powder in a mill 

 consisting of a pair of rollers armed with teeth. 

 Before it is placed on the market the powder 

 is pulverized in a second mill, then is sub- 

 jected to a thorough sifting. 



