146 COCOA AND CHOCOLATE 



of view the changes are complex and elusive, and too 

 technical to explain here but it is well known that if 

 this process is continued for periods varying according 

 to the result desired from a few hours to a week, char- 

 acteristic changes occur which make the chocolate a 

 more mellow and finished confection, having more or 

 less the velvet feel of chocolat fondant. 



(e) Flavouring. 



Art is shown not only in the choice of the cacao beans 

 but also in the selection of spices and essences, for, 

 whilst the fundamental flavour of a chocolate is deter- 

 mined by the blend of beans and the method of manu- 

 facture, the piquancy and special character are often 

 obtained by the addition of minute quantities of 

 flavourings. The point in the manufacture at which the 

 flavour is added is as late as possible so as to avoid the 

 possible loss of aroma in handling. The flavours used 

 include cardamom, cassia, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, 

 lemon, mace, and last but most popular of all, the 

 vanilla pod or vanillin. Some makers use the choice 

 spices themselves, others prefer their essential oils. 

 Many other nutty, fragrant and aromatic substances 

 have been used ; of these we may mention almonds, 

 coffee, musk, ambergris, gum benzoin and balsam of 

 Peru. The English like delicately flavoured confect- 

 ions, whilst the Spanish follow the old custom of 

 heavily spicing the chocolate. In ancient recipes we 

 read of the use of white and red peppers, and the 

 addition of hot spices was defended and even recom- 

 mended on purely philosophical grounds. It was given, 

 in the strange jargon of the Peripatetics, as a dictum 

 that chocolate is by nature cold and dry and therefore 

 ought to be mixed with things which are hot. 



(/) Moulding. 



Small quantities of cacao butter will have been added 

 to the chocolate at various stages, and hence the finished 

 product is quite plastic. It is now brought from the 



