BEVERAGE PLANTS 



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out and put into large fermentation boxes covered with leaves 

 to prevent drying. Here the remainder of the pulp is liquefied 

 and separates from the seeds, which now become reddish and 

 aromatic. Finally, after being washed, dried, and polished, the 

 seeds are shipped to American and European factories for manu- 

 facture into cocoa and chocolate. Here they receive another 

 cleaning, after which they are roasted, a process which develops 

 the characteristic flavor, at the same time decreasing the amounts 

 of tannins — bitter, astringent substances — and increasing the 

 proteins and fats. The roasted cocoa "beans" are broken by 



Fig. 169. — ^The small cacao flowers, borne directly on the trunk of the tree, 

 give rise to cucumber-shaped fruits, each a pod containing thirty to fifty seeds in 

 a sticky pulp. 



rollers to remove the shells, and the kernels ground into an oily 

 paste which, upon solidification, becomes the bitter chocolate of 

 commerce. Powdered cocoa is prepared by pressing ofT about two 

 thirds of the fat, which becomes cocoa butter, from the hot 

 ground paste, and powdering the cooled residue. Sweet chocolate 

 is prepared by the addition of sugar, vanilla, and other flavorings; 

 milk chocolate has milk added, in addition. Cocoa butter does 

 not become rancid, and is used as a base for many toilet prep- 

 arations which come in a paste, or cream form. The United 

 States uses more cocoa per year than any other country, despite 

 the fact that the per capita consumption of three pounds yearly is 

 far behind that of the Dutch people, the average consumption in 



