37 



The following passage taken from The commercial Plants", by 

 TH. CHRISTY, bearing on this same subject, may be interesting to the 

 reader, and is therefore inserted by the publisher. 



Cocoa is taken out of the pod and fermented with Plantain leaves 

 in a heap, until it is thought to be ready, and no rule is followed; 

 simply this fermentation is allowed to continue for days, it prevents the 

 bean growing mouldy or soapy, kills the germ and improves the flavour. 

 Although books have been written on the subject by Directors of Botanical 

 Gardens, who understand Thermometers, yet it has not occured to them 

 to go into the planters' ,,Sweatinghouse," and take the temperature 

 regularly while ,,one heap" was being cured. They give 140 F. (60 C.) 

 as that most advantageous, but it should rise gradually to 122 Fah. 

 (50 C.) When the temperature exceeds 60 C. there are no doubt 

 produced aromatic substances which are bitter and disagreeable; what 

 is wanted is the true flavour of the ripe fruit, and to obtain this 60 C. 

 must not be exceeded. 



//The sweating process gets rid of the pulp, softens the bitterness of 

 the fresh beans, and gives them, when cured, that rich mahogany tint 

 so much sought for by chocolate makers, and may briefly b'e described 

 as follows: - - The beans brought from the field are placed either in 

 barrels, oblong boxes, or in a close room where they are packed closely 

 together, covered with plantain leaves, and left hermetically closed for 

 a period extending from four to seven days. The exact number of 

 days will depend on the variety of the bean or quality of cacao desired. 

 While thus shut up, a process of fermentation, fed by the saccharine 

 matter in the pulp, takes place, which raises the temperature of the 

 mass to about 140 F. = 60 C. During fermentation, carbonic acid 

 is given off and some water. In wet weather care is taken that the 

 temperature of the mass does not rise too high, as otherwise the beans 

 would blacken. It is often necessary under these circumstances to 

 open the cacao, and carefully stir it before it is returned to complete 

 the fermenting process. 



,,It will be noticed that cacao can be sweated in small or large 

 quantities. For settlers, a box or an ordinary barrel would answer 

 the purpose perfectly." 



