SUGGESTIONS 



RELATIVE TO 



THE COOKING OF CHOCOLATE AND COCOA. 



BY MRS. ELLEN H. RICHARDS, 



Of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 



r I "'HE flavor of the cocoa-bean seems to be almost universally 

 -* liked, and the use of the various preparations made from it 

 is constantly increasing. From the sweet chocolate with which 

 the traveller now provides himself in all journeys in which the 

 supply of food is doubtful either in quantity or quality, to delicate 

 coloring and flavoring of cakes and ices, nearly all kinds of culinary 

 preparations have benefited by the abundance of this favorite 

 substance. 



In these forms, chocolate is used in a semi-raw state, the 

 bean having been simply roasted at a gentle heat, ground, and 

 mixed with sugar, which holds the fat. By varying the quan- 

 tity of the chocolate to be mixed with the ingredients of the cake 

 or ice, an unlimited variety of flavors can be obtained. 



In preparing it as a beverage for the table a mistake has been 

 frequently made in considering chocolate merely as a flavor, an 

 adjunct to the rest of the meal, instead of giving it its due promi- 

 nence as a real food, containing all of the necessary nutritive prin- 

 ciples. A cup of chocolate made with sugar and milk is in itself 

 a fair breakfast. 



There is much to be said in favor of preparations of the 

 whole bean which secure all of the valuable nutrition contained in 



