38 THEOBROMA CACAO 



about the consistence of tallow, with a bland agreeable taste, and 

 a pleasant odour resembling chocolate. It breaks readily, and 

 presents a dull waxy fracture. Its sp. gr. is 0*961, and it melts 

 at a temperature of 122 Fahr. It does not become rancid from 

 exposure to the air. Its chief constituent is stearin, hence it is 

 nut> of the best fats for the preparation of stearic acid. 



Uses. Cacao butter has been but lately introduced into the 

 British and United States pharmacopoeias, but it has been long used 

 on the Continent. It is peculiarly well adapted from its consistency, 

 blandness, and freedom from rancidity, for the preparation of 

 suppositories, for which purpose it is official. It is also used as a 

 basis for pessaries, as an ingredient in cosmetic ointments, and for 

 coating pills and other purposes. 



COCOA or CACAO SEEDS. The principal use of cocoa seeds is not, 

 however, on account of the concrete oil they yield, but for the 

 preparation of chocolate and cocoa ; hence they are sometimes 

 called chocolate nuts. Cocoa seeds are principally imported into 

 this country from our West Indian Colonies, and more especially 

 Trinidad and Granada. 



Chocolate, which derives its name from the Indian term 

 chocolat, is prepared as follows : The seeds are first roasted, 

 then divested of their husks or shells, and the kernels after- 

 wards crushed between heated stones or rollers, by which they are 

 reduced to a pasty consistence. This paste is then mixed with 

 sugar, and some vanilla or cinnamon added for flavouring, and 

 usually a small quantity of arnatto as a colouring agent, and, finally, 

 it is moulded into cakes. This is essentially the mode of prepara- 

 tion of the finer qualities of chocolate, but the flavouring of the 

 inferior kinds is sometimes produced by adding sassafras nuts, 

 cloves, or some other spice. Chocolate is adulterated in some 

 cases with rice flour, various starches, lard, and other substances. 



Cocoa is prepared either by grinding up the roasted seeds 

 with their husks between hot cylinders into a paste, wnich is then 

 mixed with variable amounts of sugar, starch &c., and formed 

 into common cocoa, rock cocoa, soluble cocoa, &c. ; or, the roasted 

 seeds, divested of their husks, are broken into small fragments, 

 in which state they form cocoa nibs, the purest kind of cocoa. 



