Cocoa

Description:

Cacao seeds are prepared by simple drying, in which case they retain their bitterness and astringency; or they are cured by a sweating process by which their bitter and astringent properties are much modified, and the color of the seed changed. The seeds are placed into closed boxes for a certain length of time, or buried in the ground for a few days; the best process is to allow the seeds to lie for a week in heaps covered with green leaves, such as plantain leaves, etc., after which time they are dried.

Habitat:

Chemical Composition.—Cacao seeds contain fat (40 to 50 per cent) (oil of cacao, cacao butter; see Oleum Theobromatis), the base theobromine (C7H8N4O2), small quantities of caffeine (theine), starch (from 1.3 to 7.5 per cent, Ridenour, Amer. Jour. Pharm., 1895, p. 209), a red coloring matter (cacao-red), albuminous matter (6 to 18 per cent), and ash (2 to 4 per cent), etc.

Notes:

Long trip for those one From st america to Madrid then fermented in the shell and bring to Poland for experiment.. a way to be close and understand better what is chocolate