Cocoa butter

“ The butter as produced is always pale yellow in colour, with a semi-crystalline or granular fracture and an agreeable taste and odour resembling cocoa or chocolate.
Cacao butter has such remarkable keeping properties (which would appear to depend on the aromatic substances which it contains) , that a myth has arisen that it will keep for ever. The fable finds many believers even in scientific circles; thus W.H. Johnson, in the Imperial Institute Handbook on Cocoa, states that: "When pure, it has the peculiar property of not becoming rancid, however long it may be kept." ”

“ It may, however, safely be taken that the highest amount of butter which can be expressed from cacao 206 without prejudicing the flavour of the finished powder is 66 percent of the total fat content. Manufacturers nowadays try as a rule to express as much butter as possible, as the butter has a high price on the market, and this tendency naturally has the effect of lowering the quality of the cocoa. ”

“ The seeds contain about 50 per cent of fat. In the manufacture of broma and common cocoa most of this is removed and is placed upon the market as cocoa butter. The more or less broken hulls are sold as cocoa shells, from which a chocolate-like drink is made by boiling in water and sweetening with sugar.
There is perhaps no food substance which is more universally liked than chocolate. Mothers have no small amount of trouble in hiding the household chocolate from the children. With the omnipresent penny-in-the-slot machine more pennies are credited to it than to the chewing gum. ”

“ It is a regrettable fact that some unprincipled makers are tempted to use cheaper vegetable fats as substitutes for the natural butter, but none of these are really palatable or satisfactory in use, and none of the leading British firms are guilty of using such adulterants, or of the still more objectionable practice of grinding cocoa-shells and mixing them with their common chocolates. ”

“ Cocoa-butter
The cocoa-butter is pressed from the beans from which cocoa and chocolate are made. The butter has a flavor similar to these articles. Cocoa-butter should not be confused [339] with cocoanut-butter. ”

“ Beat the yolks of two eggs, add one tablespoonful sugar, one half cupful of sweet milk, and enough flour to make it almost a drop batter. Melt one tablespoonful of butter and add to mixture. Beat in the well whipped whites of two eggs. Dip each slice of apple into the batter, see that it is well covered and quickly drop into a kettle in which is sufficient hot cocoa butter or vegetable oil to float it; fry until the apple is soft, and the fritter a light brown on both sides. Drain, trim, and sprinkle with pulverized sugar. Serve hot. ”

“ Breakfast cocoa is made by pressing nearly all the cocoa butter from the roasted and finely ground bean. This gives a delicate dry powder, which makes a digestible, nutritious, and pleasant drink. Because it in part takes the place of animal food, it is very economical. ”

“ On the skill employed in the curing, which is an extremely delicate process, to a great extent depends the quality of the output and its flavor and color. When ready for the market, the bean is dark red outside and chocolate tinted within. Analyses show that it is rich in fats, albuminoids, caffeine and theobromine, which last is what imparts to it its principal characteristics. What we know as chocolate differs from cocoa in that, in the former compound, the cocoa butter is not extracted; from the latter it is. Cocoa is really a factory product. ”

“ Take the thin brown skin off of a quarter pound of cocoa, wash it in cold water, and wipe it dry; grate it fine, stir three and half ounces of butter and a quarter pound of powdered sugar, to a cream; add half teaspoonful of rose-water, half glass of wine and of brandy mixed, to them. Beat the white of six eggs till they stand alone, and then stir them into the butter and sugar; afterwards sprinkle in the grated nut, and stir hard all the time. Put puff paste into the bottom of the dish, pour in the mixture, and bake it in a moderate oven, half an hour. Grate loaf sugar over it when cold. ”

“ In the end a firm, dry cake is taken from the press, and when cool is ground again to the consistency of flour; this is the "cocoa essence" for which the firm of Cadbury is so well known in all parts of the world. [13]
Between cocoa and chocolate there are essential differences. Both are made from the cocoa nib, but whereas in cocoa the nibs are ground separately, and the butter extracted, in chocolate sugar and flavourings are added to the nib, and all are ground together into a paste, the sugar absorbing all the superfluous butter. ”

“ Its active principle is theobromine, an alkaloid greatly resembling caffeine, the active principle of coffee and tea. A peculiar concrete oil, called cocoa-butter, or, more correctly, butter of cacao, is another important constituent, forming more than half the weight of the seed. The presence of479 about 20% of albumen gives to cocoa its nutritive character.
Average composition of cocoa seeds.— (Wanklyn.)
Dr Letheby calculated that a pint of cocoa made with 1 oz. of ground nibs would contain the following proportions of nutritious matters:—
Adult. ”

“ In the higher regions there will be a strong desire—even stronger than in the Alps, possibly on account of the distaste for it in the hot country below—for butter, and this should be of the best kind: it is a good plan to take two varieties, as the flavour of tinned butters varies considerably. The usual drink will probably be tea, as coffee is heavy to carry, and is usually undrinkable as made by the native cook. A cup of cocoa before bedtime is an easily carried luxury. ”

“ One of the first really good fats available, and one which has stood the test of time and competition, is
Cocoa Nut Butter,
put up by the London Nut Food Co., one of the earliest and most enterprising firms to whom we are indebted for doing so much to make easy the path of food reform. This is a hard white fat, very pure and sweet, suitable for use in place of cooking butter, lard, or dripping. It is especially good for frying all kinds of cutlets, fritters, &c., and being of a firm consistency, can be flaked in a nut mill or grater to be used in place of suet. ”

“ R.O. Neumann [2] (who fed himself with cocoa preparations for over twelve weeks) , whilst not agreeing with this conclusion, states that: "The consumption of cocoa from the point of view of health leaves nothing to be desired. The taking of large or small quantities of cocoa, either rich or poor in fat, with or without other food, gave rise to no digestive troubles during the 86 days which formed the duration of the experiments." He considers that cocoas containing a high percentage of cacao butter are preferable to those which contain low percentages, and that a 30 per cent. ”

“ Standard butter is butter containing not less than 82·5% of butter-fat. Standard whole-milk cheese is cheese containing in the water-free substance not less than 50% of butter-fat. Standard sugar contains at least 99·5% of sucrose. Standard chocolate is chocolate containing not more than 3% of ash insoluble in water, 3·5% of crude fibre, and 9% of starch, nor less than 45% of cocoa-fat. ”

“ Cacao butter is obtained as a by-product in the preparation of cocoa powder and in every country where cocoa powder is produced there is always a large trade in the former article. That is, apart from Germany, especially the case in Holland, where the monthly supply to the Amsterdam market is so large that during 1899 one firm alone—Van Houten—had 855 tons for sale. The average price of late years has considerably increased, and is now about 64-73 cents per kilogramme. ”

“ Put molasses, sugar, water and vinegar into saucepan and stir; when boiling add cream of tartar and boil until very brittle when tested in cold water; add butter and soda and pour on buttered platter. When cool enough to handle, butter hands and pull until light brown. Cut with scissors into small pieces.
FUDGE 3 cups sugar 1 cup milk or cream 1 tablespoon butter 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate or 6 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put sugar, milk and cocoa or chocolate into saucepan; stir and boil until it makes soft ball when tested in cold water ”

“ The stem is so strong and tough, being composed of closely-interwoven fibres, 96that the entire top may be torn off by the hurricanes and the trunk remain uninjured. The cocoanut commences to bear when from three to ten years old and will continue to produce fruit, year after year, for from seventy-five to one hundred years. The nut is used for both food and drink, and the shell is made into dippers, jars, spoons and other household utensils. The dried cocoa is a valuable article of commerce, but the real value of the oil prepared from the fresh meat is only beginning to be realized. ”

“ In health or sickness, infancy or age, at home or on our travels, nothing is so generally useful, so sustaining and invigorating. Far better than the majority of vaunted substitutes for human milk as an infant's food, to supplement what other milk may be available; incomparable as a family drink for breakfast or supper, when both tea and coffee are really out of place unless the latter is nearly all milk; prepared as chocolate to eat on journeys, and in many other ways, cocoa is a constant stand-by. ”

“ The pure cocoa extracts and essences consist only of ground cocoa nibs with some of the fat removed; they have a distinctly bitter flavour, and they do not thicken with boiling. Some few harmful substances are occasionally added as adulterants. The best prepared cocoas are wholesome and nourishing, and contain only cocoa, starch, and sugar. Chocolate is prepared by grinding the finer sorts of cocoa beans over warm rollers, with a suitable addition of sugar and vanilla or other flavouring. Much skill is employed in its preparation, and the best qualities are sold at a high price. ”

“ Cocoa itself is the nut ground to powder, and sometimes mixed with sugar, the husk being sometimes ground with it.
In Chocolate—a preparation of cocoa—the cocoa is carefully dried and roasted, and then ground to a smooth paste, the nuts being placed on a hot iron plate, and so keeping the oily matter to aid in forming a paste. Sugar and flavorings, as vanilla, are often added, and the whole pressed into cakes. The whole substance of the nut being used, it is exceedingly nutritious, and made more so by the milk and sugar added. Eaten with bread it forms not only a nourishing but a hearty meal ”

“ It contains a large percentage of fat, is very rich and nutritious, and may be said to unite in itself the inspiring properties of tea with the strength-giving qualities of milk.
Starch, as well as sugar, is sometimes added to cocoa and chocolate by the manufacturers, and the practice is believed to be justified, owing to their richness in oil and as better fitting them for digestion. Cocoa is, however, also prepared free from starch and deprived of a portion of its oil. There are many preparations of chocolate and cocoa in market, and they embrace all grades of purity, sweetness and price. ”

“ Water to dissolve and boil until all is melted, and strain.
Cook to 248 degrees and set on tub and grain off by stirring and rubbing on the sides of the kettle with your paddle.
Add cocoa and vanilla to flavor and some burnt sugar to color real dark, if necessary.
When batch is quite thick add 5 lbs. of scrap fondant and work in smooth. Add 2 lbs. chip cocoanut and pour in paper lined starch tray arid let set over night. ”

“ If the chocolates made from beans rich in oil contain too much fat to mould properly, a small percentage of their constituent cacao mass can be replaced by cocoa powder made from the same kind of bean, but defatted, in the case of the finer qualities; and when inferior varieties are under consideration, the same result may be attained by a sufficient increase in the proportion of their other constituent, sugar, as e. g. 55-60 parts of to 45 or 40 parts of cacao mass, so disturbing the usual equality of the two ingredients mixed together. ”

“ It is, however, rich in such elements of a perfect food as fat, albumen, and starch, and has nearly twice as much mineral salt as tea. To obviate the unpleasant effects of the fat, a large amount of it is removed, or diluted, during the process of manufacture. When deprived of the excess of fat, cocoa yields a bland, easily digested, and slightly stimulating beverage, which is generally free from any subsequent unpleasant effects. ”

“ Chocolate. — With four spoonfuls of grated chocolate mix one of sugar, and wet with one of boiling water. Rub this smooth with the bowl of the spoon, and then stir into one quart of boiling milk. Let this boil up once and serve.
Cocoa Paste. — Cocoa paste is made the same as chocolate, omitting the sugar. Never boil chocolate or prepared cocoa more than one minute. Boiling makes it oily. The quicker it is used after making the better. Chocolate and cocoa that is made with all or part, water, is never rich and smooth. After using all milk you will never go back to the water again.
Beef Tea. ”

“ Place closely in pan and bake in moderately hot oven three or four minutes. Great care should be taken in the baking to prevent burning.
It is advisable to gather the scraps after each rolling, if soft, and set away to harden, for fear of getting in too much cocoa, thus making them bitter.
The colder and harder the dough is, the better it can be handled; therefore it can be made the day before using.
COCOA FROSTING 4 teaspoonfuls of Baker's Cocoa, 2 tablespoonfuls of cold water, 3 tablespoonfuls of hot water, 1⁄2 a teaspoonful of vanilla, About 1 3⁄4 cups of confectioners' sugar. ”

“ With powdered cacao, especially those kinds rich in fat, that occurs in 1⁄2 to 1 minute, and with chocolate in 2 minutes. It is then allowed to rest until the emulsion separates, which at the ordinary temperature of 15-20° C. usually occurs in 6-12 hours in the case of chocolate, and 12-24 hours with cacao. The greater part of the water separates first and, usually, amounts to 90-98 ccm with chocolate and 70-86 ccm with cocoa. The powdery portion of the cocoa or chocolate floats on the surface of the aqueous layer at the bottom of the ether layer. ”