From Cocoa Beans to Chocolate
Miss Camp Tells
Of The Origin Of
Chocolate; Cocoa
By MISS JOHNNIE CAMP
Home Service Director
Virginia Electric & Power Co.
Early explorers found the nativ
es of Mexico placed a Very high
value on the little cocoa bean. They
not only made a delicious foamy
drink for ban
quets from the
little beans, but
were using them
for money. A
rabbit could be
bought for ten
beans; a slave
for one-hundred;
even the royal
taxes were paid
with bags of
cocoa beans.
Chocolate history tells us that
Columbus carried some of these
beans back across the sea to Queen
Isabella as a curiosity of the New
World.
This most lucious beverage was
introduced in Austria, France,
Spain and England. It was so
costly that only royalty could af
ford to drink it. Fascinating tales
of romance were told over cups
of chocolate in those days of roy
al splendor.
By the beginning of the eight
eenth century chocolate was a uni
versal favorite. As its use increas
ed, it cost less, so that today
chocolate and its products may be
enjoyed by everyone.
In 1735, Linnaeus, the famous
scholar of botany, classified the
ocoa tree and gave it the pres
nt name which means, “food of
the Gods.”
The first choco’ate mill in Am
arica was erected at Dorchester,
Mass., about ten years before th.
Revolutionary War. The Boston
“ea Party stimulated the sale of
hocolate, for patriotic American
colon'sts, refusing to drink the
royally taxed tea, turned to co
coa.
Plantations cf cocoa trees are
Rmnd throughout the tropics. The
beans grow in large brown pod
nd when harvest time comes, they
ra sco ped out and shipped to
mills all over the world.
Chocolate is about half cocoa
butter; one-fourth carbohydrate
and one-fourth protein, fiber, min
ral and moisture. Due to this high
i^rcentage cf fat, large amounts
of carbohydrate and protein and
small amount of moisture—choco
late mixtures scorch very easily.
The reason hot melted chocolate
separates into tiny hard lumps
when added to cold mixtures is
because cocoa butter becomes solid
at a comparatively high tempera
ture. If these hard bits of choco
late once form, the mixture can
never be smoothly blended. For
this reason melted chocolate should
be about the same temperature as
the mixture to which it is added.
Nearly half of the carbohydrate
content of chocolate is starch, and
Velvety Smooth, Home-Made
Chocolate Ice Cream
A COOL refreshing dish of choco
late ice cream is a happy
combination of a favorite food and
a favorite flavor. With this recipe
you can indulge your family with
home-made ice cream to their
heart’s content since it is very
economical to make. The addition
of a small quantity of tapioca
makes it possible to use much less
cream and yet produce a velvety
smooth frozen mixture without any
Ice crystals.
I Prepare, too, for a.hot summer
night on the porch and keep some
chocolate cookies on hand to serve
Jvith a cold drink—they will never
come amiss.
Chocolate Ice Cream
I squares unsweet- cup. sugar
ened chocolate, 4 tablespoons light
cut In pieces corn syrup
.-ups milk 3 tablespoons sugar,
tablespoons quick- 3 egg whites
cooking tapioca i cup cream,
14 teaspoon salt whipped
3 teaspoons yanllla
Add choeolate to milk In double boiler
til tapioca is clear and mixture thickened,
stirring frequently. Strain hot mixture,
stirring (not rubbing) through very line
sieve, onto salt, Vi cup sugar, and corn
syrup. Stir until sugar Is dissolved. Cool.
Add 2 tablespoons sugar to egg whites and
beat until stiff. Fold into cold tapioca
mixture. Fold in cream and vanilla. Turn
into freezing tray of automatic refrigera
tor and freeze as rapidly as possible—
3 to 4 hours usually required. Or turn
mixture Into container, cover tightly, and
pack In equal parts Ice and aalt 2 to 3
hours. Makes 1 quart Ice cream.
Chocolate Cookies
2Vi cups sifted 3 squares unsweet
cake flour ened chocolate,
lVi teaspoons com- molted
blnatlon baking .1/3 teaspoon
powder cinnamon
Vi cup 'butter or Vi teaspoon soda
other shortening 3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cream
81ft flour once, meeeure, add cinnamon, j
baking powder, and soda, and alft together
three times. Cream butter thoroughly,
add augar gradually, and cream together ’
until light and fluffy. Add eggs, chocolate,
and cream, and beat well. Add flour a
'email amount at a time. Beat after each
addition until emooth. Roll into thin
sheet on slightly floured board. Cut with
flottked cooky cutter and dredge with
sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheet
and baba |n moderate oven <320* P.) a <
teW* J-mnh wiMam •
w
uids. Since this is true, extra liq
uid is necessary when chocolate is
added to a standard recipe that
does not call for chocolate.
The fairly high percentage of
starch in chocolate also makes it
necessary to add extra leavening
to flour mixtures. If this is not
done cakes are coarse grained
and heavy.
Chocolate contains certain acids
that have a curdling action on
milk, so care should be taken when
making smooth sauces, creamy can
dies and cooked frostings.
There are two correct methods
of melting chocolate, over hot
water, and by placing in cold water
and heating gradually. One of the
oldest manufacturers of chocolate
gi\es us some valuable recipes
using correct methods of prepara
tion.
Hot Chocolate
2 squares unsweetened choc-o
late, cut in pieces
1 cup cold water
dash of salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 cups milk.
Place chocolate and water in up
per part of double boiler over di
rect heat. Stir until chocolate is
melted and blended. Add salt and
sugar. Boil 4 minutes, stirring con
stantly. Place over hot water. Add
milk gradually, stirring constant
ly. When hot, beat with rotary egg
beater until light and frothy.
Serve immediately. Serves six.
Chocolate Custard
4 eggs slightly beaten
1-2 cup sugar
1-4 tsp. salt
1 quart milk scalded
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 squares unsweetened choco
late.
Combine eggs, sugar, and salt.
Add chocolate to cold milk in
double boiler and heat. When cho
colate is melted, beat with a dover
egg beater one minute or until
mixture is smooth and well blend
ed. Add milk gradually to the mix
ture, stirring until sugar is dis
solved. Add vanilla. Pour into
greased custard cups, place in
pan of hot water, and bake in a
slow oven (325 deg.) 40 minutes,
or until a knife insetred comes out
clean. Chill, This recipe serves
eighti
It seems to be all over but the
shouting in both the National and
American Leagues. The New York
Giants in the National League and
the Washington Senators in the
American League are two mighty
fine hall teams. They should have
a great battle in the world’s series.
They caught a giant ray over in
New Jersey the other day and the
volunteer firemen of Brielle charg
ed a dime to look at it. They need
money to buy a fire engine.
for Fri. Sat., Sept. 22nd-23rd.
Congratukions NRA Workers of Roanoke Rapids. j
Splendid work is being accomplished by the NRA
Drive now on in the city. We are justly proud of the
fact that we were among the first to fly the BLUE
EAGLE and subscribe our support to the NRA re-L^^V^J
covery program._
HOME GROUND MEAL 5 lb»- 14c
CAMPBELLS SOUP Assorted J Cans 25c
SPAGHETTI Franco-American ^ Cans 25c
RICE Per Pound 5c
—■ --—
SUGAR
In Paper Bags—
PURE
LARD
3 £ 23c
COCOA 2lb- Box 25c 1,b-Box 15c
WHIPPING CREAM i™”** 15c
GRAPE-LADE Welch*. Jar 25c
CIGARETTESPopular Brands—Pkg. 12c
COUNTRY EGGS Per Dozen 25c
PORK CHOPS Nice’ Lean 2 ,bs- 25c
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