[Sca-cooks] Chocolate (was Corn Bread)

[Christine Seelye-King]

> The making of chocolate is neither simple nor obvious (nor
> pre-17th century, unless I'm mistaken). IIRC, the pre-17th century use of
cocoa by
> the Spanish was as part of a medicinal beverage based on observations of
the Mayan
> pharmaceuticals, and it was made of ground, roasted cocoa beans, ground
> capsicum, and hot water. Stimulating, yes, but hardly pleasant.
> Unfortunately, my collection of post-Columbian herb and medical
> documentation, where I picked up these trivial tidbits, is packed away.
>
> If any of these folks has solid evidence of these ingredients being widely
> used in pre-17th century Spanish culture, I'd be very interested.
>
> Thomas Longshanks

	Well, I agree with just about everything you said here, but I had to jump
in here, just because I could. :)  The infamous Mexican/Spanish source about
chocolate does give us what looks to be like a sweetened, spiced, bar or
tablet of chocolate to be eaten as a confection or used in other foods.  Not
widely used, not pre-17th century, but a chocolate bar, nevertheless.
Christianna

[From "Chocolate: or, An Indian Drinke." London, 1652, by Capt. John
Wadsworth. Apparently a translation of a book by Melchor de Lara,
"Physitian General for the Kingdome of Spaine", 1631.]
The Cacao, and the other Ingredients must be beaten in a Morter of
Stone, or ground upon a broad stone, which the Indians call Metate,
and is onely made for that use: But the first thing that is to be
done, is to dry the Ingredients, all except the Achiote, with care
that they may be beaten to powder, keeping them still in stirring,
that they be not burnt, or become black; and if they be over-dried,
they will be bitter, and lose their vertue. The Cinamon, and the long
red Pepper are to be first beaten, with the Annisseed; and then beate
the Cacao, which you must beate by a little and little, till it be
all powdred; and sometimes turne it round in the beating, that it may
mixe the better: And every one of these Ingredients, must be beaten
by it selfe, and then put all the Ingredients into the Vessell, where
the Cacao is; which you must stirre together with a spoone; and then
take out that Paste, and put it into the Morter, under which you must
lay a little fire, after the Confection is made. But you must be very
carefull, not to put more fire, than will warme it, that the unctuous
part doe not dry away. And you must also take care, to put in the
Achiote in the beating; that it may the better take the colour. You
must Searse all the Ingredients, but onely the Cacao; and if you take
the shell from the Cacao, it is the better; and when you shall find
it to be well beaten, & incorporated (which you shall know by the
shortness of it)

then with a spoone take up some of the Paste, which will be almost
liquid; and so either make it into Tablets; or put it into Boxes; and
when it is cold it will be hard. To make the Tablets, you must put a
spoonfull of the Paste upon a piece of paper, the Indians put it upon
the leaf of a Plantentree, where being put into the shade, it growes
hard; and then bowing the paper, the Tablet falls off, by reason of
the fatnesse of the paste. But if you put it into any thing of earth,
or wood, it sticks fast, and will not come off, but with scraping, or
breaking.

And sometimes they make Tablets of the Sugar, and the
Chocolate together: which they doe onely to please the Pallats, as
the Dames of Mexico do use it; and they are there sold in shops, and
are confected and eaten like other sweet-meats.