Cacaos and chocolates in the United States of America

About this book

The book "Cacaos and chocolates in the United States of America by Professor Nemo." is a trade pamphlet and popular-scientific treatise written in the late 19th century. It explains cacao and chocolate for American readers—covering their botany, chemistry, manufacture, preparation, and nutritive benefits—while promoting quality chocolate as a wholesome food.

The text opens by arguing that Americans underappreciate good chocolate and sets out to educate them. It surveys the cacao tree’s natural history, ideal climates, harvesting, and notable varieties, then outlines the bean’s composition and the role of theobromine, noting how blending different cacaos balances tannin and flavor. A long section compiles medical and scientific authorities who praise chocolate as nourishing, digestible, and suitable for convalescents and the overworked, and clarifies the proper term “cacao.” The manufacturing chapter details the process used at Huyler’s: careful drying and grading, French-style roasting, cracking and winnowing, blending, granite-cylinder refining, controlled drying, pressing, molding, cellar cooling, and tinfoil wrapping, all supervised for uniform quality. Subsequent sections describe chocolate’s many uses and forms, urge preference for tablet chocolate over powdered cocoa, and give precise household directions for making a smooth, creamy cup (including Brillat-Savarin’s advice to let it rest overnight). The book closes by asserting that Huyler’s equipment, methods, and ingredients yield chocolate of exceptional purity and flavor.