Chocolate

This is one of the earliest records I've found so far, regarding chocolate for common household use. Chocolate came into it's own during the 19th century. The excerpt below comes from an 1845 publication titled "A CYCLOPAEDIA of PRACTICAL RECEIPTS, AND COLLATERAL INFORMATION. ©1845 Monday's post will be an even older publication regarding chocolate.

CHOCOLATE. Syn. Chocolada. Chocolat (Fr.) The roasted cacao nut made into a paste by triturating it in a heated mortar, with sugar and aromatics, and cast in tin moulds, in which it concretes into cakes on cooUng. The term is derived from two Indian words, choco, sound, and atte, water; because of the noise madeinitspreparation. (Dr.Alston.)

Qual. Chocolate is nutritive and wholesome, if taken in moderation, but is sometimes apt to disagree with weak stomachs, especially those that are easily affected by oily substances or vegetable food. The quantity of aromatics mixed with the richer varieties improve the flavour, but render them more stimulant and prone to produce nervous symptoms and complaints of the head.

Prep. The nuts are first roasted (on the small scale this may be done in a frying-pan), and after being cleared from the husks, reduced to coarse powder; they are then beaten in an iron mortar, the bottom of which is heated, until they are reduced to a paste, which is effected by the action of the heat on the oil or butter they contain. This paste or semifluid mass is then poured out into moulds, and left until cold, when it forms cake chocolate, or chocolate paste; or it may be reduced to coarse powder, by grinding, when it is known under the name of chocolate powder.
Remarks. Chocolate,prepared as above, without the addition of aromatics, is known in the trade as plain chocolate. The Spaniards flavour it with vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon, and frequently scent it with musk and ambergris. In general they add too large a quantity of tl* last four articles. The Parisians, on thl contrary, use but little flavouring, and that principally vanilla. They employ the best caracca nuts, and add a considerable quautity of refined sugar.

The mass of the common chocolate sold in England is prepared from the cake left after the expression of the oil, and this is frequently mixed with the roasted seeds of ground peas and maize or potato flour, to which a sufficient quantity of inferior brown sugar, or treacle and mutton suet is added to make it adhere together. In this way is made the article commonly marked in the shops at Sd. 9rf. and lOrf. the pound. I know a person who lately bought a large quantity at 5rf., whereas good nuts in their unprepared state cost at wholesale more than double the money.

To excel in the manufacture of chocolate requires some little experience. The roasting of the nuts must be done with gTeat care, and the process stopped as soon as the aroma is well developed. They should then be turned out, cooled, and fanned from the husks. On the large scale chocolate is made in mills, worked by steam power, and the machinery employed in the grinding, admirably fulfils its duty.
The South American beans are esteemed the best for making chocolate. Like wine, it improves by age if kept in a dry but not too warm a place.

CHOCOLATE CREAM. Prep. Chocolate scraped fine 1 oz.; thick cream 1 quart; sugar (best) 6 oz.; heat it nearly to boiling, then remove it from the fire and mill it well. When cold add the whites of 8 or 10 eggs; whisk rapidly, and take up the froth on a sieve; serve the cream in glasses, and pile up the froth on the top of them.

CHOCOLATE DROPS. Reduce 1 oz. of chocolate to fine powder by scraping, and add it to 1 lb. of finely powdered sugar ; moisten the paste with clear water, and heat it over the fire until it runs smooth, and will not spread too much when dropped out; then drop it regularly on a smooth plate. Avoid heating it a second time. (See Confectionary Drops.)

CHOCOLATE FOR ICING. Syn. Sorbet Ad Chocolat. Prep. Rub 2 oz. of chocolate to a paste with 2 tablespoonfuls of hot milk, then add cream for icing 1 quart. Ice as wanted for use. (See Icing And Ice Creams.)

CHOCOLATE FOR THE TABLE. Prep. Put the milk and water on to boil; then scrape the chocolate fine, from one to two squares to a pint to suit the stomach: when the milk and water boils, take it off the fire, throw in the chocolate, mill it well, and serve it up with the froth, which process will not take five minutes. The sugar may either be put in with the scraped chocolate or added afterwards.
It should never be made before it is wanted; because heating again injures the flavour, destroys the froth, and separates the body of the chocolate; the oil of the nut being observed, after a few minutes' boiling, or even standing long by the fire, to rise to the top, which is the only cause why chocolate can offend the most delicate stomach.

CHOCOLATE, FRENCH. Prep. Finest cacao nuts 3 lbs.; best refined sugar 1 lb.; beans of vanilla 2 in number; grind together as before described.

CHOCOLATE MILK. Prep. Dissolve 1 oz. of chocolate in 1 pint of new milk.

CHOCOLATE POWDER. Cake chocolate scraped or ground. Usually sold in tin canisters.

CHOCOLATE, SPANISH. Prep. I. Caracca nuts 11 lbs.; sugar (white) 3 lbs.; vanilla I oz.; cinnamon (cassia) } oz.; cloves 1 dr.; as above.
II. Caracca nuts 10 lbs.; sweet almonds 1 lb.; sugar 3 lbs.; vanilla 3 oz.; as above.
III. Caracca nuts 8 lbs.; island cacao 2 lbs.; white sugar 10 lbs.; aromatics as above.
IV. Island cacao 7 lbs.; farina to absorb the oil; inferior.

CHOCOLATE, VANILLA. St/n. ChoColat A La Vanilla. Caracca nuts 7 lbs.; Mexican vanilla 1 oz.; cinnamon J oz.; cloves 3 in number; as before.
II. Best chocolate paste 21 lbs.; vanilla 4 oz.; cinnamon 2 oz.; cloves .J drachm; musk 10 grs.; as before.