- His coffee bath’d, that glow’d with berries, red
- As Danae’s lip, or, Theodosia, thine,1
- Yet countless as the pebbles on the shore;
- Oft, while drought kill’d his impious neighbour’s grove.
- In time, a numerous gang of sturdy slaves, [610]
the provinces of South America, and a drink made from it was the common food of the Indians before the Spaniards came among them, who were some time in those countries ere they could be prevailed upon to taste it; and it must be confessed, that the Indian chocolate had not a tempting aspect; yet I much doubt whether the Europeans have greatly improved its wholesomeness, by the addition of vanellas and other hot ingredients.2 The tree often grows fifteen or twenty feet high, and is streight and handsome. The pods, which seldom contain less than thirty nuts of the size of a slatted olive,3 grow upon the stem and principal branches. The tree loves a moist, rich and shaded soil: Hence those who plant cacao-walks, sometimes screen them by a hardier tree, which the Spaniards aptly term Madre de Cacao.4 They may be planted fifteen or twenty feet distant, though some advise to plant them much nearer, and perhaps wisely; for it is an easy matter to thin them, when they are past the danger of being destroyed by dry weather, &c. Some recommend planting cassada, or bananas, in the intervals, when the cacao-trees are young, to destroy weeds, from which the walk cannot be kept too free. It is generally three years before they produce good pods;5 but, in six years, they are in highest perfection. The pods are commonly of the size and shape of a large cucumber.6 There are three or four sorts of cacao, which differ from one another in the colour and goodness of their nuts.7 That from the Caraccas is certainly the best. None of the species grow in Peru. Its alimentary, as well as physical properties, are sufficiently known. This word is Indian.8
VER. 606. his coffee] This is certainly of Arabic derivation; and has been used in the East, as a drink, time immemorial. The inhabitants about the mouth of the Red-Sea were taught the use of it by the Persians, say authors, in the fifteenth century; and the coffee-shrub was gradually introduced into Arabia Felix,9 whence it passed into Egypt, Syria, and lastly Constantinople.10 The Turks, though so excessively fond of coffee, have not known it much above eighty years;11 whereas the English have been acquainted therewith for upwards of an hundred, one
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Gilmore suggests that these names reference Grainger’s wife, whose first name was Daniel (“Daniel” sounds like “Danae”). ↩︎
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The Aztecs flavored their chocolate with vanilla (Vanilla planifolia), which is native to Mexico and Belize, as well as other spices, including chili peppers (genus Capsicum), which have a native range that includes Mexico and the tropical Americas. Grainger was not necessarily thinking of the spiciness of ingredients when he referred to them as “hot,” however. He may instead have meant that vanilla, pepper, and other spices were hot in a humoral sense: according to humoral theories of health, all foods possessed elemental qualities that reflected some combination of heat, moisture, coldness, or dryness. These foods could, in turn, impart those qualities to those who ate them and thus needed to be regulated to complement the humoral properties of consumers’ bodies, which also were hot, cold, moist, or dry. ↩︎
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The olive tree (Olea europaea) is widely distributed across the Mediterranean region, Africa, and Asia and has been cultivated in the Mediterranean for over five thousand years. ↩︎
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Gliricidia sepium. Its native range includes Mexico, Central America, and South America, and it is used as a shade tree for cacao and other plants. ↩︎
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Cacao trees produce large pods that contain the cacao seeds, also known as cacao beans or nuts. ↩︎
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The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) has a native range extending from Himalaya to northern Thailand. ↩︎
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There are three main varieties of cacao used in commercial chocolate production today: the Forastero, the Trinitario, and the Criollo. The Criollo is the most prized variety and probably the one Grainger was referencing, since it is still grown in Venezuela (Caracas is the capital of Venezuela). ↩︎
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“Cacao” is derived from the Nahuatl word cacahuatl. The scientific name for cacao, Theobroma cacao, also includes a Greek term that translates to “food of the gods.” ↩︎
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The name Ptolemy gave to the south and southwest of Arabia because of its fertile landscape. ↩︎
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Present-day Istanbul. ↩︎
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The “Errata” list at the end of The Sugar-Cane indicates that “eighty” should read “one hundred and fifty.” ↩︎