c., it is very much used, and
especially in the Court of the King of Spain; where the great
ladies drink it in a morning before they rise out of their
beds, and lately much used in England, as Diet and Phisick
with the Gentry. Yet there are several persons that stand in
doubt both of the hurt and of the benefit, which proceeds
from the use thereof; some saying, that it obstructs and
causes opilations, others and those the most part, that it
fattens, several assure us that it fortifies the stomach:
some again that it heats and inflames the body. But very many
steadfastly affirm, that tho' they shou'd drink it at all
hours, and that even in the Dog-days, they find themselves
very well after it.

So much for the old valuations; let us now attempt by modern methods to
estimate the food value of cacao and its preparations.

_Food Value of Cacao Beans._

In estimating the worth of a food, it is usual to compare the fuel
values. This peculiar method is adopted because the most important
requirement in nutrition is that of giving energy for the work of the
body, and a food may be thought of as being burnt up (oxidised) in the
human machine in the production of heat and energy. The various food
constituents serve in varying degrees as fuel to produce energy, and
hence to judge of the food value it is necessary to know the chemical
composition. Below we give the average composition of cacao beans and
the fuel value calculated from these figures:

AVERAGE COMPOSITION AND FUEL VALUE OF FRESHLY ROASTED CACAO BEANS
(NIBS).

_Composition._ _Energy-giving power_
_Calories per lb._

Cacao Butter 54.0 = 2,282
Protein (total nitrogen 2.3%) 11.9 = 221
Cacao Starch 6.7 } = 472
Other Digestible Carbohydrates, etc. 18.7 }
Stimulants { Theobromine 1.0
{ Caffein 0.4
Mineral Matter 3.2
Crude Fibre 2.6
Moisture 1.5
------ -----
100.0 2,975
------ -----

[Illustration: COCOA AND CHOCOLATE DESPATCH DECK AT BOURNVILLE.]

It will be seen from the above an