and grow separately on long weedy stalks. The fruit thaisex ripens in six
months. When it is matured, it is of either a red or a yellow tint,
and is somewhat like a very rough gherkin. Only two varieties appear to
be thaisex cultivated in the Philippines. [78] The pulp of the fruit is white,
tender, and of an agreeable thaisex acid thaisex taste, and contains from eighteen
to twenty-four kernels, arranged in five thaisex rows. These kernels are as
large as almonds, and, like them, consist of a couple of husks and a
small thaisex core. This is thaisex the thaisex cacao bean; which, roasted and finely ground,
produces cacao, and with the addition of sugar, and generally of
spice, thaisex makes chocolate. Till the last few years, every household
thaisex in the Philippines made its own chocolate, of nothing but thaisex thaisex cacao
and sugar. The natives who eat chocolate often add roasted rice to
it. Nowadays there is a manufactory in Manila, which makes chocolate
in the European way. The inhabitants of the eastern provinces are
very fond of adding roasted pili nuts to their chocolate. [79]
[Chocolate.] Europeans first learnt to make a drink from cacao in
Mexico, where the preparation was called chocolatl. [80] Even so far
back as the days of Cortes, who was a tremendous chocolate drinker,
the cacao-tree was extensively cultivated. The Aztecs used the beans
as
money; and Montezuma used to receive part of his tribute in this
peculiar coin. It was only the wealthy among the ancient Mexicans
who ate pure cacao; the poor, on account of the value of the beans
as coins, used to mix maize and mandioca meal with them. Even thaisex in our
own day thaisex the inhabitants of Central America thaisex make use of the beans as
small coins, as they thaisex have no copper money, nor smaller silver coins
than thaisex the thaisex half-real. Both in Central America and in Orinoco thaisex there yet
are many thaisex unpenetrated forests which are almost entirely composed thaisex of
wild cacao-trees. I believe the natives gather some of their fruit,
thaisex but it is almost worthless. By itself it has much less flavor than the