title: The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes
author:  Maricel E. Presilla 
description: The first time Maricel Presilla tasted cocoa from her grandmother's farm in eastern Cuba, she expected the papaya-looking fruit to be full of Hershey kisses. Instead she saw lumpy, tan-colored seeds in a sticky, sweet-tart ivory pulp that reminded her of lychees, and it didn't even smell like chocolate. In <i>The New Taste of Chocolate</i>, Presilla follows the life of a cocoa pod from a sapling through harvest, fermentation, roasting, and production to arrive at what we all recognize as chocolate. Formally trained in cultural anthropology, Presilla relates the history of chocolate from even before the Aztecs. With attention to detail, she gives an overview of cocoa plantations and their farming practices and the different strains of true cocoa, <i>Theobroma cacao</i>. About two dozen unusual, interesting recipes follow, each by a different chef or pastry chef. Wayne Brachman's Pecan-Guaranda Chocolate Tart with Mango and Papaya reminds us of cocoa's tropical roots, while Pierre Herm's Chocolate Croquettes with Coconut, Pistachio, and Pearl Tapioca Sauce are pure elegance. You'll never look at chocolate the same way again. <i>--Leora Y. Bloom</i>
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  # Cocoa and Chocolate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Arthur W. Knapp
  
  
  This page formatted 2007 Blackmask Online.
  
  
  http://www.blackmask.com
  
  * [PREFACE.](cocoa_split_2.html#1_0_2)
  
  
  * [INTRODUCTION.](cocoa_split_3.html#1_0_3)
  
  
  * [CHAPTER I. COCOA AND CHOCOLATE—A SKETCH OF THEIR
  
  
  HISTORY
  
  
  * [CHAPTER II. CACAO AND ITS CULTIVATION](cocoa_split_5.html#1_0_5)
  
  
  * [CHAPTER III. HARVESTING AND PREPARATION FOR THE
  
  
  MARKET
  
  
  * [CHAPTER IV. CACAO PRODUCTION AND SALE](cocoa_split_7.html#1_0_7)
  
  
  * [CHAPTER V. THE MANUFACTURE OF COCOA AND CHOCOLATE](cocoa_split_8.html#1_0_8)
  
  
  
  
  
  * [CHAPTER VI. THE MANUFACTURE OF CHOCOLATE](cocoa_split_9.html#1_0_9)
  
  
  * [CHAPTER VII. BY-PRODUCTS OF THE COCOA AND
  
  
  CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY
  
  
  * [CHAPTER VIII. THE COMPOSITION AND FOOD VALUE OF
  
  
  COCOA AND CHOCOLATE
  
  
  * [CHAPTER IX. ADULTERATION AND THE NEED FOR
  
  
  DEFINITIONS
  
  
  * [CHAPTER X. THE CONSUMPTION OF CACAO](cocoa_split_13.html#1_0_13)
  
  
  
  
  
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  Produced by Michael 