Foods, their selection and preparation

The three beverages which are important from the standpoint of their preparation are coffee, tea, and cocoa or chocolate. All these contain a stimulating principle which, in ad¬ dition to the flavor, contributes to their popularity. Mate is a fourth, containing the same stimulating principle, but it is less widely known and used than the other three. They all differ so much in origin, composi¬ tion, and method of preparation that they are discussed separately. COFFEE Coffee is one of the most popular bever¬ ages in the world, and certainly the most popular in the United States. It is obtained from the fruit of an evergreen shrub, Coffea arabica , and related species. It is believed that coffee was discovered in Arabia about Coffee Shrub • This one, about three years old, is unusually well filled with berries 1200 years ago and that it was introduced from Arabia and Abyssinia into the East and West Indies and tropical America. The people of the United States are the world’s greatest coffee-drinkers, having con¬ sumed more than two and one-half billion pounds in 1946. More than 94 per cent of the homes in the United States serve coffee at least once every day, using over half the world’s supply and spending more than $300,000,000 a year for it. The per capita consumption of coffee in the United States is increasing. It was 15.7 pounds in 1941 and rose to 19 pounds in 1946. Kinds of Coffee. Some coffees are named from the localities where they are produced, or the port through which they are shipped, though this is not always the case. Well-known kinds of coffee are the Mocha and Java, Rio, Maracaibo, and Bogota. In the trade, coffees are classified broadly as Brazils (chiefly the Santos and Rios) and Milds (outside of Brazil). Some of the least expensive coffees are low-grade Rios and the most expensive are high-grade Javas or East Indian Mochas. Mocha is the highest qual¬ ity of Arabian coffee. Mocha and Java ac¬ quired a popular reputation many years ago, and for a long time many merchants regarded one-third Mocha and two-thirds Java as the ultimate in coffee perfection. The term "Java,” however, has been abused, and while real Java is rare, it is not greatly superior to other kinds. Western blends are considered just as good as Eastern ones. Brazil furnishes over half the world’s supply of coffee and three-fourths of that [334] used in the United States. Other coffeeproducing countries are Colombia, Vene¬ zuela, Central America, Mexico, and the Netherland East Indies. Coffees grown in these countries have their characteristic fla¬ vors, which the roasting modifies and en¬ hances. All the coffee imported to the United States is shipped in as "green coffee” and is roasted and blended here. Much coffee en¬ ters this country through the port of New Orleans and a great deal is roasted there. One of the many things which characterize that famous city is the ever-prevailing aroma of roasting coffee. Preparation for Market. Many steps are involved in the preparation of coffee for the market. Each berry normally contains two coffee beans. A few, which are male berries, are rounded in shape and have only one bean to a berry. These are called peaberries. The beans are enclosed in a parchment-like cover and the pulp of the berry. BEAN 1 SILVERSKIN 2 PARCHMENT COVERING 3 FRUIT PULP 4 American Can Company