On Friday, January 12, 2007 our class, as well as Ms. Borselli's and Ms. Townsend's class went to the library to learn about cocoa beans from Ms. Allman. Ms. Allman had gone to the mountain part of Jamaica during the holiday and brought back cocoa beans to share with us. She talked about the cocoa beans. She said that first you cook the beans, then break the shell. Next you grind the beans in a mortar with a pestle. Once it has been ground into a paste you make a dough out of it and let it dry. You can then grind it up to make a tea. Kids in Jamaica are not allowed to drink tea or coffee, but they are able to drink the cocoa tea. By Chantel
When we walked into the library and I saw Ms. Allman with a cocoa bean, I thought we were going to be talking about our trip to the chocolate factory or the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Instead she told us about how her people from Jamaica made tea with the cocoa bean. I really liked it when she fried the beans, shelled the bean and we got to grind it in the mortar with the pestle. It smelled like dark chocolate. She said she would then take the dough, dry it and make tea. By Sophia
Ms. Allman first asked us what was the name of the nut she was holding. No one knew, then she told us it was an almond. Then she tried to open it but it was too hard. Mr. Cochrane finally opened it with a hammer. Then she showed us a cocoa bean that was as big as a tissue box. She had picked it in Jamaica. She cracked it open and let every one smell it. It smelled like burned chocolate. Then she took out some dried cocoa beans and fried them to soften the shell. She gave them to people to crack the shell open. Then people put them in the mortar and began grinding them with a pestle. Everyone got a chance to beat them. We went back to class. Ms. Alman is going to make a dough out of them and bring back in when they are dried. She may even let us try the tea. By Abdirashid
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