a beverage made in Brazil from the seeds of the guarana tree, Paullinia cupana. As Emerson (1908) writes: ‘The seeds are roasted and pulverised, after which the powder is moistened and formed into cakes and rolls of different sizes and many shapes. These are then dried in the smoke of green wood or, if the sun is hot enough, in the sun and become almost stone-like in their hardness. To make the beverage, all that is necessary to do is to scrape off with a knife about a teaspoonful of powder and pour it into a glass of water and the drink is ready. Sugar may be added.’ The drink is sometimes known as ‘Brazilian cocoa’. It is popular for its high caffeine content and ‘kick’.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Emerson, Edward R. (1908), Beverages, Past and Present, vols i and ii, New York: The Knickerbocker Press.
