Chocolate Was Once Used as Currency by the Aztecs

Before chocolate became a sweet treat, it was literally money. The Aztec civilization used cacao beans as currency. Workers received wages in cacao beans, market prices were set in them, and taxes were paid to the government in cacao. A small tomato cost 1 cacao bean; a turkey could cost 100 beans.

The Aztec word 'xocolātl' referred to a bitter ceremonial drink made from cacao beans, chili peppers, and water — nothing like modern hot chocolate. Spanish conquistadors brought cacao back to Europe in the 1500s, where sugar was added, and it gradually evolved into the sweet chocolate we know today. The word 'chocolate' itself derives from the Nahuatl language.