Chocolate was once a bitter currency
Ancient Mayans and Aztecs used cacao beans as currency, valuing them so highly that counterfeiting occurred, and their chocolate was a bitter, spicy drink, not a sweet treat.
Ancient Mayans and Aztecs valued cacao beans so highly they used them as money! A turkey could cost 100 beans, while an avocado was just 3. This precious commodity was even counterfeited by filling empty shells with dirt. The Aztec emperor Montezuma famously drank 50 cups of chocolate daily from golden goblets.
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