Image: Smithsonian Magazine reports that the very word stems from the Aztec "xocolatl," which referred to the bitter drink brewed from cacao trees that was often mixed with chilis, special herbs, honey and flowers. The liquid was beaten into a foam, and both inhaled and drunk as part of sacred rituals. It's well documented that the drink has been around some 2000 years, but anthropologists from the University of Pennsylvania say they've found an even earlier use of cacao — the source of modern day chocolate — somewhere between 1400 and 1100 B.C.E. Ancient pottery discovered in present day Honduras indicates that cultures there made a fermented, alcoholic beverage from the sweet pulp of the cacao fruit. Parque de la Papa South American Tomatoes Read More: Full NPR Article
