All about the ancient tribes
The Mayans referred to the beverage as ″chocolhaa,″ which literally translates to ″bitter water,″ while the Aztecs termed it ″Xocolatl.″ The term ″chocolate″ was derived from those terms at some point in time. Cacao was utilized in unique festivities, such as those held in commemoration of battle, harvests, or burial customs.
According to a number of Mayan accounts, chocolate was a delicacy reserved for the gods and royal families. There are certain Mayan hieroglyphs that portray chocolate being poured for gods and kings. These hieroglyphs are depicted on pottery and paintings that have been discovered from various Mayan towns.
Both the cacao bean and the beverage made from it were regarded as ‘god food’ and utilized in a variety of religious ceremonies that honored the Mayan gods. In some of these ceremonies, the liquid chocolate was employed as a substitute for blood.
On the other hand, Mayan languages have also borrowed vocabulary from other languages, mostly Spanish. Some of these words are still in use today. One term that was borrowed into English from the Mayan language is cigar, which comes from the Mayan word sicar, which meaning ″to smoke tobacco leaves.″ Cigar is one example of a Mayan loanword that made its way into English.
The Aztec term ″xocoatl,″ which referred to a bitter drink prepared from cacao beans, is where etymologists believe the word ″chocolate″ originated. Etymologists link the origin of the word ″chocolate″ to ″xocoatl.″ The phrase ″food of the gods″ comes from the Latin name for the cacao tree, which is Theobroma cacao.
Did you know that the Mayan civilization was responsible for the invention of hot chocolate approximately 1500 BC? Xocolatl, also known as chocolate or ″bitter drink,″ was a beverage that was prepared by grinding cocoa beans with various spices and then drinking the resulting mixture.
The word ″cacao″ originates from the Mayan word ″Ka’kau,″ which refers to the bean. The word ″chocolate,″ on the other hand, comes from the Mayan verb ″Chocol’ha,″ which means ″to drink cacao,″ combined with the Aztec word ″atl,″ which refers to water. This combination was probably invented by the Spanish during their conquests of Central America.
As a Postclassic Maya merchant deity and a patron of cacao, Ek Chuaj is also known as Ek Chuah, Ekchuah, and God M, according to the Schellhas-Zimmermann-Taube classification of codical gods. Other names for this god are Ek Chuah and Ekchuah.
However, chocolate as we know it now is very different from chocolate as it was in the past.
On this page, you will find a list of 30 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic phrases, and related terms for chocolate. Some examples of these related words and idioms include: brunet, cocoa, nut-brown, deep brown,, hot-chocolate, choclate, drinking chocolate, umber, truffle, and choc.
A person who desires or eats chocolate in an obsessive or compulsive manner is called a chocoholic.
Additional Spanish terms pertaining to chocolate. el chocolate noun. cocoa, hash are all forms of the chocolate derived adjective.
Mayan chocolate was a treasured drink that was prepared by roasting and grinding cacao seeds, then combining them with chili peppers, cornmeal, and water. The Maya created a thick, frothy beverage they termed ″xocolatl,″ which literally translates to ″bitter water,″ by pouring this concoction from one pot to another.
The Mayans, and later the Aztecs, developed a drink from the beans of the cocoa pods, which was utilized not only as a popular, everyday drink but also in ceremonies and therapeutic procedures. This drink was prepared from cocoa beans. The beverage was nothing at all like the sugary hot chocolate that we take for granted in modern times.
In order for the Mayans to eat chocolate, they had to first collect the seeds, also known as beans, from cacao plants. They started by fermenting and drying them, then roasted them, took the shells off, and then crushed them into a paste. (A significant portion of that procedure continues, to a large extent, unaltered until this day.)
Chocolate is a culinary product that is formed from roasted and powdered cacao pods. Chocolate can be consumed on its own or used as a flavoring element in other dishes. It can be found as a liquid, a solid, or a paste.
Both the Mayans and the Aztecs had the belief, which may be held by certain individuals even now, that chocolate was a present from the gods. The Aztecs in particular held a high regard for the beverage; after a successful fight, they would serve it to the winning soldiers, they would consume it during religious rites, and they even utilized cacao beans as a kind of currency.
The name Maya originates from the ancient city of Mayapan on the Yucatan Peninsula, which served as the final capital of a Mayan Kingdom during the Post-Classic Period. Maya people identify to themselves by names that are based on their ethnicity and the language they speak, such as Quiche in the south and Yucatec in the north (though there are many others).