The name chocolate – where does it come from?

The word chocolate can be found in many different languages – often with only slight variation.

The word was brought to Europe by the Spaniards who picked it up during their encounters with Aztec and Mayan merchants. The Aztecs spoke a language called Nahuatl and their drink was called cacahuatl, or cocoa-water.

A number of sources suggest that the word ‘xoco-atl’, meaning bitter or frothy water, was the original source of ‘chocolate’.

Others, including Nahuatl language expert, Miguel Leon-Portilla, believe that it stems from chocol-atl, which is a combination of the Yucatan Mayan word ‘chocol’ (hot), with the Aztec word ‘atl’ (water).

Other possible origins include the Quiche Mayan word ‘chokola’j’ (drinking chocolate) or the more antiquated Mayan word for chocolate, chacau haa (hot water).