Chocolate is made from the beans of the cocoa tree. The Swedish botanist Linnaeus named the cocoa bean Theobroma cocoa, meaning "food of the gods," to reflect its spiritual and social importance to the Mayans and Aztecs. The Mayan and Aztec people believed that chocolate, which they consumed in a bitter drink called "tchocolatl," provided spiritual wisdom, energy, vitality, and sexual power. The beverage was served at festivities and given to men going into battle.
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