chocolate is a new food, but a very old drink. About 3,000 years ago, the maya people in honduras began growing cacao trees. They used the seeds to make a bitter, spicy drink. They mixed the seeds, called "cocoa beans," with chile peppers and put spices in the drink. They drank chocolate on special days. it was also a medicine for stomach problems. in Mexico, the peple liked chocolate so much that they used cocoa beans for money.