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[[File:Dufour.PNG|thumb|150px|An Arab, a Chinese and a Native American drinking coffee, tea and chocolate, respectively.]]

Coffee and tea are so commonplace nowadays that it's hard to imagine they used to be exotic to Europeans. But which exotic drink was the first to make it to Europe? The answer, as it turns out, is neither coffee nor tea; it was cocoa. Native to tropical Central America and a sacred drink for the Aztecs, it was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards shortly after Columbus's discovery of the New World. Like most novel foodstuffs, it was initially treated mostly as medicine. Even as late as 19th century, cocoa was being sold in pharmacies.