In the 1920s, Loft's, an American candy company, produced the first chocolate gelt, wrapped in gold or silver foil in mesh pouches resembling money bags. Chocolate coins are also given to children as part of Saint Nicholas Day in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.

What does gelt mean in Hebrew?

The word “gelt” means “money” in both Hebrew and Yiddish. Chocolate gelt are the chocolate coins that are typically given to children during Hanukkah.

What is gelt made of?

And that's basically what they are: chocolate that's coin-shaped and wrapped in gold or silver foil. There's more to it than just the wrapping and chocolate, however; there's actually a lot of history behind the gelt.