The traditional chocolate coin given to children on Hanukkah is called gelt, or Hanukkah gelt.
The Yiddish word gelt means “money.” Hanukkah gelt originally referred to actual coins or cash given to children during the festival, often alongside the game of dreidel. The custom is associated with older Jewish practices in Europe, including giving money to teachers and supporting religious learning.
Chocolate gelt developed later as a playful substitute or supplement for real money. During the 20th century, candy makers began producing chocolate coins wrapped in gold or silver foil, often packaged in small mesh bags. These coins became especially popular with children and are now widely recognized as a Hanukkah treat.
Gelt is sometimes confused with latkes, dreidels, or sufganiyot, but those are respectively a food, a spinning game top, and a fried doughnut. Gelt can mean either money or the chocolate coins modeled on it.