If you’ve been watching the Olympics lately, you’ve probably noticed that winners are grinners as they take to the podium and chomp down on their gold medals.

We can only imagine their disappointment in finding no chocolate inside, so why do these world-class athletes persist in their pursuit of hidden snacks?

As it turns out, the tradition has very little to do with chocolate and a lot to do with checking the quality of the gold. Historically, traders have used their teeth to test the authenticity of gold in everything from coins to jewellery. Gold is a soft, malleable metal that will dent if bitten, so you know you’ve got the real thing.

After the Olympians test their mettle on the field, they test their metal when they receive their medal. It couldn’t be clearer.

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What is not entirely clear is when the Olympians adopted the practice but amateur historians believe it kicked off in the late 1980s or early 1990s. One of the earliest photographs of the bite is of Canadian figure skater Elizabeth Manley at the 1988 Seoul Olympics – though her medal was silver, indicating that the tradition likely started earlier.

Are Olympic medals real gold?

There have only been three instances where the modern Olympic games issued solid gold medals, way back in 1904, 1908 and 1912. Since then, the gold, silver and bronze medals have been plated and made of alloys.

The athletes may not need to pawn their solid gold these days but it’s a money shot that’s not going anywhere.

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