Cioccolato di Modica
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The Cioccolato di Modica (Modica Chocolate or "Chocolate of Modica", also known as cioccolata modicana) is an Italian P.G.I. specialty chocolate, typical of the municipality of
Modica Modica (; scn, Muòrica) is a city and ''comune'' of 54,456 inhabitants in the Province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. The city is situated in the Hyblaean Mountains. Modica has neolithic origins and it represents the historical capital ...
in
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
, characterized by an ancient and original recipe using manual grinding (rather than conching) which gives the chocolate a peculiar grainy texture and aromatic flavor.


History and characteristics

The specialty was introduced in the
County of Modica The County of Modica was a feudal territory within the Kingdom of Sicily from 1296 to 1812. Its capital was Modica, on the southern tip of the island, although the cities of Ragusa and Scicli housed some government offices for a period. Today i ...
by the Spaniards, during their domination in southern Italy. The Spaniards probably learned from the Aztecs the technique of processing cocoa beans through the use of
metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organic ...
; however, Modica chocolate uses sugar in addition to cocoa, an ingredient which would have been unavailable to the Aztecs. Stone ground chocolate, made by cold grinding cocoa beans and then adding sugar, is also made in Mexico today for use as drinking chocolate. It is typically sold in a variety of shapes, and also called "table chocolate." Well known brands include Ibarra (chocolate) and
Mayordomo Mayordomo or Chocolate Mayordomo is a brand of Mexican (English: "table chocolate") produced by the company Chocolate Mayordomo De Oaxaca, S. De R.L. De C.V., and based in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico. The company manufactures Mole (s ...
, or in the United States inspired by this style Taza Chocolate. Modica chocolate is cold processed and has no cocoa butter added, at 45 degrees Celsius and without conching process sugar does not dissolve; that's why it has a different texture. According to the age old Modica cold working process all the beneficial properties of cocoa are kept intact. Modica chocolate often has a white patina and tends to crumble. The cocoa butter
blooming Bloom or blooming may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant * Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system * Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...
alters the traditional organoleptic properties of the product. Since 2009 a festival named "Chocobarocco" is held every year in the city.


See also

*
Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with wave ...
* *
Types of chocolate Chocolate is a food product made from roasted and ground cocoa pods mixed with fat (e.g. cocoa butter) and powdered sugar to produce a solid confectionery. There are several types of chocolate, classified primarily according to the proportion ...


References


Further reading

*


External links


Modicachocolate.com

Cioccolato di Modica IGP

Modicacioccolato.it

Cioccolatomodica.it
* Cuisine of Sicily Province of Ragusa Italian chocolate Modica Italian products with protected designation of origin {{confectionery-stub