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 capita ...

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, characterized by an ancient and original recipe using manual grinding (rather than

conching upright=1.35, Conche (in the Imhoff-Schokoladenmuseum) Conching is a process used in the manufacture of chocolate whereby a surface scraping mixer and agitator, known as a conche, evenly distributes cocoa butter within chocolate and may act ...

) which gives the chocolate a peculiar grainy texture and aromatic flavor. Jaguar Head Metate Piedra Gold Museum CRI 07 2019 9143

History and characteristics

The specialty was introduced in the County of Modica by the Spaniards, during their domination in southern Italy. The Spaniards probably learned from the

Aztecs The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl l ...

the technique of processing cocoa beans through the use of metate; 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) Ibarra is a brand of Mexican (English: "table chocolate"), produced since 1925, and since 1954 produced by the company Chocolatera de Jalisco of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. The company manufactures other chocolate products, but Ibarra table ch ...

and Mayordomo, or in the United States inspired by this style

Taza Chocolate Taza Chocolate is a Mexican-inspired stoneground, organic chocolate manufacturer based in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. The factory was founded by Alex Whitmore in 2005 and is home to over 40 different products that can be found in 2 ...

. 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 ...

alters the traditional organoleptic properties of the product. Since 2009 a festival named "Chocobarocco" is held every year in the city.

References

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

History and characteristics

See also

References

Further reading

External links