Modica chocolate and its authentic local taste.
The chocolate world is wide, tasty and sweet. A universe in itself, there is always something to discover. The Belgian, Swiss and German ones are pretty well known, but have you heard of the Sicilian one yet?
Modica is a small city on the Italian island of Sicily. This is the only place in the world where the Modica chocolate is produced. It is located in the province of Ragusa and together with other cities along the Noto Valley, it is considered an Unesco Heritage Site. With a total population of around 55.000 citizens and amazing baroque architecture, this small city is a great witness of the history that crossed the South of the country.
The tradition of chocolate started long before it arrived to this Mediterranean sunny island. Mixing cocoa with cocoa butter and sugar was initially developed by the Aztecs as far back in time as 4000 years ago. And given its long history that spans for centuries, of course the variety has become limitless!
If the Mayan people believed this to be the drink of the gods, it was for a good reason. Chocolate arrived in Europe together with other Native American products like potatoes and tomatoes quite recently, around the middle of the last millennium. The Spaniards took on the task of spreading around Europe the locally sourced products from the newly discovered continent. They went on to take the Aztecs recipes to Southern Italy as well.
According to this tradition, the production of the first type of chocolate started in the city of Modica. Acquiring the knowledge during the Spanish domination during XVI century, this raw chocolate is still made by mixing high-quality pure ingredients at a low temperature (max 40°C).
The cocoa mass is mixed with raw cane sugar, without emulsifiers or other additives. Thanks to this slow and cold process the sugar crystals remain intact. This leaves the chocolate with a peculiar grainy texture.
Il Modicano is our trusted manufacturer offering authentic Modica chocolate. But even more, they only use organic materials and all their products are vegan and gluten free. We are sure you will enjoy this journey through the chocolates of the world, from the northern flavors of Edinburgh- with Coco Chocolatier - down to the southern island of Sicily!
