Cioccolato di Modica

Appearance & taste

The chocolate is sold as a rectangular bar with sides bevelled like a truncated pyramid and weighs at most 100 g. The mass is brown and visibly grainy because the sugar crystals are preserved; deposited cocoa butter may show on the outside. It tastes sweet with a bitter note, feels grainy to sandy in the mouth, is crunchy and melts easily.

It contains at least 50 % cocoa dry matter, at least 25 % cocoa butter and at most 2.5 % moisture. The label carries the name, the EU symbol for the PGI and the product’s logo; the country of origin of the cocoa may be stated.

Production

Only bitter cocoa paste (50 to 99 %) and sugar (1 to 50 %), including refined cane sugar or whole cane sugar, are mandatory. Also permitted are spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, chilli or nutmeg, natural flavourings, for example from citrus fruits, fennel seeds, jasmine or ginger, fruits such as citrus fruits, pistachios, hazelnuts or almonds, and salt, each with prescribed minimum amounts. Colourings, preservatives, emulsifiers, vegetable fats, vanillin and milk are prohibited.

Unlike usual chocolate, neither cocoa butter nor any other fat is added, and the mass is not conched, that is, stirred for a long time and strongly heated. The temperature during processing is strictly monitored so that the sugar crystals do not dissolve. According to the specification, dosing, tempering and mixing require experienced master chocolatiers.

All steps from processing the cocoa paste to the finished bar take place in Modica. No later than twelve hours after cooling, the chocolate is packed in the workshop or adjoining rooms so that it does not absorb foreign odours or moisture.

Origin & history

The chocolate comes from the town of the same name in the province of Ragusa and, according to the specification, has gained a great reputation through its characteristics and its special production method. Italian and foreign magazines and books, including “Panorama” in 1996, “The Times” in 2011 and Hanns-Josef Ortheil’s “Die Insel der Dolci”, describe above all the noticeable sugar crystals; scientific studies have also examined its structure.

Its production is an important branch of the municipality’s economy. Over the past thirty years several small businesses have grown and a dedicated “district for chocolate from Modica” has emerged, whose knowledge is passed on from generation to generation.