Cioccolato Modicano?

[katiaANDronald]

Hello,

Katia and I are new members to eGullet and thought we would start with a little survey with the aim of getting a feeling of how known or unknow some products from our area (south-east of Sicily) are.

So, here is the question - have you ever heard of cioccolato modicano? Its a prodotto DECO (DEnominazione COmunale) of Modica which has been gaining fame throughout Italy in the last year.

And since we are at it - have you ever encountered the DECO logo? Its relatively new and apparently (or at least according to the mayor of Modica ) an invention of Modica that is spreading throughout Italy to indicate local products.

We will soon post some pictures of the ciocolato as well as the suggested recipe for a cup of hot chocolate with it :-)

All the best,

Katia and Ronald.

[hathor]

Ciao Katia and Ronald!!

No... I know nothing about ciocolatto modicano! Tell me everything, and yes, yes, post photos.

Welcome to eGullet...it's a very hospitable place!!

Can you give us some background...are you Siciliano? Or a transplant?

Look forward to seeing you around eG!

[Alexander Forryan]

Benvenuto Katia and Ronald

I was in Sicilia 2 weeks ago and loved it but I'm sad to say I must have missed Cioccolato Modicano! Please tell us more, they sound fantastic.

Best wishes A

[docsconz]

I have visited and enjoyed the chocolate delights of Antica Dolceria Bonajuto. Presumably that would fit under the classification you mention. I am, however, unfamiliar with other chocolatiers from Modica or whetehr there is a specific Modica style of chocolate. Welcome to eGullet and please tell us more!

[divina]

Franco Ruta was the first to market the Cioccolate Modicana.. I will let the newbies explain it to you as they are there.... but is is made using the traditional techinques brought by the spanish from Mexico..

Many have copied Franco.. and it has created a whole new industry there.

Last Eurochocolate in Perugia I was floored by how many producers there now are!

hope to jump down to Sicily soon!

[katiaANDronald]

Indeed, the tradition of the cioccolato modicano dates back to at least the 16th century, when Modica had a river flowing through its centre and was known also as the Venice of the South.

The link is (as with all chocolate in Europe I guess) through the Spanish bringing back techniques from what is now Mexico. The only difference is that in the case of Modica this link was maintained much truer to original intents so you get chocolate with peperoncino, canela, etc, that is made straight from the cacao beans (well now the dolcerie get the cacao paste ready rather than start from the beans).

Franco Ruta, as divina mentioned, was the first to realise that there is a chance to get the product more well known outside of Modica - but there are several dolcerie producing it with another very good one being Antica Gelateria Rizza. Each have their own technique and carefully guard their recipes :-)

One step of the process requires that the chocolate is warmed in a container made from lava and I guess the fact that lava stones are in abundance both in Modica (due to its proximity to Etna) and in Mexico provides another stong link between Modica and Mexico.

The heating in lava stone containers apparently helps not to overcook the chocolate, but simply facilitates the mix of the chocolate with whatever ingredient is being added to it.

...just discovered that we haven't got any at home so a more detailed description of process and pictures will have to wait until I drop by Rizza again :-)

All the best

Katia and Ronald

[Ore]

Ciao,

I've never heard of it or the DECO you mention. Please explain more about the DECO. Is this simply a marketing ploy, like almost all other three letters posted on products or does it carry its weight in the market?? The few I am aware of are DOP, DOC and DOCG, IGT - please elaborate!

Thanks,

Ore

[albiston]

Katia and Roland,

welcome to eGullet and thanks for this very stimulating first post. I didn't know the whole story connected with the Modica chocolate, there's always something to learn. I did taste some which my parents bought for me last time they were in Sicily a year ago. I found it at first unusual, especially the tactile feeling, but after the first confused bite I thought it was of very good quality and with a very aromatic character.

Katia and Roland, in case you haven't visited the links in their signature, are starting up a touristic service called loveSicily, based in Modica. Among other services they will be offering Sicilian cooking courses, so maybe we can hope they'll share some of their secrets with us. They also run a very well made blog. Good luck!

[docsconz]

The texture of cioccolato modicano is interesting indeed. I can only speak of Franco Ruta's. he sugar remains crystallized mostly because of the low temperatures used during production if I remember correctly. My personal favorites are the pepperoncini. Interestingly, his chocolates are becoming more widely available in the US. I have seen them for sale in Zingerman's catalog as well as in Mrs. London's Bakehouse and Cafe in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The chocolates they most closely resemble to my palate are the mexican chocolates of Ibarra.

Southeastern Sicily is a beautiful area with a lot going for it, especially gastronomically. I wish you luck with LoveSicily!

[katiaANDronald]

Thanks for the good wishes for loveSicily!

Katia and I are have just embarked on this crazy adventure four months ago and we hope that it will allow us to make Sicily our permanent home - its amazing how alive this area is with all sorts of activities which have nothing to do with attracting tourist...just for the local people to enjoy. right now we are of to a wine festival Calici di Stelle in Parco Forza in Ispica - a beautiful setting - a canyon where the Ispicesi (or Spacafurnari as they used to be called lived and took care of their animals) - lots of cerasuolo di Vittoria and Nero d'Avola to taste!

Pictures will be taken and story will be told...

[docsconz]

Looking forward to it! I loved the sicilian wines I had in Sicily and those were two of my favorite varietals.

[katiaANDronald]

Still didn't get the chocolate (since today we spend the day in Siracusa... mostly the fish market ) but a quick note on the promised wine festival report... well quite simply it was an absolute disaster Its the first time Ispica organised something of this sort and clearly they underestimated the number of people that would visit and also while they promised almost 24 different producers only 4 locals ones showed up. Worse still the pour someliers (just two) were assaulted by the many more people than was expected and there was hardly any wine left after two hours... people where walking away with glasses and bottles... Unfortunately sometimes Sicily does fail to live up to promises... So after thirty minutes we walked away disapointed. Thankfully there are some great restaurants and enotece where the excellent wine of the area can be tasted and we don't need to depend on such festivals, nevertheless I hope that next year they make a more concerted effort to get the organisation right... too often the excellent produce of Sicily misses out on valuable exposure because of bad organisation...

[katiaANDronald]

OK,

as promised some pictures of the cioccolato modicano.

I hope you can see in the pictures the sugar crystals and the rough texture of the chocolate. This chocolates are from the Antica Gelateria Rizza, rather than Bonajuto (which seems to be the only one people visit in Modica). They are both excellent but differ somewhat, I tend to prefer Rizza. However, a point of note. There are two Rizza shops in Modica - the first one closer to Bonajuto is Rizza's cousin and does not produce the chocolate. If you walk further up, past San Pietro and then some you will find the Rizza we are talking of. They allow you to taste everything before buying it and do much more than just chocolate. Their icecreams are fantastic and they have a chocolate liquer (in the style of limoncello) that is absolutely amazing.

Now, for the cup of hot chocolate. A quarter of a bar per cup. I place in a saucepan with a little milk and warm over slow fire then add the rest of the milk and warm it to the required temperature.

Enjoy

[docsconz]

Very nice! I will have to try Rizza next time I'm in Modica. Do you know if their products are available outside Modica?