Modica chocolate is the first European chocolate to have obtained the IGP certification. It is produced exclusively in Modica, in the free municipal consortium of Ragusa and is promoted by the Chocolate Protection Consortium of Modica.

This Italian delicacy is characterized by a sweet taste with a bitter note, a brown colored paste with evident graininess. The production involves the processing of bitter cocoa paste with sugar to which spices (cinnamon, vanilla, chilli pepper or nutmeg), natural flavors (citrus, fennel, jasmine, ginger), fruit including dried or dehydrated (citrus, pistachio) can be added. , hazelnuts, almonds) and salt.

The production technique involves melting the cocoa mass in a bain-marie, to which sugar and any other ingredients are added, mixing until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. The mixture obtained is subjected to tempering before being portioned, put into molds and subjected to beating (vibration). The last phase involves cooling which can take place at room temperature or in cold rooms. After that the product is ready to be packaged.

Thanks to the very long mixing and heating of the mass at high temperatures, the compound takes on a fluid consistency without perceptible lumps in the mouth. Furthermore, the absence of the conching phase and the rigorous temperature control does not allow the sugar crystals to melt, thus giving the product the characteristic granularity, unique in Modica Chocolate.

Some documents testify that in the 1700s the Modica chocolate was made by the noble families of the city. The notoriety of this product grows in the nineteenth century thanks also to monasteries and religious institutes where chocolate, in addition to being consumed, is processed. At the beginning of the twentieth century the coffees of Modica are transformed into real chocolate production workshops, thus marking another fundamental stage in the history of "Modica Chocolate".

Recipes
Modica chocolate is used for the preparation of sweet recipes. One of the most characteristic, usually made during the period of Lent, is that of the 'Mpanatigghi, biscuits in the shape of a crescent, similar to panzerotti, with a filling that in addition to chocolate includes almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and ..beef! The combination of meat and chocolate is quite unusual and is thought to come from Hispanic America. The origin of the recipe is in fact attributed to the period of the Spanish domination of the Kingdom of Sicily.

To prepare the 'Mpanatigghi you can try to follow the recipe of dolcisiciliani.net

Photo credits: Giovanni Antoci, chocomodicaofficial.it