“To be eaten in pieces or melted in a cup, it is of incomparable flavor, such that whoever tastes it feels they have reached the archetype, the absolute; and that chocolate produced elsewhere, even the most celebrated, is but its adulteration, its corruption.”
the HISTORY
The Modica chocolate, of incomparable flavor—echoing Leonardo Sciascia—envelops and seduces, and, by recalling stories of unforgettable legacies, reveals a heritage of gestures and knowledge that has taken shape thanks to the ingenuity of master chocolatiers who, as early as the eighteenth century in Modica—the capital of the powerful county of the same name—were already working with the mythical “food of the gods.”
A valuable indicator of its era and cultural context is thus represented by the outcome of archival research promoted and supported by the CTCM. This work has helped rescue from dusty oblivion not only the names of chocolatiers active in Modica since 1746, but also ingredients, systems of weights and measures, and the terminology related to the objects, tools, and utensils with which the chocolatier blended bitter cocoa, sugar, and spices. Kneeling and wielding a stone pestle, he would repeat upon the *valata ra ciucculatti* (a crescent-shaped stone slab) a gesture of Hispanic origin, internalized over generations, whose secrets of craftsmanship have been entrusted to time. Thus emerged a previously unexplored chapter of the fascinating Modican chocolate, which first intoxicated local elites and ecclesiastical hierarchies, and later won over the convivial life of the urban bourgeoisie, eventually becoming a staple of contemporary consumption and a fixture of the collective imagination—an inspiring force for the arts, literature, theater, cinema, and even the enticing interplay between food and local culture.
Master chocolatiers and pastry chefs in Modica, custodians of a long and certified tradition, still today continue to process cocoa “at low temperatures,” avoiding the conching process in order to preserve the integrity of its ingredients and its health benefits, in line with the most up-to-date medical and scientific research, which identifies the legendary Modica chocolate among the finest confectionery products. To convey the delight that the grainy Modica PGI chocolate releases and inspires, words are less effective than the joyful interplay of the senses and taste that the land of artisanal chocolate gently orchestrates. In this city of Baroque stone and radiant historical and food-and-wine itineraries, chocolate is discovery, celebration, surprise, and, naturally, pleasure—and a true indulgence.
In the city of Baroque stone and radiant historical and food and wine itineraries, chocolate is discovery, celebration, surprise, and, of course, pleasure and indulgence.
the PROJECT
Modica, the city of chocolate, celebrates its chocolatiers who, since 1746, have continued to produce a chocolate appreciated worldwide, whose PGI label helps enhance an outstanding product rich in history and knowledge—so rich, metaphorically, that it seems to overflow across the entire city, depicted in the colors of its chocolate blend and in lights that appear to recall the sparkle of sugar crystals characterizing the grainy bar, also hinting at the festive glow of Nativity scenes.
There is a deep connection between chocolate and the territory, dating back to the eighteenth-century documented certainty of Modica PGI chocolate, derived from the archival sources of the noble Grimaldi family.
Thus, in the Ranieri III of Monaco hall of the Modica Chocolate Museum, handwritten sheets are displayed on panels where centuries-old recipes, period utensils, and chocolatiers’ names represent, on the threshold of the third millennium, the key to preserving the heritage of the past and the outcomes of change—equally legitimized by the strength of memory and the vibrant drive toward the future. Indeed, it is now established that the art of chocolate-making encompasses not only the realms of taste and pleasure, but also those of history, art, culture, sociology, economics, and even geopolitics.
In Modica unfolds the story of its incomparable chocolate, which continues as a remarkable source of inspiration for art, literature, theater, cinema, and above all as a messenger of enchanting combinations that run through the entire city and its unspeakable delicacies.
Grazia Dormiente