The Signature
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Modica Chocolate, The Food of Aztec Gods By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
You’ve probably heard of the popular Swiss chocolate “bitter water”), a paste made by grinding hand-roasted and the traditional chocolate factories of Perugia and cocoa beans in a smooth round stone called “metate.” Turin in northern Italy, but Cioccolato di Modica The paste was melted and transformed into either a (chocolate from Modica) is special as it is still made chocolate drink or a solid bar. This chocolate became according to methods dating back centuries ago. very popular and seduced the palates of aristocrats from When I first tasted the grainy and strong dark Modica Spain, Portugal, Italy and Flanders. cioccolato a few years ago during one of the annual Today, Modica chocolate is still prepared by melting ChocoModica festivals, it changed my concept of the solid paste of cocoa beans through the ancient Aztec chocolate. “cold processing method,” where the temperature Until then, I hadn’t realized that almost all the popular always stays below 113° Fahrenheit. Nothing else is chocolate bars that I was eating weren’t actually made added except high-quality sugar, making it very different of “good” chocolate. Instead, they were full of cheap in taste than the common Western milk sugar products. ingredients such as sugar, butter, trans fats, and food The cold temperature prevents sugar crystals from additives with a very small amount of cocoa. In other melting and gives the chocolate its unique gritty texture words, they were a chocolate-like sugar bomb loaded and flavor. with unhealthy stuff! In contrast, chocolate from Modica Modica chocolate bars are produced in a plethora of leaves an intense, strong and delicious aftertaste in your different flavors such as orange, pistachio, cinnamon, mouth that you won’t easily forget. orange, lemon, donkey milk, ginger, cardamom, anise, So why is chocolate different in this Southeastern carob, majorant, white pepper, chili pepper, almond, Sicilian city, which boasts a spot on the UNESCO coffee, vanilla, Sicilian citrus fruits, Marsala wine, World Heritage list for its stunning Baroque buildings Trapani salt, hazelnut, and more. You can also find bars and churches? First and foremost, it has a different and made of pure cocoa masses that can be up to 100 percent, unique preparation method based on the ancient Mexican which have a very bitter taste. Aztecs. Dark chocolate is also incredibly healthy for you! It all started when the Spaniards ruled Sicily in the 16th According to some studies, cocoa, which has been century. Mayans and Aztecs loved chocolate and consumed it as a warm drink with chili powder and other spices. They believed it had healing qualities and regarded it as a potent aphrodisiac. According to Aztec mythology, the god Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered snake,” stole the cocoa plant from the gods and used it to make a scrumptious drink by crushing its seeds. He then turned himself into a man and came down from heaven to teach humans to cultivate it. The gods kicked him out of paradise for sharing this secret with men. Spanish conquistadores returning from Mexico Tempt your taste buds with the iconic Modica chocolate. It is still produced according to the recipes of the ancient Aztecs through a coldbrought back cacao and the working process to prevent sugar crystals from dissolving, giving it a unique crunchy texture. This feature makes ‘Cioccolato di Modica’ recipe to make “xocoatl,” different from all other types of chocolate on the world market. (Photo by Alberto Lunetta) (from Nahuatl words meaning "Italian News" cont’d on Page 11
