Tasting a bar of Chocolate of Modica it means making a real sensory experience, jumping back in time. An "ancient" chocolate, from another time, a piece of history to melt in your mouth. But forget the shine of the classic tablet and the buttery on the palate.
Today, this unique chocolate in the world, which obtained IGP only a few months ago, is the first Geographical Indication product to have the Digital Passport.
The project, initiated with the Consortium of Chocolate Protection of Modica PGI, was created by the State Poligrafico under the supervision of CSQA Certifications and the Foundation Qualivita.
In practice it is a solution, on a voluntary basis, aimed at the products of the agri-food chain with the aim of allowing companies and consumers to immediately check the authenticity information of the product. Thanks to digital technology, with a personalized mark applied to each package, connected to the free APP Trust Your Food, the consumer will be able to access the Digital Passport of the Sicilian artisan specialty, verifying in a simple way traceability and genuineness of his purchase.
A solution designed to support the systems of traceability conventional and that protects consumers thanks to a more immediate control of the entire agri-food chain of quality. The chocolate typical of the baroque city, in this case, has been the forerunner of a system that addresses the many products with the IGP brand.
The characteristics of black gold are modic
The "food of the gods" made in Modica is a unique product, which is still handcrafted today thanks to a clever mix of simple and unmistakable ingredients. The preparation based on cocoa beans and sugar was practiced since 1600. Its main feature, the graininess, is given precisely by processing at low temperatures.
In fact, Modica's chocolate does not come from the conch, but the cocoa paste obtained from roasted and ground seeds but not deprived of the contained cocoa butter, is dissolved "cold", ie at temperatures below 40 ° C.
With this process the sugar crystals do not melt and remain intact in the dough, they determine the uniqueness of the product that seduces the palate with its characteristic aroma and the granular and raw consistency.
The combinations
In the small town of Ragusa, the Chocolate Museum of Modica managed by the Protection Consortium, it reconstructs an eighteenth-century workshop, where the master chocolatiers amalgamate cocoa, sugar and spices to obtain bars with an irresistible aroma.
To perpetrate the history of such a special product, which has also been a driving force for tourism and trade in all of Sicily, today there are about forty manufacturing companies, above all family-owned, but not all of which are members of the Protection Consortium. At one time, the recipe included the use of cinnamon, vanilla and probably also jasmine.
Currently the artisans of this long tradition offer many different types of aromas including salt, ginger, chilli and unusual combinations typical of the island, from citrus to wine.
The measures of the rod
Eye also to the dimensions, the standard measures of one Modica Chocolate bar, provided for by the specification, are precise: length 13 cm, width 4.5 cm and height 1.2 cm. The weight is 100 grams at the origin and is strictly wrapped in greaseproof paper.
Mariacristina Coppeto
February 2019
Cover photo: ChocoModica website
Cathedral of Modica: Pixabay