You say Modica and you think of chocolate!

A combination between the Iblean city and the food of the gods that has distant origins, when in the 16th century the Spanish rulers introduced the precious broad bean from the Americas into the county of Modica, then the most important feudal state in Sicily.

The processing was the one learned from the Aztecs, cold, using the metate, the stone mill. But unlike the Indians, who consumed liquid cocoa, sugar was introduced into the Sicilian recipe: thus the famous chocolate bar was born. With a unique characteristic, which differentiates it from what we are used to: Modica chocolate does not have cocoa butter and the sugar grains remain separate, giving the chocolate a crumbly consistency.


The delicacy was the dessert of the Modican nobles' parties and so it was handed down until today before becoming an internationally renowned confectionery product: since 2003 Modican chocolate has boasted a protection consortium, the recognition of a PGI product and a festival, the Eurochocolate, which in December for three days transforms Modica into an open-air pastry shop, a destination for visitors from all over the world.


Now the stone mill is no longer used but modern machinery, but the characteristic of Modica chocolate is always the same, a grainy and crumbly consistency obtained with simple cold processing, no more than 40 degrees, without conching, so as to maintain the sugar separated into granules from the cocoa.


The most famous shop in Modica is the ancient Boniajuto sweet shop, the first to make Modica chocolate a brand. In the summer, resign yourself to queuing to taste one of the many bars flavored with citrus fruits, or spices, cinnamon, pepper, marjoram or salt in the beautiful shop-museum reviewed by New Your Times.

Bonajuto was the first, after him the boom: along Corso Umberto and throughout the historic center, there are dozens of shops or small artisan chocolate factories. You are spoiled for choice, and for your palate!