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 The
culture of a people includes diverse elements such as history, traditions,
customs and foods.
The Sicilian Cuisine is well-known for numerous unique specialties,
for its large use of important agricultural typical products like
pistachio, carobs, prickly pears, and for other traditional products
like D.O.P. extra-vergine olive oils, D.O.C. wines and citruses.
The
pastry-making is perhaps the best celebrated of all Sicilian specialties,
with a range of products able to satisfy the most exigent gourmet.
More and better than any other foods, our pastry specialties show
the signs of the many dominations that have ruled over this Island
throughout the centuries. The pastry-making is considered a realm
of fantasy, that gives life to much elaborated and often symbolic
shapes.
The
Modican Chocolate is one of the best appreciated products
of the Sicilian pastry. It has a rectangular shape, 15cm long, and
can be divided into four smaller bars. It is prepared according
to a traditional recipe dating back to the Aztec ancient civilization
and handed down to us by the Spaniards.
Upon entering a traditional "dolceria modicana", you'll
smell delicious flavours coming from the genuine ingredients used
in the chocolate-making, such as bitter cocoa paste, sugar, vanilla,
cinnamon and cocoa butter.
 The
basic ingredients are 500gr of caster sugar, 500gr
of bitter cocoa paste, either a cinnamon or a vanilla roll, and
a cocoa butter bar.
The latter is specifically required to amalgamate all ingredients.
In
the past this chocolate was prepared using some specific utensils,
like the "spianatoio", an half moon shaped tool, made
of lava stone, where all ingredients were low-heated and mixed.
They were also rolled with a stone rolling pin, whose weight varied
according to the different working steps.
 Today
the
chocolate-making uses modern saucepans, but has preserved the traditional
pans which are commissioned to the fewest tinsmiths left.
The
traditional recipe requires ingredients to be rolled three times
in the refining process.
The
mixture obtained is placed into rectangular forms that give the
chocolate their well-known shape. Before it solidifies the forms
are lined up on a large wooden tray that is beaten against a marble
table top, serving to expel air bubbles and leave the top side of
the bars shiny and smooth. Then chocolate is left to cool down for
about 24 hours.
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