Where does the Modica chocolate tradition come from

Modica is a city in the Val di Noto famous, from an artistic and architectural point of view, due to the many Baroque churches, among which the Cathedral of San Pietro which dates back to the eighteenth century stands out. But there is also another reason, much more delicious, why Modica is famous in the world, and it is its dark chocolate. The tradition of making chocolate in the city is ancient and dates back to the discovery of the Americas. It was in fact in the so-called New World that the Spaniards learned about the fruit of the cocoa plant, and the processing methods. At that time Modica was under Spanish domination, and even here the secrets of chocolate processing were spread and then handed down. The cocoa beans come from the Sao Tome and Principe plantations, which are located in the Gulf of Guinea. These beans are processed to obtain a paste made of cocoa and cocoa butter. The peculiarity of Modica's dark chocolate is that no cocoa butter is added further, and that it is processed at a temperature of 45 degrees which does not destroy its aromas.