While cacao is not native to Italy, the country has a long history of interaction with cacao and chocolate. This journey of cacao in Italy truly began to unfold during the 17th century when it was introduced as a beverage.
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Italian aristocrats and the elite embraced chocolate as a luxurious and exotic indulgence, consuming it primarily as a hot beverage. Chocolate houses, akin to those in other European capitals, began to emerge in Italian cities, becoming social hubs where the upper class gathered to savor this unique and alluring concoction.
Transition of Chocolate in Italy
The 19th century marked the transition of chocolate from a beverage to a confection in Italy. Inspired by developments in neighboring countries, Italian chocolatiers began experimenting with solid chocolate, creating pralines, gianduiotti, and other delightful treats.
One significant innovation was the creation of gianduja, a chocolate-hazelnut paste that would become a cornerstone of Italian chocolate culture.
The city of Turin, in particular, emerged as a focal point for Italian chocolate craftsmanship. Chocolatiers in Turin pioneered the creation of gianduiotti, small triangular chocolates made with a blend of hazelnuts and chocolate. These became immensely popular and laid the foundation for the Italian tradition of combining chocolate with local ingredients.
Cacao and Chocolate in the Contemporary Italy
In contemporary Italy, artisanal chocolate craftsmanship is celebrated, with a focus on quality ingredients and traditional techniques. Small chocolatiers, often family-owned, dot the streets of Italian cities, offering a diverse array of handcrafted chocolates, pralines, and truffles. The use of high-quality cacao in Italy is a hallmark of local chocolate.
Chocolatiers carefully select their cacao beans, often favoring specific origins to bring out distinct flavor profiles. The emphasis on craftsmanship is evident in the meticulous tempering, molding, and hand-finishing of each chocolate, resulting in products that are not just confections but pieces of culinary art.
Italian Cioccolato di Modica
The cioccolato di Modica (Modica chocolate or chocolate of Modica, also known as cioccolata modicana) is an Italian specialty chocolate, typical of the comune (municipality) of Modica, in Sicily.
It is characterized by an ancient and original recipe using manual grinding (rather than conching) which gives the chocolate a peculiar grainy texture and aromatic flavor. It is a specialty officially recognized by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies. Modica chocolate is made “cold” (a freddo) according to a traditional recipe and is not conched.
Modica chocolate is cold processed and has no cocoa butter added, at 45 degrees Celsius and without the conching process sugar does not dissolve; that’s why it has a different texture.
The finished chocolate therefore has a grainy, rough consistency, with the inclusion of small air bubbles; it crumbles when broken. When sold, the bars are slightly gray on the surface due to the cocoa butter that has been excreted. In the mouth, the chocolate unfolds an intense cocoa aroma.
According to the age old Modica cold working process all the beneficial properties of cocoa in Italy are kept intact. Modica chocolate often has a white patina and tends to crumble. The cocoa butter blooming alters the traditional organoleptic properties of the product. Apart from the substances mentioned, Modica chocolate contains no other ingredients, in particular no milk, no butter, no vegetable fat and no lecithin.
The specialty was introduced in the County of Modica by the Spaniards, during their domination in southern Italy.
Their noble house was the most influential feudal power in southern Italy in the 16th century, during the Spanish domination of Sicily. Even today there is a similar form of preparation in Spain in the form of chocolate a la piedra; such varieties are also known in Mexico and Guatemala.
Before the product became an internationally known specialty, it was a holiday dessert in noble families. The Spaniards probably learned from the Aztecs the technique of processing cocoa beans through the use of metate; however, Modica chocolate uses sugar in addition to cocoa, an ingredient which would have been unavailable to the Aztecs.
The comune (municipality) of Modica hosts an annual chocolate fair (“Chocobarocco“). There are 75 companies in Modica producing or selling chocolate, and the chocolate industry is the city’s largest employer.
Unique Italian Chocolates
Italy is home to a variety of unique chocolate creations, each with its distinctive characteristics.
Gianduiotti
It remain iconic Italian chocolates, loved for their creamy texture and rich hazelnut flavor. These triangular delicacies, hailing from Turin, are often enjoyed as a symbol of Italian chocolate heritage.
Baci Perugina
Originating from the city of Perugia, are another celebrated Italian chocolate. These chocolates, known for their hazelnut filling and a whole hazelnut at the center, are wrapped in a poetic message, adding a touch of romance to the chocolate experience.
Torrone
A traditional Italian nougat made with honey, sugar, egg whites, and toasted almonds, is another confectionary delight associated with Italian festivities, especially during the Christmas season.
Conclusion
Furthermore, especially in Italy chocolate is related with its romantic features. This last aspect was known already Giacomo Casanova, who would use it as a mild aphrodisiac with his conquests.