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M O D I C A
THE SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS
In the Sicilian town of Modica, a 160-year-old family-run business preserves
the region’s unique confectionery tradition – chocolate with rabbit, anyone?
A
lmond biscuits with a
minced beef and
chocolate filling; 100%
cocoa dark chocolate; orange
peel sweetenedwith honey. The
teenagers visiting the Antica
Dolceria Bonajuto pull faces.
When they were told they’d be
visiting a traditional
confectioner’s inModica, Sicily,
they’d expected somethingmore,
well, sugary. The sophisticated
delicacies on offer in the small,
wood-panelled shop overwhelm
their pubescent palates, which
aremore accustomed to
chocolate bars and Jelly Babies.
Pierpaolo Ruta manages the
dolceria at 159 Corso Umberto I,
which has been run by his
family for six generations. He
shrugs off the young visitors’
objections; he doesn’t need their
money. Business is booming
and the dolceria gets rave
reviews in all the best Sicilian
travel guides. After trying out
his cocoa-based specialities,
tourists leave the shop carrying
bagfuls of the stuff. Ruta’s
products are also popular with
local wine merchants and
restaurateurs.
‘Sicily is famous for its
desserts and sweets,’ he says, ‘and
most of the confectionerymade
on the island is manufactured in
or aroundModica. It’s where we
create the delicacies you won’t
find anywhere else in Italy.’
The region’s obsessionwith
confectionery dates back to the
16th century, when the Spanish
Conquistadors introduced
ancient Aztec chocolate-making
methods to the area. These
traditions still live on today,
albeit inmodified form.
The chocolatemade at the
AnticaDolceria Bonajuto by its 10
staff isn’t themass-produced stuff
you’ll find inmost shops. The
cocoa beansmay no longer be
rubbed on hot sandstone as they
were in the late 19th century, but
they are still cooked at exactly
45°C– hot enough tomelt the
cocoa butter without releasing the
sugar, whichmeans the chocolate
retains its original cocoa taste. It’s
alsowhy it isn’tmelt-in-your-
mouth creamy, but rather gritty
and almost rough. This doesn’t go
down toowell with the
schoolkids, who are used to the
smoother, more accessible texture
ofmilk chocolate.
‘In our region chocolate isn’t
just a kind of confectionery, it’s
also an ingredient in a lot of
traditional recipes,’ says Ruta.
‘We use it inmeat dishes to give
the sauces amore refined flavour.’
Ruta is an expert in the history of
Modica’s bittersweet speciality.
His forefather, Francesco
Die Straßen von Modica
im Sonnenuntergang
A sweet treat can be found
in the winding alleys of Modica
Getty