[Sca-cooks] Cioccolato di Modica

[Stefan li Rous]

Gianotta asked:
> I'm engaged in a spirited, uh, debate with someone on another list
> about Sicilian gastronomy. In researching my rebuttal I came across
> mentions of chocolate made in Modica, Sicily. There, chocolate is made
> like the Aztecs did it; cacao beans ground against stone, mixed with
> sugar (of course the Aztecs would have used honey)
But since the honey bee is a European import, any honey the Aztecs 
would have used would have been from a different insect.
> and occasionally
> flavored with hot pepper; today cinnamom and vanilla are the standard
> flavorings, but I understand peperoncino is still popular.
"Peperoncino" is a pepper?
> Has anyone in charge of a feast ever tried to satisfy a queen's
> chocolate whim by serving them Spanish-style hot chocolate? With
> cinnamon, vanilla, and honey?
I don't think vanilla made it back to Europe before 1600:
vanilla-msg       (17K)  9/19/04    The vanilla bean in late-period 
Europe.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/PLANTS/vanilla-msg.html
> Maybe a bit of hot pepper? I would
> imagine if you're doing a Spanish-style or Sicilian-style feast, this
> could fit right in ...
People have at least talked about doing this. You can see comments on 
this and some period recipes for chocolate in this file:
chocolate-msg     (69K)  6/19/04    History and description of early 
chocolate.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-SWEETS/chocolate-msg.html
> Still don't know if Modicani were putting chocolate in cassata any
> earlier than the 17th century, though.
What is "cassata"?

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****