[Sca-cooks] Cioccolato di Modica

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Stefan li Rous wrote:
>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.

Well, according to Sophie Coe in "America's First Cuisines", the 
Mayas actually created hives for the indigenous American bees. They 
are not the honey bees of Europe, but they do make honey.

The book is eluding me for the moment... I can quote more when i locate it.

Anahita