The secret that can't be told in an Italian town, the mysterious ancient civilization, history and culture of the little cafe.

Like the old Aztec secret, chocolate is one of the best kept secrets in the world in the Sicilian town of Modica.

Aztec is an ancient Mexican civilization that existed from the 14th century to the 16th century. A unique ancient civilization in the history of the world, the Aztec civilization was one of the most developed civilizations in America before the arrival of Europeans. In 1521, the Aztec Empire was conquered by the Spanish conquerors led by Hernan Cortez, and the Aztec civilization was unprecedentedly destroyed. up to now, people can only rely on limited information (such as manuscripts) to understand this mysterious ancient American civilization.

On a hot day in May, I walked into a small cafe in Sicily and there was only an elderly woman sitting in the dark. I didn't realize that the coffee shop was closed and asked in broken Italian about the most unique kind of chocolate on the island. The shopkeeper was surprised and delighted to see my presence. Except for me, probably no tourists would arrive so early. She warmly beckoned me over and opened a curtain with hundreds of unique chocolate bars on the shelves on the whole wall.

In recent years, more and more people have come to Sicily because of its fascinating history, smoke-filled active volcanoes and delicious food. However, it is not known whether the unique chocolates made in the island's World Heritage town of Modica are still mysterious due to the influence of the ancient Aztec.

When Spain ruled Sicily in the 16th century, the conquerors brought back cocoa to be traded in Mexico, but what was needed in the recipe was a smooth, smooth paste called Xocoa tl by the Aztecs, unlike the chocolate we usually see, which is too sweet and silky. The original xoco à tl tastes more bitter and is often used for seasoning such as meat, salad or eating alone. If you mix spices, it's for sex.

Modica's people have followed the same technology for generations, using lava from Mount Etna to make grinding plates. The local sugar is mixed with chocolate sauce to cool so that the sugar does not melt; it is made in a different way but tastes excellent and fluffy. After that, when mixed with fragrances, nothing in Sicily is more familiar than pear berry oil and pistachios. Nowadays, the taste has become richer, with many very modern flavors in it, such as sea salt chocolate.

After a long chat with the coffee shop owner, I continued to walk in search of Sicilian chocolate. It was still nearly an hour's drive to Modica, and I was ready to find the three most famous chocolate shops.

As soon as I arrived in Modica, I was attracted by the baroque church, the palm trees on both sides of the square and the narrow, winding alleys. And my sense of smell, there is no way to escape from the ubiquitous smell of cocoa and spices.

The first store I visited was the luxury Antica Dolceria Bonajuto, which dates back to the 1880s and is still family owned. In the 19th century, when the whole of Europe tried milk-flavored chocolate, the family still insisted on making Aztec, milk-free dark chocolate. Now all the counters are tasting chili, cinnamon, lemon essential oil, sea salt, vanilla, caramel and other flavors. Just down the road is Antica Dolceria Rizza, which was founded in 1935 and is famous for its exclusive flavor: strong ginger.

As with tradition, Modica's businessmen take preparation and celebration very seriously. Although Modica's infrastructure was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, the chocolate factory survived. Although the Modica Chocolate Conservation Union dates back to the 1740s, the annual Chocolate Modica Festival opened in December 2013, combining the most important factors in the town: chocolate and baroque architecture.

There is even a chocolate museum, Museo del Cioccolato, which is located in the cultural palace. In the museum, everything is made of chocolate, from classic sculptures to maps of Italy, and special videos show how chocolate records history.

The sea around the town of Modica, chosen as the setting for BBC's mysterious series, brings a new wave of secrets to discover Modica's chocolates. As long as tourists follow in the footsteps of the leading actors in the play, it is not difficult to discover the secret. Even if the secret of chocolate on the island is discovered, it can no longer be found outside Italy.

Come with me

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Source: word of mouth travel