In Italy production of jasmine chocolate will be renewed

This connection of two interesting ingredients – cocoa beans and jasmine flowers which, according to the ancient recipe of the seventeenth century, was created by the best candy-maker and was confirmed by doctor and scientist Francesco Redi for the great Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III Medici. It is unusual jasmine chocolate or rather chocolate with aroma of jasmine. The recipe which remained a mystery of great prince, revived upon an initiative of two Sicilian businessmen, Franco Ruta, owner of confectionary «Dolceria Bonajuto» in Modica (Ragusa), and Philippo Figeura, owner of nursery garden «Vivai Malvarosa» in Jarra (Catania). You may taste chocolate made following a recipe of great duke, in Modica the next Saturday in frame of «Holiday of jasmine».

The recipe was found among the records contained in the postmortal collection of Redi, it is very complex, it takes time and requires patience, and, particularly, huge amount of jasmine flowers. As many as 250 flower buds which have been drawn with kilo of cocoa-beans during ten days. Flowers in buds gathered in the twilight, before they open, are used for some reason – they shed the most intensive and subtle aroma which penetrates cocoa.

Flowers are used only for one day – evening begins with the gathering of new harvest of jasmine buds which are mixed with beans again, and old buds are expelled.

«Great duke, - as it is explained by candy-maker Pierpaolo Ruta, - preferred chocolate pralines, which are small, weighing 1 gramme, a bit more than grain of scarlet grosbeak. Even such little pralines were able to give the unforgettable taste of this chocolate, presenting wonderful sensory experience».