Nutella is a hazelnut and chocolate spread created in Italy in the 1940s. Originally sold as gianduja paste, it became popular in Europe before being exported to the US in 1983. Nutella is often used in desserts, but is less nutritious than peanut or almond butter.
Nutella is a hazelnut and chocolate spread made in Italy for bread or for use in desserts, created by Pietro Ferrero in the 1940s. Ferraro also formed Ferrero, Inc., which produces other well-known products such as Rocher chocolate and Tic Tacs. In the beginning, however, Nutella was better known as an Italian spread, and then a European delicacy, and originally went under a different name.
Inspired by the World War II scarcity of available chocolate, Ferraro set out to find a flavor that would mix well with chocolate. Hazelnuts, which were much more widely available, were a natural match and so Ferrero came up with a spread called gianduja paste that was sold in cubes like butter. Paste in this sense meant “paste”.
This first version of Nutella differs from its current form. It wasn’t as “expandable” as people had hoped, although it was appreciated. Ferrero redesigned the recipe and began selling its product in jars under the name supercrema gianduja. It wasn’t until 1964 that the name was changed to Nutella.
Ferraro made Nutella in the Piedmont section of Italy and it became so popular especially with children that many shops offered, for a price, to spread slices of bread brought by children with gianduja supercrema. Mass production ushered in the spread of hazelnut chocolate to many other parts of Europe, but many in the United States were unaware of it, unless traveling overseas. The company didn’t begin exporting Nutella to America until 1983, where it gradually became a very popular spread, though anticipated exports went mostly to the northeastern part of the United States. Today if you buy the spread in the US, it is usually not imported from Italy. Instead it is made in New Jersey in a factory that Ferraro had built in 1993.
The product could be called Italy’s answer to peanut butter, and many find it more delicious than other nut spreads. It’s not as nutritious as peanut or almond butter because it contains extra ingredients, including sugar, skim milk, and peanut oil. One serving, about 2 tablespoons (37 grams) has only 2 grams of protein compared to the 8 grams of protein in the same serving of peanut butter. So while many love this treat, it’s a bad substitute if you’re looking to boost the nutritional value of a meal. Many Nutella fans would argue that that’s not the point and that you can add extra nutrition by using the product on whole-wheat bread.
Another common use of Nutella is in a variety of desserts. On its own it can be an excellent spread between cake layers, or some people really enjoy it in crepes. You’ll find hundreds of recipes online for things like ice cream, fondue, cupcakes, waffles, brownies, muffins, and many more. You’ll find it in most grocery stores and nearly every specialty food store where it’s most often found next to peanut butter.
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