Nutella is the brand name of a hazelnut flavored sweet spread registered by the Italian company Ferrero at the end of 1963. The recipe was developed from an earlier Ferrero spread released in 1949 created by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company.
The original recipe, Gianduja, was a mixture containing approximately 50% almond and/or hazelnut paste and 50% chocolate. At the time, there was very little chocolate because cocoa was in short supply due to World War II rationing so Mr.Ferrero used hazelnuts, which are plentiful in the Piedmont region of Italy (northwest), to extend the chocolate supply. Taxes on cocoa beans also hindered the diffusion of conventional chocolate. Pietro Ferrero owned a patisserie in Alba, in the Langhe district of Piedmont, an area known for the production of hazelnuts. He sold his first batch of 300 kilograms (660 lb) of “Pasta Gianduja” in 1946.
This was originally a solid block, but by 1951 Pietro started to sell a creamy version as “Supercrema”.This original form of Nutella® was actually made in loaves and wrapped in tinfoil so it could be sliced and placed on bread for mothers to make sandwiches for their children. But many children, as you could imagine, would throw away the bread and only eat the Gianduja! In 1963, Pietro’s son Michele revamped Supercrema with the intention of marketing it across Europe. Its composition was modified and it was re-named “Nutella®”. The first jar of Nutella® left the Ferrero factory in Alba on 20 April 1964.The product was an instant success and remains widely popular.
The estimated Italian production of Nutella® averages 179,000 tons per year. Nutella® has become the most popular chocolate hazelnut spread in Europe and is sold in over 75 countries. In Italy, Nutella® is eaten often at breakfast as standard fare. Today, you can usually find it in American grocery stores right next to the peanut butter. The original creamy chocolaty hazelnut spread, made with over 50 hazelnuts per jar, contains no artificial colors and no artificial preservatives.Nutella® is spread-ably delicious on whole wheat, multi-grain and bakery breads, bagels, English muffins, waffles and even an aroused body part for those so decadent.
The Nutella® Web site makes the case that getting kids to eat something for breakfast is better than having them skip that meal, and that Nutella can make whole-grain toast more appealing to kids. The site suggests pairing Nutella-spread toast (or whole-grain waffle) with strawberries and skim milk for a “balanced” breakfast.Their make-a-breakfast application shows how different combinations of foods stack up, nutrition-wise, and how they can fit into your daily requirements. Nutella’s Nutrition Facts panel makes clear that the product contains fat — a 2-tablespoon serving has 200 calories, half of them from fat. (None of its fat is partially hydrogenated or of the “trans” variety.
) All a person has to do is to look on the back of the jar to learn that much, and to see that Nutella® contains a significant amount of sugar, too — 21 grams per serving.
