Nutella

I don't know about you, but I love Nutella...I grew up eating it, although its only been available in the US since about 1983, I was luckily enough to have family in Italy, and every time we made a visit, we brought some home.

Never heard of it?? Well let me enlighten you a little and give those of you who have a little history lesson.

Nutella spread, in its earliest form, was created in the 1940s by Mr. Pietro Ferrero, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero company. 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.

The original version of Nutella spread was called "pasta gianduja," pasta which means paste, and "gianduja" which is the name of a carnival character famous to the region, a character that can be found in the first advertisements for the product.

Pasta gianduja 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 pasta gianduja!

            

So Mr. Ferrero altered the product into a paste that came in a jar, so it could be spread on the bread. This then became known as "supercrema gianduja," because it was a spreadable version of the gianduja. "Supercrema gianduja" was eventually renamed "Nutella" in 1964, with the origin of the word being "nut" and the "ella" giving it a soft ending.

From the start, Nutella spread was well received, since it was a less expensive way for people to enjoy something that tasted so good... a kilo of chocolate at the time was 6 times the cost of a kilo of pasta gianduja. So Nutella was a product that everyone could, and did, enjoy. The product became so popular that Italian food stores started a service called "The Smearing". Children could go to their local food store with a slice of bread for a "smear" of "supercrema gianduja."

Since European families and visitors have enjoyed Nutella as a breakfast staple on bread and toast for more than 40 years, the Ferrero Company wanted to introduce this traditional Italian breakfast item to the U.S. market. 
Nutella was first imported from Italy to the U.S. over 25 years ago in 1983 and was initially distributed in the Northeastern part of the country.  The popularity of Nutella has grown steadily over the years and it is now available across the United States. In addition, Nutella is also marketed and sold all over the world.

The unique formula of Nutella hazelnut spread continues to be made from the combination of roasted hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa.  In addition, Nutella has no artificial colors or preservatives.  It can be found in grocery stores, warehouse clubs and mass merchandisers and is generally found near the peanut butter and sweet spreads section.

Thank you http://www.nutellausa.com/history.htm for the history lesson.

If you have never tried it, its worth a shot unless you don't like hazelnuts or chocolate, my favorite way to have it is on buttered (not toasted) bread. But there are lots of other things you can do with Nutella and here are a couple of my favorite recipes...

Fried Wontons

Ingredients:

Wonton Wrappers

Nutella

Bananas

Egg (for sealing wonton)

Oil for frying

Confectioners sugar

Separate wonton wrappers into individual sheets. In the center of each wrapper, place a small dollop (approximately 1 teaspoon) of Nutella and top with a slice of ripe banana. Use a pastry brush to moisten the edges of the wonton with a beaten egg mixture. Fold the wontons in half to form a triangle. Use your fingers to press the edges of the wonton firmly together to seal completely.
Preheat a deep fryer, or heat two inches of oil in a pan to approximately 350 degrees. Drop the wontons in a few at a time and cook, turning them over during the process, until they are lightly browned and cooked through, usually 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve warm.

Nutella Pudding Shots-for adults

Ingredients:
1 small package of Instant Chocolate Pudding
3/4 cup of Milk
1/4 cup of Vodka
1/2 cup of  Frangelico
8 oz of Extra Creamy Cool Whip thawed
Topping:
1 jar of nutella and 1 bag of toasted hazelnuts

Mix pudding and milk for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer, add alcohol, and then mix well. Fold in the Cool Whip until well blended.
Place the pudding mix into individual serving cups and cover. Freeze them.  Before serving top each with a teaspoon of nutella and sprinkle with toasted chopped hazelnuts.  Your guests are going to love these!

Nutella Crescent Rolls

Ingredients

1 pkg Pillsbury crescent rolls

Nutella

Cinnamon Sugar

Separate crescent rolls and spread with Nutella. Roll according to package directions and dust with cinnamon sugar. Bake according to package directions. Yum!

I know this....In my life there are many things I am glad are a part of it, and Nutella is one of them.