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by - October 1, 2007 - 1:00 AM
When last we checked in with this feature, Eurovision was on the brain. Today we’re going to examine the phenomenon called Nutella. In many European countries, it’s as common in homes as peanut butter is in America. And in Italy, where Nutella originates, my friends say it’s not only more popular than peanut butter, it’s the topic of books and even movies, as you’ll see at the end of this post.
Curiously, Nutella’s ingredients vary from country to country but the main components—sugar, vegetable oil, hazelnuts and cocoa powder—combine to create one fantastic creamy spread. Most of you have probably had Nutella while on vacation abroad or even at a crêpe place here in the States, right? But haven’t you always wondered why it hasn’t caught on in our country the way, say, Marshmallow Fluff has?
The history of Nutella is kinda interesting. It was originally developed by Pietro Ferrero in the 1950s and called Supercrema. Then, in the early 60s, Michele Ferrero (Pietro’s son) gave Supercrema a nutty makeover and teenagers across Europe have been happier ever since.
Perhaps one of the reasons why it hasn’t caught on here is because it was only available as a pricey import until around 2001. At one point, Nutella tried to reach out to the American consumer, naming Kobe Bryant its spokesman (I know, bizarre, but remember, he grew up in Italy).
Here’s a link to a YouTube clip from the movie Bianca, by Nanni Moretti. (I’m not posting the actual video because it contains brief nudity, though not of the frontal kind.) Check out the size of the jar of Nutella this guy is eating from—looks yummy, no?
To close, I thought it would be fun to hear from our readers across the pond. Roll call time! What country/city are you in right now? Let us know!
Comments (53)
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I know, I’m not from across the pond, in fact, I’m in the middle of America… but…
I eat Nutella all the time! No peanut butter for me… I just didn’t know I was so alone.
posted by Renee on 10-1-2007 at 2:13 am
It’s quite common in Canada as well.
posted by Britt on 10-1-2007 at 2:22 am
I’m from Colorado, and I’ve never been to Europe, but I’m addicted to Nutella. I don’t use it as a spread like it’s meant to be used; I use it to dip fruits in (like apples and strawberries, yum!). That’s a little bit healthier, right?
I won’t even let the fact that Kobe Bryant is the spokesperson deter me.
posted by Julie on 10-1-2007 at 2:47 am
I ate Nutella all the time when I was studying abroad in Germany. I couldn’t go a few days without resorting to an ever convenient Nutella sandwich. I honestly get kind of sick thinking about it now because I ate it so often (that also might have been why I gained 10 pounds… that or the dozens of bakeries I passed everyday trying to get to the Uni.)
posted by Laura on 10-1-2007 at 3:10 am
Here in Spain there is a local variant (I can’t be bothered to check which one came first) called Nocilla which pretty much holds the monopoly for the “Hazelnut Creamy Spread” category.
Everyone knows it, everyone loves it.
My wife, Mexican, knew Nutella from Mexico (Costco sells them in huge Gallon-Sized jars) but switched immediately to Nocilla when she tried it. I usually don’t care whichever I’m having as long as I can have a lot of it.
Mexico has it own local, incredibly crappy, multi-flavoured variant called Duvalin. In keeping with tradition mexicans choose the most horrible of all possible flavours (”Strawverry”) as their favourite (I know, I lived there 15 years!).
posted by eduo on 10-1-2007 at 4:33 am
Im 27 and grew up in Indiana. I had never heard of Nutella or seen it until I moved to Boston 4 years ago where it is as common as peanut butter. I sent some back home and now their all hooked! Just recently the grocery store in their town started to carry it too.
posted by raquel on 10-1-2007 at 5:40 am
I live in Toronto and grew up on the stuff! When I was a little kid, my mom used to take me to the local Italian market every Saturday and we’d buy fresh italian buns and a jar of Nutella. Nutella on warm italian bread while watching Sesame Street on Saturday afternoon is one of my earliest memories. My school friends used to laugh at my chocolate lunch – they lived on bologna. I think I had the better deal!
posted by bowtie on 10-1-2007 at 5:48 am
Ugh – I must be the only person in the world who hates Nutella. It’s too sweet! I didn’t think that was possible, but it is. It gives me a headache.
I hate Marshmallow Fluff, too.
posted by Rachel on 10-1-2007 at 6:22 am
I haven’t had Nutella more than a time or two (not terribly popular here in Texas and I was never much of a chocolate person), but I’ve known several people hooked on it.
posted by Meagan on 10-1-2007 at 6:25 am
I love the stuff. But it’s so hard to find or is just way to expensive in the Caribbean. Everything has to be imported, and sometimes when the stores run out, they might not order for months. If I could only cash the sun & rain of St. Vincent *sigh*.
posted by Laura on 10-1-2007 at 6:27 am
I’m only halfway kidding when I say it’s probably a good thing Nutella hasn’t caught on over here. Given our American capacity for moderation, Nutella would probably increase our bottom line many times over (pun intended). But, no doubt, the stuff is heaven in a jar.
posted by Patrick on 10-1-2007 at 6:51 am
It’s right next to the peanut butter on the grocery shelves here in Canada. It’s a staple in our house. My kids love it and I grew up on it.
posted by Sheila on 10-1-2007 at 6:51 am
And then in my house of 2 parents and 2 almost teenagers, I have to buy 4 jars at the grocery store and each of us has our name on the lid. Otherwise we all get into fights about why there is no Nutella left in the house.
Interestingly, on our last trip to Germany, the Nutella we bought there was much more liquidy that what we get stateside. There the consistency is more like melted chocolate and here it is more like peanut butter.
Either way, we can’t get enough of it.
posted by KJ on 10-1-2007 at 6:55 am
My daughter and HER daughters used ot live in Clifton.NJ and now live in CT. They eat Nutella all the time!(I swear the kids are hooked on it)
posted by JaneM on 10-1-2007 at 7:13 am
We have Nutella in Australia as well. I prefer it over Vegemite sometimes :).
posted by Mandalay on 10-1-2007 at 7:59 am
I am originally from europe and when I moved to the US I missed Nutella terribly :-) I almost when through withdrawal.
Nowaday I can find it at my local grocery shop and I’m hooked again.
Never could get used to peanut butter though.
For the European/US nutella difference: in Europe Nutella has some animal gelification agent. In the US its vegetal (Nutella is OU in the US). That may impact the consistency of the paste :-)
posted by Quietlaugh on 10-1-2007 at 8:03 am
25 from Singapore. i have always loved Nutella! sometimes when i get a chocolate craving i buy a bottle and just have it plain.
posted by claudia on 10-1-2007 at 8:04 am
Here in Rio de Janeiro it is popular as well.
posted by Erik on 10-1-2007 at 8:46 am
I’m from Hays, KS, and our local grocery store sells Nutella. My husband and I love the stuff!
posted by Michelle on 10-1-2007 at 8:50 am
Palm oil and vanillin. Yecch.
posted by Vorpal on 10-1-2007 at 9:06 am
I was only vaguely aware of the stuff until I had a college roommate from Germany. Man, she made these German pancakes and we’d lather them with Nutella…mm…
posted by cousin on 10-1-2007 at 9:45 am
I had heard of Nutella but never tried it until a trip to Prague a few summers back. My husband, along with some friends from law school, was studying there for a few months so we rented a great little flat and ALWAYS kept the kitchen stocked with Nutella. I was completely hooked on that and Mattoni, the locally-available fizzy water. I never buy it here (Minneapolis) because it just seems too addictive and high-calorie to have in the house.
posted by sparklegirl on 10-1-2007 at 9:50 am
I have been hooked on Nutella for as long as I can remember. Maybe it stems from growing up in a Navy family and being influenced by everywhere we visited/lived. My lunch of choice during grade school was Nutella and marshmallow fluff on white bread. I spread Nutella on almost anything, from bread to pancakes to waffles. I couldn’t believe that you could buy individual portions with a little spoon in the candy aisle of groceries until I was deployed to the Middle East and they had them there. The best invention ever!
posted by Robin on 10-1-2007 at 10:04 am
I first bought Nutella to make a quick dessert I wanted to try when I saw it in a Jacques Pepin book. Basically, you stuff wonton wrappers with a little nutella, seal them into little triangles, then fry them and dust with powdered sugar. I was hooked.
posted by Jack on 10-1-2007 at 10:16 am
I got introduced to Nutella during French classes in high school. To me, there’s nothing quite like picking up a fresh bread at the bakery and enjoying it with some Nutella!
posted by Katherine on 10-1-2007 at 10:20 am
I never ate it much before, but when I was living in Spain I always bought Carrefour’s “crema de cacao”.. and ever since I’ve gotten back stateside, I stock up at Costco on Nutella, i’m addicted!
posted by Christy on 10-1-2007 at 10:22 am
Mmm, Nutella. A friend of mine introduced me to it when I lived in Seattle, and I love it. My standby is the PBNJ – peanut butter, Nutella, and jam sandwich.
posted by Rachel on 10-1-2007 at 10:39 am
Hi,
I’m in Leeds West Yorkshire UK. Peanut Butter/Chocolate Nut Spreads aren’t all that popular in England.
That’s it…nothing witty to say.
cheers
Guy
posted by Guy Consitt on 10-1-2007 at 12:27 pm
Nuts!
Nutella is not a favorite for the many of us who have nut allergies.
Even most Eropean chocolates have hazelnut cream as an ingedient.
Darn Euros! :-)
posted by George on 10-1-2007 at 12:37 pm
My blue-eyed blonde PB&J American wife scoffed at me at first when I introduced Nutella to her and told her about the wonderful lunches and snacks (meriendas) I enjoyed while in Spain. Now, the local grocery store has lots of it, and one of our favorite snacks – if infrequent – is Italian bread with butter and Nutella. Heaven on a plate!
Oddly, our kids have not embraced it yet. They prefer PB&J still; I have time, all the time in the world!
posted by CubanPete on 10-1-2007 at 1:03 pm
Hi, I live in Dublin Ireland and it is available quite widley and not overly expensive. Also, I used to live in Dubai and it was available there too. There is a farmers market near my house and I go every Sunday morning for a fresh made crepe with Nutella spead on it. YUM!!!!
posted by Alan on 10-1-2007 at 1:55 pm
i heart nutella.
posted by v on 10-1-2007 at 1:56 pm
From the US (Pennsylvania) but I love Nutella! If I’m going to eat something nutty and fatty, it might as well have chocolate too, right?
posted by Kitty on 10-1-2007 at 1:56 pm
I’m in North Carolina, and I’ve been eating Nutella for at least a few years now. I don’t really remember who told me about it (maybe it was the Food Network), just that mom and I started buying it to put on fruit. And a spoonful straight from the jar works wonders on a chocolate craving. I have a few friends who enjoy it too; I’ve even spotted one of them buying it at the grocery store for someone else’s birthday.
posted by scoobnut on 10-1-2007 at 1:58 pm
Forget the cream cheese … give me a whole wheat bagel with Nutella anytime.
I grew up eating Nutella sandwiches in Singapore and when we didn’t have Nutella in the house, we had chocolate sprinkles on buttered sandwich bread. I think that’s a Dutch thing. My American husband just thinks I’m weird.
posted by NB on 10-1-2007 at 2:18 pm
Hoho, my barista friend made me a Nutella latte once. Holy lord almighty, that was good.
posted by Aemi on 10-1-2007 at 4:21 pm
I never ate Nutella until I spent a summer in Sweden with a study abroad program. It was amazing to see how many non-Americans were addicted to Nutella, from the Brazilians, Hungarians to the Kyrgzs. After class, all the students would go back to the dorms to have nutella on bread. I tried it and it became addicting. I tried to share their enthusiasm for Nutella to peanut butter, but was not as successful. So, what I learned was, Nutella rules.
posted by Sherry on 10-1-2007 at 4:57 pm
Comment 28, Guy:
This ‘guy’ can’t speak for all of England, as it is as cherished a snack here as in any other part of the world!
Nutella FTW!
posted by soops on 10-1-2007 at 6:54 pm
My mum and her family are from Holland, and my granmother introduced me to Nutella as a child, though we’ve always been able to buy it inexpensively here in Canada, when I had my first bite I was hooked! my friend’s thought I was weird eating ‘chocolate’ sandwhiches – but they were the ones missing out!!. I was actually going to buy some on Saturday lol
posted by dori on 10-1-2007 at 8:35 pm
I live in California and LOVE Nutella. As far as I know it’s not too expense.
posted by Emily on 10-1-2007 at 9:39 pm
Thank goodness for immigrant parents! My mom was raised in Croatia and for years while I was growing up it was one of those random things that someone got from some random Slavic shop in Chicago. My sister smuggled a few weird glass cup things of Nutella featuring a little viking man cartoon on them(no idea) back with her when she went to Croatia almost a decade ago. Then a few years ago I nearly plotzed when I saw my favorite spread at Jewel. I put it on basically anything I can think of. I swear to god, if you spread it on warm toast, it almost tastes like chocolate chip cookies.
posted by Kristin on 10-2-2007 at 12:07 am
I am from CT and was happy to learn a few years ago that they were selling this at Costco. At the time Bryant was their spokesperson but I feel like it stopped putting him on the label sometime during that scandal he had…Anyone remember? Regardless Nutella WITH Peanut Butter is one tasty snack.
posted by Eric on 10-2-2007 at 12:15 am
Australia – we grew up on nutella. they even have the little snack packs with a spoon that you take to school. Yum absolutely love it! Actually I havent had it for a while come to think of it……
posted by Lynda on 10-2-2007 at 12:59 am
In Croatia (but also in other countries in region) there are several different brands of nutty creme. Nutella has the strongest marketing, but several others (also italian but often produced locally under licence) are packed as half nutty creme half milk creme – and that combo has its own followers. Most notable of that kind is Eurocrem, an it’s available in dried form similar to chocholate bar.
One of ways to enjoy Nutella is to top banana bites with it – simple pleasure.
posted by bobix on 10-2-2007 at 1:43 am
Anybody up for Vegemite?
(FWIW, it tastes nasty unless you mix it with Karo Syrup or a lot of mayonnaise…)
posted by Doc on 10-2-2007 at 12:25 pm
My pantry is never void of Nutella! I have found it at an Aldi here in AL for something like $2 (which is much cheaper than somewhere like Walmart) and eat it with just about everything!
posted by Kelli K. on 10-2-2007 at 2:38 pm
I grew up on the stuff. (It does help that my dad is French, so I spent about half of my childhood there, half in the States) I currently live in China (Kunming, it’s in southwestern China, go look it up) and I was so excited to find Nutella in the grocery stores here- albeit somewhat expensive. You really couldn’t find the stuff in the US until recently, we would bring it back with us (along with other French food products). I remember finding it in the grocery store when I was in college and buying it excitedly, to the confusion of my roommates. I guard my Nutella with my life. :)
posted by greenstrawberries on 10-3-2007 at 4:39 am
I was introduced to Nutella during a trip to Canada – it is heaven on a spoon! A quick recipe for you folks:
Nutella Banana Splits:
Graham crackers
Nutella
Bananas (sliced)
whip cream
Spread the Nutella on a graham cracker then add a slice of banana and a dollop of whipped cream. Heavenly!
posted by Rose on 10-18-2007 at 6:40 pm
I’m an Italian from NY , so Nutella was always in my house.
Hell, my mom used to make me Nutella sandwiches to bring to school. Friends would ask, “What is that? Poop??”
Then I made them taste it. Oh, it was I who had the last laugh.
posted by Mario on 11-5-2007 at 2:37 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe Marshmallow fluff has really caught on in Canada either. I’ve had nutella, (probably have some in my cupboard right now) but never had marshmallow fluff. What am I missing exactly?
posted by Angeline on 11-11-2007 at 8:04 pm
Every German-American kid from the German neighborhoods of Glendale and Ridgewood Queens grew up with Nutela on their breakfast tables. I know from friends in Milwaukee, St. Louis and German enclaves in Ohio that it was the same for us German-Americans everywhere. To this day I love Nutella.
posted by Hans on 2-17-2008 at 9:30 am
Nutella is something we always have in the frige in our house. We often freeze bananas and cover them (lightly) with nutella.
posted by Sonia on 4-26-2008 at 6:53 pm
I’m from Italy and I confirm that we all knows and love to eat Nutella, but to say that “it’s the topic of books and even movies” is exaggerate…
I can also say that Michele Ferrero (the owner/inventor of Nutella) is the italian richest person and the 40th richest in the world with $9.5 billions.
I go to eat pane (italian bread) and Nutella now ;)
posted by Diego on 3-13-2009 at 1:51 pm