Nuts about Nutella? (Ferrero Nutella)

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Ferrero Nutella
Date:	30/09/05 (1734 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The taste & texture, and kids love it, healtier than plain chocolate

Disadvantages: can be expensive, can make a mess and leave sticky fingers

I can't believe that I was the person who had to ask for this item to be added to DooYoo! I would have thought that all the chocoholics out there would have already asked for this. But apparently, I was the first person to think of it, so here I am, telling you about Nutella.

First of all, I don't have a jar of this with me, so I don't have the list of ingrediants for you. However, you can get all this information at http://www.nutellausa.com/info.htm if you're interested.

Basically, this creamy spread is made mostly of cocoa, milk and hazelnuts. Of course, there are other things like sugar, so this certainly isn't any diet food.

I hear you say "Creamy? With hazelnuts?", to which I answer "yes, hazelnuts ground up into a paste so that you can't feel them". The hazelnuts are one of the things that makes this spread healthy. As we know, nuts are an excellent source of protein and vitamins, but we also know that giving nuts to young children isn't advisable. This, because nuts can easily be choked upon by small kids. So one way to get good protein into a child is through nut spreads. This is one of the reasons why peanut butter is so popular in the US (yes, yes, I know, peanuts are actually a legume and not a nut, but still, they are good for you). However, peanuts have never been the nut (or legume) of choice for Europeans. Look into most European nut bars and you'll find either hazelnuts or almonds or something else - peanuts will probably not be in them. (The product contains peanut oil, however.)

So, when an Italian company (Ferrero) decided to make a chocolate spread in the 1940's that had creamed nuts added, hazelnuts were the nut of choice to promote this item. Of course, they could have made a plain chocolate spread, but Europe was still at war, and chocolate and cocoa was at a premium. This amazing invention gave people the chocolate they were craving, while using as little cocoa as possible. Pure genius, if you ask me. For more history of this product, see the above link which has links to the history, FAQ's and more - including recipes!

But how does it taste? Lovely would be the first word that comes to mind. Smooth and chocolatey, with flavour of roasted hazelnuts that comes through as a highlight, giving it a slightly woody taste in the background, but never overpowering the overtone of the cocoa. The cocoa has a lightly fruity hint to is, almost akin to apples, which you'll probably only feel after you've swallowed. The milk powder seems to balance off the fruity apple flavour with the woody nuts, giving it a softer mouthfeel and a hint of vanilla. Unfortunately it is also sweet, and some people might find it too sweet for their taste. Perhaps that's why they like to put it on bread or other salty things - to cut the sweetness down a bit?

Personally, I don't like to eat this on bread, but that's the way its eaten all over the world - especially in Europe. Me, I prefer to eat this by the spoonful (which is why I don't buy this often, because if I did, I couldn't resist it and I'd weigh a ton by now). Sometimes, I use this as frosting on a cakes, since it is about the same consistancy as ready made frostings, and it certainly is healthier than most. And then, I also get really silly, and put this on something like a banana or in a sandwitch with peanut butter - really! You'd be surprised, but its wonderful!

But kids love this on bread, and there's nothing you can do to stop them from eating it - if you've got it in the house. Here, in Israel, its often the condiment of choice for kids to bring to school for their elevenses. I know that when I have it in the house, my kids refuse anything else on their sandwitches until the jar is empty. And since its heathier than plain chocolate spread (which we also have here), I really don't mind them eating it.

I'm afraid I can't tell you the different prices you can find this for, but I noticed that I found on www.products-online.co.uk that the 400g jar can cost anywhere from £1.65 to £1.98, and the 200g jar can sell for anywhere between £0.99 and £1.19 - which I don't think is very expensive. A serving is about 40g making the cost per serving from the large jar about £0.16-£0.20 at the most. That seems a small price to pay to see a smile on your kid's face.

Indulge your kids - or yourself - and get some Nutella. You won't have to feel too guilty about it either!

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Technical Stuff:

Nutella is produced by Ferrero UK Ltd
9-11 Awberry Court, Hatters Lane, Croxley Business Park, Watford, Hertfordshire WD1 8YJ, England
Tel: 01923 690300
Fax: 01923 690400
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Summary: Chocolate Hazelnut and Milk Spread that can be used on bread or in cooking