Your heart starts to beat rapidly, your eyes dilate, you start sweating and your mouth starts salivating. This could be a scene out of a Zombie movie, but this is the reaction of many Nutella lovers out there when they find out that they are about to indulge in their favorite chocolate-hazelnut spread.
You can dip bananas in it, have it on a slice of bread, on donuts, in cakes, whatever you imagine, Nutella will work with it. It has become one of the most popular and renowned brands in the world and people just cannot get enough of it.
Nutella lovers/addicts know that it is super important to have a jar or two in the pantry, ready to be devoured when you just have ‘that craving’. But for those who ingest this super creamy spread, there are a couple of facts that even the most hardcore Nutella fan might find interesting.
1. Hitler Played a Role in Nutella’s Creation
With World War II raging (thanks to the maniacal Hitler) the supply of cocoa had fallen tremendously. A pastry maker from Piedmont, Italy, Pietro Ferrero decided that it would be a good idea to stretch the cocoa with hazelnuts and create a chocolate paste. That simple move was the beginning of Nutella becoming a worldwide phenomenon.
2. It Wasn’t Always Called Nutella
The iconic Nutella didn’t always have the name that we all love and adore. It was originally called “pasta gianduja,” pasta which means paste, and “gianduja” the name of a famous carnival character in that region. The character can be found in a few of the earlier advertisements.
3. Some of You Have Been Saying it Wrong All This Time
Funny enough, I have been guilty of this mispronunciation myself. There are many who say “Nuh-Tella” but in actuality, it is pronounced “New-tell-uh”. Mr Ferrero got the inspiration for the name by combining the words Nut and Ella and somehow it got translated to “New-tell-uh” So if you hear anyone pronouncing it incorrectly, you can always pull up this site and show them that they are wrong!
4. Chocolate and Hazelnuts Made the Owners Extremely Rich
According to Forbes.com Michele Ferrero (Deceased), the heir to the Nutella empire along with his family had an estimated net worth of US$ 26.7 billion (May 2014). If a jar costs approximately $3.50, Mr. Ferrero would be able to purchase 7,628,571,429 jars with his fortune.
5. Nutella Makes the World Go Round
With the amount of Nutella that is produced in one year, you could circle the earth 1.4 times over.