Why Do Chefs Prefer Italian Nutella Over American? (2024)

FAQs

Why Do Chefs Prefer Italian Nutella Over American? ›

Like most Italian products, Italy has a reputation for sourcing the freshest ingredients. Some say the American version is sweeter and isn't as hazelnut-forward as the Italian version. It's also highly likely that the American version has more preservatives, a common practice with food products in America.

Swedish Nutella is the most chocolately. and people who prefer a less sweet, and more nutty spread will tend to like German and Swiss Nutella the best, (although the German Nutella ranked better than the Swiss one). Belgian Nutella: of course, it's still Nutella, but it's the least favorite out of all 5 types tested.

One of the big reasons that why Italian's love Nutella is the ease of eating it – no matter where you are in Italy you will be able to find it in every cafe & shop! Italian's start their morning a little different to how Americans start their morning.

After World War II, cocoa was extremely scarce. Ferrero, originally from Piedmont in Italy, turned this tricky problem into a smart solution by creating a sweet paste made from hazelnuts, sugar and just a little of the rare cocoa. The precursor to Nutella^® was born!

Each day 1.35 million pounds of Nutella are produced

According to the Ferrero company's statistics, France is considered to be the largest consumer of Nutella in the world where over 25% of the world's production is consumed and produced each year.

Two of the four Ferrero plants in Italy produce Nutella, in Alba, Piedmont, and in Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi in Campania. In France, a production facility is located in Villers-Écalles.

Founded as an Italian pastry shop in Piedmont, Italy, Ferrero turned this problem into a smart solution, creating a sweet paste made from hazelnuts, sugar, and just a little of the rare cocoa. The ancestor of Nutella^® was born.

Breakfast (Colazione)

Italians keep their breakfast light, fast, and sweet: Make sure you try a cornetto, a scrumptious breakfast pastry that looks like a croissant, but isn't a croissant: It's much sweeter, a bit like brioche, and often comes filled with custard, jam, or nutella.

Drum roll, please. Nutella is the least expensive in Italy!

The prevailing theory is that the American version is indeed sweeter, but some fans suggest that the Italian product uses more hazelnuts (which could simply be a different way of stating the same theory).

Who is the king of Nutella? ›

Ferrero, King of Nutella.

The sole difference is that the Italian version lists two percentages: hazelnuts (13%) and milk (5%) while the American version keeps mum. The website for American Nutella says, "Each 13 oz. jar contains more than 50 hazelnuts." If I had to guess, I'd say Italian Nutella uses a few more nuts than that.

However, don't be fooled into thinking that it makes a healthy addition to your diet or your child's toast or sandwich, no matter what advertisem*nts may suggest. Because Nutella is high in sugar and calories, it should be used more as a dessert than as a breakfast spread. If you eat it, eat it in moderation.

Compared to European Nutella, American Nutella is generally described as lighter in hue, more chocolate- and sugar-forward in flavor, and oilier and thinner in consistency than its Italian peer. Italian Nutella is often described as darker and richer in both taste and texture, and with stronger nutty flavor notes.

Still, there's one telling difference: Italian Nutella lists the percentages of hazelnuts and cocoa powder (13% and 7.4%, respectively), whereas American Nutella leaves those out. So one has to assume that Italian Nutella uses more hazelnuts and cocoa to achieve its natural, rich flavor.

The most expensive country to get Nutella is Thailand, where a jar of Nutella costs $6.23. According to Stevie, low demand for Western food and a lack of nearby factories drives up the price in Thailand.

And there are a lot of them: though Nutella's homebase is the Ferraro factory in Northern Italy, ingredients are sourced from such disparate countries as Turkey, Brazil, Malaysia, France and Nigeria, and factories in Russia, North America, South America and European countries outside of Italy manufacture Nutella, too.