If it comes from Europe, it must be more sophisticated, sexy, smooth, sweet and creamy. Nutella, a soft, spreadable conglomeration of chocolate and toasted hazelnuts that trumps peanut butter as the No. 1 spread in Europe, is no exception.
\All my European friends just rave about it,"" said Kate Danzer, a UW-Madison graduate student.
This hazelnut spread is a product of the country that gave us cappuccino, gelato and designer handbags. It was born in the 1940s, the midst of wartime and food rationing, when chocolate had fallen into short supply.
Pastry maker Pietro Ferrero responded to Italy's yearning sweet tooth by inventing an economical alternative out of cocoa- toasted hazelnuts, cocoa butter and vegetable oils. He called it ""pasta gianduja,"" or hazelnut paste, and sold it in blocks wrapped in foil and ready to slice. In 1949 he altered the recipe to make it more spreadable, and called the new variety ""supercrema gianduja.""
He started a phenomenon. Children lined up with slices of bread for ""The Smearing,"" a service where local food stores offered a smear of supercrema gianduja for about a penny. Ferrero had to convince local farmers to increase their hazelnut crop to keep up with the demand.
Supercrema gianduja became Nutella in 1964 and remains a staple in households throughout Europe. Germans eat it as a breakfast spread, and it is a common after-school snack in France and Italy.
Nutella has also gained a following in the United States since it was first introduced to New York in 1983. It even snatched a superstar spokesperson when Ferrero Inc. secured Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, who spent much of his childhood in Italy eating Nutella, to endorse the product.
The 13 ounce jars inviting shoppers to ""Try Kobe's Favorite"" sit in the peanut butter and jelly aisles for around $3 a jar. Nutella is available at Madison's major grocery stores, plus Capitol Centre Foods, Magic Mill and Regent, Mifflin and Willy Street Co-ops.
The availability and endorsements may be huge, but are young Americans ready to accept this rich chocolate nutty goodness into their everyday regime? Could it replace peanut butter as the No. 1 college diet for breakfast, lunch, break-ups and bad exams?
""This is delicious!"" Danzer quipped after trying Nutella for the first time. ""It does not taste very healthy, though. It's like eating frosting.""
Granted, a spread consisting of sugar, peanut oil, hazelnuts and cocoa has a very small cubicle in the food pyramid. But it is surprisingly healthy--or at least no less healthy than peanut butter. A two tablespoon serving of Nutella contains 10 fewer calories, six fewer grams of fat and 135 fewer milligrams of sodium than the same amount of Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter. It also contains more calcium and iron. It's also approved by the Union of Orthodox Rabbis for kosher use. And endorsed by Kobe Bryant.
But some are still not convinced.
""I don't know how I feel about it,"" senior Steve Brown said. ""Chocolate shouldn't spread like this.""
""It looks kind of like poop,"" said Marissa Rosen, a UW-Madison graduate student. But then again, so does peanut butter.
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup Nutella
1 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
1 cup cocktail peanuts
2 cups chow mein noodles
1 cup dried cranberries
Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. In a bowl, melt the white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips in the microwave on medium power (50 percent) for two minutes. Add the Nutella and stir until smooth. Gently fold in the nuts, noodles and cranberries until completely combined. Drop heaping tablespoons onto the prepared sheet and allow to set for 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 cup warm Nutella
1 chocolate cookie pie crust
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer for two minutes until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whisk one cup heavy cream with the Nutella, leaving no lumps. Whip the remaining heavy cream until soft peaks form. Divide the cream in half, folding half into the cream cheese and half into the Nutella mixture. Alternately spoon the two batters into the pie crust, creating layers. Refrigerate for at least one hour and serve.
1 cup Nutella
1 pint low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup skim milk
1 pint mixed fruit, frozen
1 large banana, cut into pieces
Put all ingredients in a blender and puree for two minutes or until smooth. Garnish with shaved chocolate, fresh berries or whipped cream.
