Nutella: “The Nutty Idea and How it Spread”
Imagine a world without chocolate; a giant hole where the creamy, delicious heaven used to live … smiles scarce, laughter non-existent, and happiness weak. Most today are familiar with the iconic, desired hazelnut spread, Nutella, but little know the story behind it. The earliest form was, in fact, created during the World War II rationing, by a man in Alba, Italy named Pietro Ferrero. In the 1940s, Europe and other parts of the world were low on food - most importantly, chocolate. Incidentally, there was an abundance of hazelnuts in Italy, specifically the Piedmont Region. Ferrero, a pastry maker, had the genius idea to make a hazelnut-chocolate spread, a six times cheaper alternative to regular
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After these ‘late-night taste testings’ the spread hit the Italian market, with the name Pasta Gianduja: Pasta, the Italian word for paste, and Gianduja, a popular character in Europe. Then, the concoction was sold in loaves wrapped with tinfoil, almost like fudge. Mothers might put a piece in between two pieces of bread for a sandwich. Often, the children would throw away the bread, and just eat the Pasta Gianduja. Soon, a better model, Supercrema Gianduja, was made. This was more of a creamy spread, hence the name, and came in a container similar to a peanut butter jar. This became even more of a part of Italian culture, restaurants calling it “The Smearing”, and offered it on menus. Later, in 1964, Michele Ferrero(son) put Supercrema Gianduja in the iconic glass jar and renamed it Nutella. The name ‘Nutella’ comes from the word nut, because of the hazelnuts, and ‘ella’ is a common Italian suffix that shows affection (mozzarella, tagliatella-pasta). Now, with the new name, Italy went insane for Nutella and, in 1984, began distributing to parts of the U.S. Currently, fifty years later, Nutella has 11
During Valentine’s week alone, millions of pounds of chocolate candies alone are sold (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 8). This naturally creates a demand for product, which in turns causes a need for ingredients. The main component in chocolate, of course, is cocoa. Since Côte d’Ivoire provides 40 percent of the world’s supply of this crucial ingredient (Losch, 2002, p. 206), it merits investigation i...
"On Food and History." 'On Food and History' N.p., 13 May 2008. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
The Cheese and the Worms is a book based upon the documentation of an Inquisitional case and execution. It attempts to display the life of an unique miller during the counter reformation. The author, Carlo Ginzburg, is an italian history writer who was written many dissertations and books based upon ancient religion and history. This book’s entire substance is based upon records of an investigation case upon a man named Domenico Scandella, his confessions, and the books he mentioned. The point of this book is to show that you didn’t have to be of noble birth, or in the church to be educated, and to show a glimpse of the lower class during the counter-reformation period.
University of North Carolina, 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/1866> Coe, Sophie D., and Michael D. Coe. The True History of Chocolate.
Mozzarella sticks are one common dish. It is cubes of mozzarella coated in breadcrumbs and fried in oil. This dish is one of the few can be made without the Columbian exchange. The ingredients in this dish include all-purpose flour and breadcrumbs, besides the cheese. The flour is from southwestern Asia, and the mozzarella cheese is from Italy. The breadcrumbs are from Egypt. All of these ingredients are from the “Old World”, meaning that they are from either Europe, Asia, or Africa. Therefore, the Columbian exchange need not have occurred to make
Before Milton Hershey had a world wide known chocolate business, he had a small, not so well known caramel business. Milton Hershey began his chocolate making business in 1893, when his father and him traveled to Chicago to attend a big job fair (Tarshis 14), but it wasn’t until 1900 when Hershey succeed in making the first milk chocolate candy bar (The Hershey Company). Hershey attended an exhibit hall of new and amazing inventions around the world at the fair in Chicago. As Hershey walked into the exhibit hall, he was struck by a delectable smell (Tarshis 14). “Hershey was already a leading candy maker. He had created the largest caramel factory in the country, but he became convinced that the future of his business would be chocolate. At the fair in Chicago, Hershey Bought chocolate-making equipment. He had it shipped back to his caramel factory in Pennsylvania. Then he hired two chocolate makers. Soon the company was churning out chocolate candies in more than 100 shapes” (Tarshis 15).
During the time frame of 1450-1750, the Columbian Exchange was at its height of power and influence. Many products were introduced from foreign lands, like animals such as cattle, chickens, and horse, and agriculture such as potatoes, bananas, and avocados. Diseases also became widespread and persisted to distant lands where it wreaked devastation upon the non-immunized people. One such influential product during this time period was the cacao, or more commonly known as chocolate. First discovered and used in the Americas, cacao beans quickly traveled to and became a popular treat in European lands. It was valuable in the New World and even used as a currency by the Aztecs. Only the rich and privileged were allowed to purchase the valuable item in the beginning. Cacao was even used in religious ceremonies by the native people. When it moved to Europe and other lands, it also created a lot of stir. The cacao plant had quite a large impact upon the Columbian Exchange.
When cacao became available in Spain, it was modified with cinnamon and other spices; sugar was used to sweeten the mix. Somehow they were able to keep their drink invention among them for nearly 100 years before it escaped to Europe. Sweetened chocolate became an extreme craze for the continent. In a letter of 1779, a viceroy noted: “In this country [New Spain] cacao is primary food not only for persons of means as in other countries, but also among the poor people.” It seems that the people of Spain were content with sharing this savory chocolate among all the people, rather than those in other parts of Europe.
There’s a lot more to being Italian than the typical stereotypes that we have come to know from movies, television and books. From the Catholic mobsters who kill during the week but always make it to mass on Sunday, to the “how you doin” views of Joey from the television show “Friends”, people often forget the more important parts of being Italian. It is a culture like no other, full of history, art, and most importantly, their passion for food. Italian food, in my opinion, is the best in the world. Italians put so much into everything they make that the time and effort is tasted with every single bite. One of my favorite dishes would have to be fettuccini alfredo and it just happens to be a fairly easy, but extremely delicious, dish to make. Trust me, if I can make it, you can make it.
"Food: The History of Chocolate." Birmingham Post 11 Dec. 2004, First ed., Features sec.: 46. Print
Almonds were only available from August to November, and things like pumpkin seeds are variable when pumpkins are ripe - in the fall. (source). This is important, because while modern society has the availability of eating them year round, the oils in nuts and seeds are particularly sensitive to light and heat. Nuts are exposed to a lot of both of these in order to store them.
Chocolate is a sweet food preparation made of cacao seeds in various forms and flavors. It has large application in the food industry and can be consumed either as a final product or as a flavoring ingredient for a great variety of sweet foods. Its primary ingredient – cacao, is cultivated by many cultures in Mexico and Central America as well as in some countries in West Africa, such as Cote d’Ivoire.
Fryer, Peter, and Kerstin Pinschower. "The Material Science of Chocolate." Mrs Bulletin December 2000: 1-5.
The recipe was named the Toll House Cookie. One day Nestlé was going over their
The side walk cafes are very popular in Rome. The cafes were always populated with happy Italians and a few curious tourists. The most preferred cafe was the Cafe S. Petro. this cafe was in perfect walking distance from the Vatican city. The Vatica n city is were the pope lives. The main meals served at the cafes varied from pizza to tortillini. The pizzas were not exactly like Pizza Hut's pizza. They were crispy thin with very few toppings available. Most pizzas came with cheese, pepperoni and a watery tomato sauce. The tortillini had soft, medium-length, hollow noodles with more watery tomato sauce. Another favorite at the cafe was the lasagna which was unbelievably delicious. After having tasted the pizzas and the tortillini, I was not exp ecting the lasagna to be so tasty. The lasagna was packed full of hot meat, zesty cheese, and a tangy tomato sauce. It was not out of the ordinary to see Italians, instead of eating at the cafe, talking with their friends and sipping on hot cappucino.