Happy World Nutella Day – February 5, 2014

Posted on February 5, 2014 Updated on February 26, 2014

Nutella has always been a part of my food vocabulary.  Growing up overseas, we were exposed to international foods from an early age and items that might have seemed “exotic” to some, were commonplace to us.   Nutella, was one of those treats.    My great-grandmother would spread it on toast, as a dessert with tea. Since it was a memory I associated with childhood, I always assumed it was  tastier than it actually was.  The same way camp cabins seemed so enormous, when we were younger, but grew smaller as we aged.

I was wrong.  Nutella was not only as delicious I remembered, it was even better incorporated into “adult” desserts.

Imagine my surprise when I moved to the U.S. and there was NO NUTELLA, anywhere.  Some Italian specialty markets carried Nutella, but it was expensive and would fly off the shelves as soon as they were stocked.  In some cases, it was like watching a small version of Black Friday sales crowds, before the mayhem and murder.

Fortunately, American fans demanded that Nutella be available and we prevailed!   Now, Nutella is available in our local grocery store and a few American food corporations have created their very own versions, of the luscious hazelnut spread.   I wish them luck, but I am a loyal Nuella woman.

There can be only one!

Eight years ago,  blogger Sara Rosso created World Nutella Day  to extol its wonders.  Other food bloggers soon caught the bug and World Nutella Day became a grassroots success.  Unfortunately, the “holiday” met with some early legal challenges from Ferrero, the Italian company that produced Nutella.   Once they realized that World Nutella Day was not only a celebration of the product, but an opportunity to gain new fans, they relented and joined the fun.   Today, Ms. Rosso and Michelle Fabio  are the coordinators of the festivities, with the blessings of Ferrero.

If you have not tried Nutella, today is the perfect day for your first taste!  To all the other Nutella fans out there, I high-five you with my spoon!