The Nut Factor

Our homes are filled with so many things - fruits, vegetables, processed food, medicines, clothes, electronics, furniture, and the list can go on. A growing phenomenon in most homes is stocking up on processed food items – jams, spreads and canned food. We use all these things daily, but do we ever stop to think and question where it came from or what else can we do with them? Nine out of ten times, we don’t. And that’s why we’re here; to give little ‘knoworthy’ information about all the things you interact with daily.

Knoworthy facts about Nutella

At some point, all of us have OD’d on Nutella – smeared on bread, chappathi, biscuits or just spoonfuls shovelled down with greed. And that’s one substance abuse we’re not ashamed of!

Most research results show that both kids and adults love this creamy smooth Italian hazelnut flavoured chocolate spread unconditionally. So much so that people have Nutella on their monthly grocery list! For those of you who are constantly thanking the genius who came up with the idea of making Nutella, you might want to remember the name, Pietro Ferrero. 

It all started with a bar of solid chocolate (how we wish every story started this way!). In the year 1964, owing to World War II rationing, cocoa was on limited supply and the bar of chocolate needed a little revamp! The chocolate was hence mixed with hazelnut as it was the perfect substitute that maintained the volume of the chocolate and added to the taste. And that is how this creamy spread, which we know today as Nutella, evolved. Yes, it’s super tasty and addictive, and now we know what makes it so perfect too.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development used Nutella for a case study and came up with this map.

The green dots on the map represent the places from where each of Nutella’s ingredients is sourced. With the best of raw material going into making this jar of instant happiness, it’s no wonder Ferrero is producing about 250,000 tons of Nutella every year, to meet the demands from 75 countries all over the world.  

And here’s a bonus fun fact – 5^th February is celebrated as World Nutella Day! So the next time you’re indulging in this chocolaty delight, don’t forget these interesting and cool facts about your beloved Nutella. 

Source: oecd.org and nutellausa.com