What is Nutella, how many calories are there in the chocolate spread and how do you pronounce it correctly?

What is Nutella, how many calories are there in the chocolate spread and how do you pronounce it correctly?

Nutella is a popular hazelnut spread, created by Italian Pietro Ferrero, who owned a bakery in Alba, in the Piedmont region of Italy

IT’S a tasty spread that many of us enjoy in generous dollops on our pancakes and toast.

But what exactly is Nutella, can it cause cancer and how do you pronounce it properly? Here’s what you need to know…

What is Nutella?

Nutella is a popular hazelnut spread, created by Italian Pietro Ferrero, who owned a bakery in Alba, in the Piedmont region of Italy – a region specialised in growing hazelnuts.

Back in the 1940s, cocoa was in short supply because of war and rationing, so Pietro, a pastry maker and founder of the Ferrero Company, decided to mix cocoa with toasted hazelnuts, cocoa butter, and vegetable oils to create a cost-effective alternative – which he called “pasta gianduja.”

Then, in 1949, Pietro made a more spreadable and creamy version named “supercrema gianduja”.

This new product soon became popular – you might not have been able to afford chocolates in postwar Italy, but Pietro’s spread was reasonable.

A small amount of the nutty chocolate spread could go a long way and it could easily be spread on bread – a vital staple of the Italian diet

The modern recipe calls for palm oil, skimmed milk powder, cocoa, hazelnuts and sugar.

1964 supercrema gianduja was renamed Nutella and began to be sold outside Italy.

Today, it outsells all peanut butter brands combined across the globe and the UK sales alone are worth nearly £30 million a year.

How many calories are in Nutella?

There are 80 calories in every 15g portion of Nutella – which is roughly one heaped teaspoon.

To put this into context, there are 86 cals in every tablespoon of Cadbury Chocolate Spread and 94 cals in a tbsp of smooth peanut butter.

There are are 102 cals per tbsp of ordinary butter.

What is the correct way to pronounce Nutella?

According to the brand’s website, the proper way to pronounce Nutella is “new-tell-uh” – rather than “nuh-tell-uh” as many UK fans use.

But, the good news is that Ferrero have said they do not wish to force a universal articulation on it – so we’re all free to keep labelling the treat “nuh-tell-uh”.

They told Buzzfeed: “In the UK we call it and pronounce it ‘Nutella’ as do consumers. The US pronunciation is just for them.”

Can Nutella give you cancer?

Last year, there was a scare when it came to eating Nutella, after it was reported that the processed palm oil used in the production of the spread might be carcinogenic and act as a trigger for cancer.

However, Nutella nuts shouldn’t panic too much – the palm oil research is at too early a stage for a proper assessment when it comes to risks to health.

And the European Food Safety Authority have not recommend consumers stop eating it – adding that more research is needed to properly assess the level of risk.

The makers of Nutella, Italian confectionery firm Ferrero, have now launched an ad campaign to assure the public about the safety of the tasty spread.

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A spokesman for Ferrero said the “health and safety of consumers is an absolute and first priority” for the firm.

He added: “We confirm Ferrero products are safe.

“EFSA has analysed the presence of contaminants in a large number of products and oils stating that the presence of contaminants depends on the oils and fats used as well as the processes they are subjected to.

“It is for this reason that Ferrero carefully selects quality raw materials and applies specific industrial processes that limit their presence to minimum levels, fully in line with the parameters set by the EFSA.”