In case you haven’t heard, February 5 is officially World Nutella Day. Not National Nutella Day or City-Wide Nutella Day, but a Nutella Day for all of Earth. On this day, millions — nay, billions — of people across the globe have a legitimate (ish) excuse to guiltlessly indulge in spoonful upon spoonful of our favorite chocolate wonder spread. Or, you know, have it in a crêpe, bake it into cookie bars, sip it in hot chocolate, or try something else a little more thoughtful. That's the beautiful thing about Nutella (and why we're celebrating today) — the possibilities for that jar of happiness are endless.
Although most of us have a jar (or four) of this chocolaty hazelnut goodness hanging out in the cupboard for midnight snack emergencies (and daytime snack emergencies, and anytime snack emergencies), there is still a lot about these little pots of magic that may come as a surprise to even the mightiest of Nutella fans.
In honor of World Nutella Day, aka the greatest holiday of them all, here are 15 little known facts about Nutella to impress your friends. Try them out on everyone during your next girls' night in. Who knows? These sweet, nutty tidbits might even help you win Jeopardy someday.
1. It all started with a chocolate shortage during World War II
When chocolate became a rare, pricey commodity that was rationed during the war, founder Pietro Ferrero added hazelnuts to extend the cocoa supply. And so, in 1946, Pasta Gianduja was born!
2. It wasn’t always called Nutella
I know what you’re thinking — WTF is Pasta Gianduja? Before adopting the name we know today, our fave chocolaty spread was actually a sliceable loaf named after a traditional Piedmontese carnival character and marionette named Gianduja. Obviously, the clear choice. A few years later the loaf format was nixed and, in 1964, Ferrero rebranded as Nutella, combining the English word "nut" and the Latin suffix "ella," meaning “sweet.”
3. For years, Nutella was free for Italian children
Shops all over Italy honored a BYOB (bring your own bread) policy where kids could bring in their own slice of bread and get a complimentary spread. I feel like this wouldn’t go over well at Whole Foods.
4. Speaking of Whole Foods, Nutella is totally gluten-free and Kosher
5. A jar of Nutella is sold every 2.5 seconds
That means that every time a jar of Nutella is sold, Taylor Swift just made about $5.
6. The cravings are real
In 2013, more than 5.5 tons (or approximately $21,000 worth) of Nutella were stolen from a parked van in Germany.
7. The Ferreros could actually live in a palace made of chocolate
Patriarch of the Ferrero family, Michele Ferrero, has an estimated net worth of $23.5 billion.
8. The Ferrero Group also makes Kinder, Ferrero Rocher Chocolates, and Tic Tacs
But we know who the star is here.
9. “Nugtella” is available at dispensaries in California
For serious munchy connoisseurs only.
10. Nutella is big on social
There are more than five million Instagram posts with a #Nutella hashtag. However, the split between photos of actual Nutella-relevant content and boobs seems to be about 50/50. The brand's own account @nutellausa is pretty on point, though.
11. Approximately 1.35 million pounds of Nutella are produced every day
That’s the weight of about 11,000 runway models. Or 90 elephants.
12. Nutella is not an acceptable baby name in France
In 2014, a French couple named their baby Nutella. The government deemed this an unacceptable name and legally renamed the child “Ella” when the family failed to show up to court.
13. The Ferrero Group uses nearly one quarter of the world’s hazelnuts
Guys? That's a lot.
14. Nutella holds the Guinness World Record for largest continental breakfast ever
In honor of the brand's 40th anniversary in 2005, Nutella provided breakfast for 27,854 people in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
15. You’ve been saying it wrong this whole time
The definitively correct pronunciation is “new-tell-uh” not “nuh-tell-uh.”
Images: Tonya Staab/Flickr; haircandyextensions/Instagram; Giphy (14)
