Dear Nutella lovers, this is your dream coming true!!!! On Monday at Eataly [2], the Nutella Bar will open. One of the most famous Italian gourmet stores in the world is replacing its wine bar “Eataly Vino,” located by the side entrance on 23rd St, with a bar dedicated entirely to the sweetest and perhaps the most known symbols of  Made in Italy.

Due to the store’s inability to sell wine until October 2014, following a settlement with the SLA [3]  over "interlocking interests," Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich had to think up a new idea  for the ambient space, initially home to the wine store. After an amazing success of the Nutella bar at the Chicago location (according to the General Manager Alex Saper, people often stand on line for 45 minutes during the weekends), why not replicate it in New York?

This Monday, from 5pm to 9pm, the new and exclusive Nutella Bar at Eataly New York will serve Nutella on bread, muffins, croissants, tarts and cookies. And all free of charge to everyone who attends the event! After the awaited opening, the Nutella Bar will be opened every day from 10am until 11pm. A real paradise for Nutella lovers in the heart of Manhattan.

History of Nutella

Remember this date: April 20th, 1964. This was the date in which Ferrero [4], one of the biggest Italian confectionary companies in the world, packed the first jar of Nutella, the famous hazelnut and cocoa spread and the sweetest symbol of Made in Italy.
Nutella represented and still represents a real mass phenomenon from a historical, social, psychological and cultural perspective. And let’s face it. For many of us Nutella was the glutonous sin we would committ without any hesitation. And soon it became a ritual. We would just have to wait for the perfect moment to sneak into the kitchen, find the Nutella jar and stick a finger inside or spread the delicious cream on a slice of bread.

But let’s go back to its origins and discover who is behind this delicacy temple. Back in 1945, in Alba, a town in the Piedmont region, pastry chef Pietro Ferrero invented the predecessor of Nutella, the Pasta Gianduja, also known as Giandujot. But it was not a cream….at least not yet. Popular legend says that because of the hot temperatures, the Giandujot melted, forcing dealers to sell it as a spreadable cream. Whether this is true or not, the fact remains that Ferrero changed the recipe of the Giandujot, making it softer, recreating the melted cream. The successor of the original product was born: Supercrema Gianduja.

In 1964, “Supercrema Gianduja” became “Nutella,” from the combination of the word “nut,” its main ingredient and typical product of the Piedmont region, and the suffix “ella,” which makes its name funny, sweet and playful. It was immediately a success and Nutella became the treat that every child, but also adults, wanted in their pantries. Soon, the Nutella phenomenon infected the world, with its name being mentioned by famous actors, book authors and even popular singers. During the 80s for example, famous Italian actor Nanni Moretti uses a giant jar of Nutella in a scene of his movie “Bianca” as the perfect cure against depression. Furthermore, the Nutella television commercials passed into history and even today people still remember many of them. For instance, the television ads inside the famous “Carosello,” the cartoon ads staging the naughty bird Jo Condor towards the Friendly Giant who was the guardian of Nutella or the ads which came down in history during the 90s thanks to the popular motto: “che mondo sarebbe senza Nutella” (what would the world be without Nutella).

The Nutella phenomenon hit the world the moment it started to appear on the shelves of food markets. Many imitations of it were made but none was its equal. The secret? Maybe the fact that despite globalization and all the changes our society went through, Nutella remained always the same: same package (with some playful limited edition glass jars with cartoon characters), same genuine ingredients and same taste. Furthermore, this hazelnut and chocolate cream is perfect for all occasions and all kinds of recipes. You can serve Nutella with fruit, in cakes, crêpes...you can even spread Nutella over pizza (in many restaurants and pizzerias, this is actually the most popular dessert!)

It’s so widely appreciated that it even has its own day!  On February 5th [5], fans around the world share their Nutella recipes or stories and are reminded to carry a spoon and eat it straight from the jar!

The combination of its wonderful taste together with the “fun” side of the product and the meanings that people have attached to it throughout the years make Nutella one of the most famous spreadable creams in the world bringing together many generations who love it and who would never replace it because...what would the world be without it?