I don’t think I can go a day on Twitter or reading through my favorite food blogs without coming across at least one mention of Nutella in all its yummy hazelnutty, chocolately goodness. Earlier this month the uber talented Jenni Field AKA Online Pastry Chef (@PastryChfOnline) did an interesting comparison of Nutella and other chocolate hazelnut spreads. Go ahead, take a moment and read her analysis here. I’ll wait.
Back? Good.
Then earlier this week she tweeted a blog post by Wolf Paulus who uncovered a Nutella secret: The American and German versions are NOT. THE. SAME. There were subtle differences not only in taste and texture but in the packaging as well.
Gasp! Shudder!
Apparently the American version is produced in and imported from Canada, the original version is from Italy. Wolf compared versions from the US and Germany and he found differences in the products: he and his testers preferred the German version.
So anyway, after reading his analysis and chatting with Jenni in 140 characters or less, I realize my curiosity had gotten the better of me; I decided I need to do my own quasi-scientific experiment as well. She joked about my willingness to “take one for the team”. I figured I could suffer through it LOL
There is an Italian market not far from my house called Uncle Giuseppe’s which carries many imported and interesting, I might add, products. So I figured that if anyone would have it they would. Makes sense: Italian market – Italian product – oh the logic.
I had planned on going over the weekend but I could hardly contain myself when I got home and babbled mentioned it to my husband.
Me: honey, since we have to run out anyway, would you mind taking a ride with me over to Uncle Giuseppe’s? I need to see if they have Nutella imported from Europe.
Husband: Sure, what are you making?
Me: well you see I had this conversation… I think I bounced around the room as I blathered on recounting the entire story for him.
So now here’s where I ever so slightly risk embarrassing myself in the middle of a supermarket. They happened to have a HUGE display by the produce area and I squealed when I saw it. I think I did a little hop too. I grabbed a bottle and realized it was glass, not plastic! Yes! I looked for all the signs and then checked the label: Imported from Italy!!! SCORE!
I grabbed two bottles and bounced, yes I did, over to the checkout counter. I’m sure this amused my husband; I know the lady at the register found me quite comical.
The next day I ran to a local chain supermarket and picked up a fresh bottle of the American version for this experiment…and panko breadcrumbs but that’s a different post.
Okay lady, get on with it already.
Fine.
So here’s my Quasi-scientific experiment:
While the ingredient lists are comparable, they are not the same. Most notably the European version uses vegetable oil and the American version uses palm oil. Some of this may be semantics, but it is also worth noting that in Europe they use fat-reduced cocoa powder, skimmed milk powder and whey powder, while here the manufacturer uses cocoa, skim milk and reduced minerals whey. Take from that what you will.
You also need to consider where these ingredients or sourced – if they are not the same and I wouldn’t expect them to be, that too can have an impact on the final product.
European (Italian) Version:
Sugar, vegetable oil, hazelnuts (13%), fat-reduced cocoa powder (7.4%), skimmed milk powder (5%), whey powder, emulsifier (lecithins) (soy), flavourant (vanillin).
American Version:
Sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey (milk), lecithin as emulsifier (soy), vanillin: an artificial flavor.
So here’s how we did it:
We took two unopened bottles of Nutella, one from Italy and the other from the US. Upon opening each we gave them a sniff and surveyed their appearance.
Husband:
- European version has a pronounced chocolate aroma. As for appearance, it appeared to be a semi-gloss, looked thick.
- American version he felt was the same as far as aroma goes but noted the oily appearance.
Me:
- European version has a stronger chocolatey aroma. I also detected hazelnut. As for appearance, I got the same impression: semi-gloss, and a thick appearance.
- For the American version overall it was less aromatic, I also did not detect much if any hazelnut. It appeared glossy and oily
For the taste test, I put the same size glob of each into small bowls labeled on the bottom with origin and we took turns tasting: He closed his eyes and I fed him and he did the same for me. (I have to admit this was kinda fun) We each took a sip of water between the two to cleanse our palettes.
Here’s what my husband said:
- European: Thick, chocolate, rich, pronounced flavor.
- US: chocolatey, rich, oily.
So when asked which he liked better, he chose the European version.
Here’s what I detected:
- European: Pronounced hazelnut and chocolate, thick, sweet
- US: Thin, very sweet, not as flavorful as the previous one I tasted (remember I didn’t know which was which) very oily.
I too preferred the European version.
The Verdict:
We both preferred the European version in texture and taste. Of course it’s easy to tell the difference when they are side by side but my husband said he’s not sure if he was eating one or the other he would be able to detect it’s origin. I think I would. In fact I will now only buy my Nutella from Uncle Giuseppe’s to ensure I get the good stuff!
One last point I want to mention: viscosity. Look at the difference between the European (left) and American (right) versions. This is after they sat for oh about 30 minutes or so.
You can clearly see where the spoon dug into the European version but it is barely visible in the American version.
You did a great job of explaining and taste-testing. This could explain why I’m not all gaga over the American version. Next trip…Uncle Guiseppe’s!
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Thanks! You should absolutely stop by there next time you’re in town!
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Great work! Thanks for “taking one for the team!” 🙂
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Happy to do it! I don’t think my husband minded much either. 😉
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You should do the same experiment with Haribo Gummi Bears (or other gummies by Haribo). You will notice the same differences!
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This is the best quasi-scientific explanation I have ever read! I love that you did this–you are like Nancy Drew!! I do hope I’ll be able to find the European version and taste it for myself:)
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Hee, hee I always did like a good mystery! LOL
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On amazon.com under Nutella they talk about an Italian version and also a French version. Italian version uses less sugar. So now what???
Another taste test !!!
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Hmm, the version I used is imported from Italy, but the ingredients list was translated into both French and English. I wonder if that is the same version as the one I used? Of course, who could turn down taste testing Nutella, right? 🙂
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I’d also like to mention that the italian version uses palm oil too. They just label it as vegetable oil.
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Way to take one for the team! Since I live outside of the US, I guess I’ve mostly buy the Italian version. (Just went to check the cupboard – yep!) I have bought the US one online at Amazon and had it shipped it to my daughters at university though. I don’t think they care where it comes from as long as it comes!
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Oh, and English IS my first language. 🙂 Of course, I meant, I’ve mostly bought the Italian version.
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So…now that Jif has a chocolate/hazelnut spread, I think you need to do another test.
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Actually Jenni did a taste test comparing several Nutella alternatives including the Jif version. Check it out, there is a link in this post.
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Wow, the US version actually looks kind of yuckie… I thought they only did remakes of movies for the US market, but apparently it’s for food also. Seems you’ll have to do a series of food comparisons. Just wait and see, soon people will send in requests 🙂
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Doesn’t it?! We never noticed until after this taste test. Hmmm, a series of food comparisons interesting idea. *lightbulb* 🙂
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[…] is a busy knitter who loves to read and cook. She even conducts hard-hitting Nutella research. She knit away at the baby blanket as she […]
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Another good reason to choose the EU version: palm oil is (usually) not a very sustainable product. Its use is provoking massive deforestation, especially in Indonesia.
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I went to Germany over the past summer and had some Nutella there and tasting it, I thought, “wow, nutella tastes way better than I remember it tasting before”. I thought maybe I forgot how good nutella was, but then upon coming back with a small sample packet, I compared the two versions and also thought the european nutella was definitely yummier
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My daughter had a severe allergic reaction to the American version, but can eat the European one without issue. We have yet to determine what she is allergic to and can’t get any help from the makers of Nutella. It’s very frustrating!
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Can this be bought online?
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Hi Robin – I am sure you can find it online although I don’t have a specific source. You might want to try one of Amazon’s European sites to get the version sold overseas. Good luck!
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thanks.
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The first ingredient in all Nutellas (North American or European) is SUGAR. No wonder it’s sickly sweet! Rather than paying more for imported German Nutella try one of the organic/natural alternatives. One very popular (found in most USA megamarts) is Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter which is much tastier. First ingredient: HAZELNUTS!
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Heh heh, exactly my experience. The Italian nutella can be had in Italian delis in Italian neighbourhoods, I picked mine up in Hoboken.
Usually too lazy to do that though and make do with the US version. The Italian (European version) is significantly better though, indeed much more nutty.
Now for a European Volkswagen Passat …. (guess what I drive … grrrr….. )
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I tasted American, French, and Polish nutella and it was by far the best!
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[…] https://knitstamatic.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/taleoftwonutellas/ […]
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Smithtown Uncle Giuseppe’s!! That was my grocery stomping ground last year!
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[…] European nutella has a stronger chocolatey aroma, and is different from American nutella […]
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[…] 23. European Nutella has a stronger chocolatey aroma, and is different from American Nutella – Source […]
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[…] Source […]
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[…] A Tale of Two Nutellas. […]
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This is amazing!
I live exactly where original Nutella was born and I have always eaten the italian one.
When I went to Poland for a trip I bought a Nutella, and you know what? It was slightly different!
I think that Italian nutella is not the same nutella that we export, not even in europe. It really depends on the origin of the ingredients (hazelnuts from Piemonte, where nutella is born, are quite famous for the rich taste ;D )
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There isn’t just one European version, there are a number of European versions for different markets, produced in Italy, Germany, Poland, France, and Turkey. My local supermarket in NYC happens to sell the one that is produced in Poland.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutella#Production
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Spot on! I live in Europe. So far I’ve tried Polish, German, French and English. All of them different with German being the best.
So keep that in mind fellow nutella freaks! 🙂
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Hi,
I’m italian and this is the ingredients list of a TRULY italian version:
In fact, as the label says, the letter A or S on the cap indicate it has been produced in Italy. A stands for Alba, the original place where Pietro Ferrero begun his activity, while S stands for Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi, another place in Italy. V is for some place in France. Here is the photo of the cap, which clearly shows that those ingredient in the first photo are 100% italian, so I wondered it might have been helpful to compare all versions against this:
BTW, the flavour is sweet and you can easly spot a bit of the hazelnuts (in reality, I have to say there are not so much hazelnuts as you might expect to find in a “hazelnut cream”. To this end, I suggest you to try the “Crema Spalmabile Novi”, with its 45% hazelnuts and related oli, which are very healthy, against 13% gazelnuts in the Nutella and its fatty vegetal oils), and cocoa (again, the crema Novi contains cocoa butter, Nutella simply doesn’t.)
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[…] Image source […]
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FWIW, European Nutella produced in Warsaw for the Balkan countries does not contain vegetable fat but palm oil. What is more, there is no declaration on the label that the palm oil used is from sustainable sources (not RSPO certified). I have no idea whether this is also true for other EU countries but this little discovery has put me off Nutella completely.
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I’m in Italy now, and looking at the Nutella, it is the Palm oil version.
Evidently, in Germany, only the real version is allowed, while a lot of crap from the US is now appearing in Italy.
Something I have seen over the last 10 years.
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I just checked mine and it was made in Mexico!
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My friend tried the European kind and said it was super sweet, so I found it strange when you said it wasn’t as sweet?? I definatly will try that kind sometime but it probably will be a little too sweet for my liking since the American kind is already so sweet. Honestly I’ll probably stick to American anyway since it’s easier to find and cheaper since I heard the European kind is pricy!
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[…] imitarla, modificandone la ricetta. Una cosa che non tutti sanno è che la stessa Ferrero propone due versioni di Nutella, quella europea e quella destinata al mercato americano. Ma cosa cambia tra le due? La Nutella […]
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Thanks for the review.. I wil try to look for italian version here in Jakarta. Mainly here are imported from Australia and it’s similar with US version.
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I prefer the American version. The European is to thick and I don’t really care for the flavor. It is one of the few things missed while living abroad for the past 2 years.
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Thanks, I knew I wasn’t dreaming. I can’t stand the US version (made in China) of Nutella, where’s the hazelnut?? BTW, it that pic from Smithtown, NY?
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Good eye, yes it is.
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Thanks so much. It realy help to not buy anymore. It so sad that here USA doesn’t do go.
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Hey i found your blog looking for reasons why in Albania (which is in the balkans) we import Polish nutella instead of Italian (which is the original), keeping in mind that Italy its like 5 minutes away. Well unfortunately they produce different qualities of it, depending on where they are going to export it and since the balkans are the trash can of europe (apparently for real) they export the shitty one here, which has the same ingredients as the one you mention above (like with palm oil). So its not a matter of US or Europe really, its mostly about not giving a shit what they are feeding to “second class” humans. And its about everything, from clothes to food. Funny though they have the same price.
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But for me, it’s the US version that I bought at SNR in the Philippines.
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[…] A Tale of Two Nutellas […]
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