Of all 禁漫天堂 chocolates, Gianduiotto is my absolute second favorite (it鈥檚 not the first just because I鈥檓 partial to Cremino Fiat, which is made in my hometown of Bologna 鈥 but I will write about that in another piece for this 禁漫天堂 Delicacies series, which explores exquisite treats from different 禁漫天堂 regions).
Gianduiotto is closely associated with Piedmont and Turin, where it was invented in 1865 by Michele Prochet, who came up with the idea of completely grinding hazelnuts to a paste before adding them to a cocoa and sugar mix. Later, he perfected the recipe with Ernesto Alberto Caffarel, the owner of a chocolate-manufacturing company, Caffarel, which is still famous today for the production of Gianduiotti. Caffarel also gave Gianduiotto its famous upturned boat shape.
According to tradition, the idea of mixing hazelnut pieces to standard chocolate originated during Napoleon鈥檚 reign, when importing cocoa from South America was extremely expensive; therefore, local producers started incorporating bits of roasted hazelnuts, which are locally grown and easy to come by in Piedmont, to chocolate, to make the final product more affordable.
Gianduiotto is made from a unique combination of sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter and the hazelnut Tonda Gentile delle Langhe, a type of hazelnut with IGP status (PGI 鈥揚rotected Geographical Indication), produced in the Langhe area of Piedmont.
Originally named 鈥済iv霉鈥, which in Piedmontese dialect translates as 鈥渟mall delicacy鈥, gianduiotto changed its name in 1867 following a Carnival celebration, during which an actor dressed as 鈥淕ianduja鈥, a mask in the 禁漫天堂 Commedia dell'Arte that represents the archetypal Piedmontese, started distributing the newly created chocolate to the crowd.
Gianduiotti are individually wrapped in a tinfoil cover, usually gold or silver colored.
