World Nutella Day

February 5th is World Nutella Day. This is the seventh annual World Nutella Day! If I had known about this earlier, I definitely would have participated in years past. On this day, avid chefs and bakers from around the world create a masterpiece using one simple, but oh so delicious ingredient: Nutella. Nutella is a decadent chocolate-hazelnut spread. It is marketed like peanut butter or almond butter, as a nut butter that can be part of a healthy breakfast. In addition to roasted hazelnuts, Nutella also contains cocoa, skim milk, and sugar. This makes it very good, but not quite as healthy as an all-natural nut butter, though it still does contain good fats and vitamins from the hazelnuts. There was a huge lawsuit about this actually, where some mothers were trying to sue Nutella for false-advertising the product as healthier than it actually is. Personally, I think this is a little extreme, and I don't really care to know all the details of the incident. Product marketers are gonna due what product marketers are gonna do; check the labels and decide for yourself how healthy it is. It certainly is tasty! I could (and have) eaten it by the spoonful!

Anyways, obviously I am not alone on this matter, or why else would World Nutella Day exist at all? On this day, professional and home bakers alike create a treat out of Nutella. Maybe they created the recipe themselves, maybe they used one of the many recipes that exist online, or maybe they simple just spread some Nutella on a chocolate chip cookie and called it a day. It could be sweet (most likely), or it could be savory. It could be breakfast, lunch, supper, dessert, snack, hors d'oeuvre, drink, or all of the above. It really doesn't matter, as long as some quantity of Nutella is involved. Actually, it doesn't even have to be food, it could also be a piece of art, or a picture of you cuddling with Nutella, or a video expressing your love for Nutella, or what ever, it isn't just limited to recipes. Some people even throw World Nutella Day parties!

Of course you can participate in World Nutella Day as well - just make something with Nutella, spread some Nutella on something you are eating, or simply grab a spoon and dig in! But for those of us who would like to share our Nutella creations with others, that is what the website was created for. The protocol is simple, and is fully outlined on http://www.nutelladay.com/participate/ - just make whatever you are making or do whatever you are doing that involves Nutella. Take a picture, a video, or record the recipe of it, and post it on your blog site. Add the required links (to this website and the original starters of World Nutella Day), and post it on February 5th. Then send them an e-mail with your link, and they'll include it on the website. It's that simple, and you'll be a part of a huge celebration for a spread adored around the world! You may even discover a new favorite recipe, or create an original one. If you don't have a blog, you can also use your Facebook or Twitter account to profess your love of Nutella! I plan on featuring a Nutella recipe tomorrow, and if I go a little overboard, there may be some the rest of the week as well.

PHOTO CREDIT:"nutella" http://lydiakang.blogspot.ca/2012/09/nutella-and-interviews.html. Lydia Kang, n.d. Saturday, February 2, 2013.