Nutella

So I know it's definitely not something new or revolutionary, but until yesterday I had never in my life tried Nutella.  If you're not familiar with it it is a chocolate and hazelnut spread that is sold in grocery stores and tastes kind of like the inside of a Ferrero Roche chocolate.  That makes sense since it is made by Ferrero.  I know I'm pretty late to the party on this one.  I sent several co-workers into a state of jaw dropping disbelief when I told them I had never tried it.  I was under the impression it was little more than a hazelnut version of peanut butter.  It just never sounded that appealing.  After listening to endless hype from almost everyone around me, of which I am quite susceptible after years of watching ESPN, I decided to give in and purchase some last night along with some preztel sticks for dipping.

My initial impression is that it's good...really good.  It made for a good dessert/post dinner snack, and I even had some for breakfast.  The consistency is good for dipping, and it basically allows you to make your own chocolate covered pretzels.  However, I didn't find it earth shattering or anything so it may have been oversold just a bit.  That's okay in my opinion.  It got me to make the effort to go the store and try something new, and it's probably going to be something that is going to be one of my favorite snacks for a long time in to the future.  Go try some if you haven't before, and if you have go buy some more.  With its versatility as a dessert, breakfast, snack, and ingredient there is no reason not to keep some around.

(picture courtesey brandweek.com)