Gianduja: What Is It—And Why Turin Mixed Hazelnuts Into Chocolate
Gianduja is the Turin combination of chocolate and finely ground Piedmontese hazelnuts – the original form of any nut-nougat cream and the basis of the Gianduiotto, Italy's most famous praline. What is found today in millions of jars began over two hundred years ago as a makeshift solution. This article explains exactly what Gianduja is, how it came about, what the difference is between it and nougat or hazelnut cream, and how to recognize a good Gianduja.
What is Gianduja?
Gianduja (pronounced "gianduja", also gianduia in Italian) refers to a chocolate mass into which roasted, finely ground hazelnuts are incorporated. The hazelnuts are not an addition like in a nut chocolate with whole nuts, but part of the mass itself: their oil makes the chocolate softer, their aroma shifts the taste from cocoa towards nut.
This is more than a matter of taste – it is even regulated in the EU. The European chocolate directive defines "Gianduja-hazelnut chocolate" as chocolate with at least 32 percent cocoa solids and 20 to 40 grams of hazelnuts per 100 grams. For the milk variant, 15 to 40 grams apply. Anyone who writes "Gianduja" on a bar must comply with these values. For creams in jars, the rule does not apply – there the nut content fluctuates between 13 and 60 percent, and that is exactly where industrial goods are separated from artisanal quality.
Gianduja in German: Nougat, nut-nougat or hazelnut cream?
There is no direct translation, and that causes confusion. In the German-speaking area, the solid mass of hazelnuts, sugar and cocoa is called nougat or more precisely nut-nougat – that is Gianduja. Not to be confused with white nougat (French nougat, Italian torrone), a mass of egg whites, honey and whole nuts, which has nothing to do with Gianduja. The spreadable variant in the jar is called nut-nougat cream or hazelnut cream by us, in Italy crema gianduia or crema di nocciole.
| Term | What is meant |
|---|---|
| Gianduja / Gianduia | Chocolate with incorporated hazelnut paste; solid (bar, praline) or as a cream |
| Gianduiotto (plural Gianduiotti) | The classic Turin praline made of Gianduja, in the shape of an upside-down boat, in gold foil |
| Nut-nougat (German) | The same as Gianduja – the German designation for the solid hazelnut-cocoa mass |
| White nougat / Torrone | Something completely different: honey-egg white mass with whole nuts |
| Crema Gianduia / Nut-nougat cream | The spreadable form, mostly with sugar, milk or cocoa powder |
The history: Napoleon, Turin and a carnival figure
Turin was the chocolate capital of Europe around 1800. Then Napoleon imposed the Continental Blockade against England in 1806, and cocoa from the colonies became scarce and unaffordable. The Turin chocolatiers looked for a filler and found it at their doorstep: In the hills of Langhe grew a hazelnut of extraordinary aroma, the Tonda Gentile. Roasted and ground, it replaced part of the cocoa – and tasted better than the original.
The new mass only received its name later. In 1865, the Turin manufactory Caffarel presented a small, individually wrapped praline made of hazelnut chocolate at the carnival and named it after Gianduja, the Turin figure of the Commedia dell'arte – a good-natured, wine-loving farmer with a three-pointed hat, the city's mascot. The Gianduiotto is considered the first individually wrapped praline in the world and is still made today according to the same principle: Gianduja mass, shaped into small boats with a spatula.
The step from confection to bread spread came after the Second World War. Pietro Ferrero in Alba, in the middle of the hazelnut region, sold a cuttable Gianduja block, the "Giandujot", in 1946, and from 1951 a spreadable "Supercrema". In 1964, Nutella was made from it. The global corporation, which today processes more hazelnuts than anyone else, is thus a direct descendant of the Turin makeshift solution – only with a fraction of the original nut content.
How to recognize a good Gianduja
For bars and pralines, the EU definition ensures a minimum standard. For creams, you have to look yourself – at the ingredients list, not the label.
- Nut content: If hazelnut is first in the ingredients, it is a hazelnut cream. If sugar is first, it is a sugar cream with hazelnut aroma. Manufactories from Piedmont are at 45 to 60 percent, the best-known industrial product at 13.
- Fat: A good Gianduja needs no added fat – the hazelnut oil and cocoa butter are enough. Palm oil, sunflower oil or "vegetable fats" in the list are a sign of cost-cutting.
- Origin of the nut: "Nocciola Piemonte IGP" on the packaging is the only protected designation. "Italian hazelnuts" or "hazelnuts from Piedmont" without a seal can mean anything.
- Emulsifiers and aromas: Soy lecithin and vanillin are not harmful, but an indication of industrial production. Real vanilla and no emulsifier mean that the cream became smooth through rolling and conching instead of additives.
Crema Gianduia: the creams from Papa dei Boschi
Papa dei Boschi in Alta Langa grows the Tonda Gentile himself, roasts it himself and makes four different creams from it – all without palm oil, without soy lecithin, with real Bourbon vanilla:
- Crema Gianduia – the classic recipe: 60 % hazelnuts, cocoa butter, milk powder, powdered sugar. Also in the 500-g jar.
- Crema di Nocciola La Reina – the light variant without cocoa: milky, less sweet, 60 % nut.
- Nut-nougat cream – the dark Gianduja with cocoa powder instead of cocoa butter, 55 % nut, lactose-free. Also as Creme Nocciola Dark in the 500-g jar.
- Hazelnut paste – not Gianduja, but 100 % nut without sugar: the basis if you want to mix your own Gianduja.
Further hazelnut creams from Piedmont and beyond can be found in our selection of nut-nougat creams.
Gianduja in the kitchen
Gianduja ice cream is the classic of the Italian gelateria: A base mass of milk, cream and sugar is mixed with hazelnut paste and dark chocolate and frozen – the higher the nut content, the creamier the result, because the hazelnut oil keeps the ice crystals small. With Crema Gianduia it is even easier: stir two tablespoons per portion into the warm base mass.
Tartufo Gianduja, the Turin truffle praline, is in the core nothing but Gianduja with a little more cocoa, rolled into balls and rolled in cocoa powder. For baking, Crema Gianduia replaces the chocolate filling in croissants, brioche or tart; for macarons and pralines, it is whipped with a little cream to a ganache. And as a drink: a spoon in hot milk results in a cioccolata calda alla gianduia, as it is served in Turin cafes.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gianduja the same as Nutella?
Nutella is a Gianduja cream in the broadest sense – hazelnut, cocoa, sugar –, but with 13 percent hazelnuts, palm oil and skimmed milk powder, it is an industrial variant. Classic Gianduja has at least 20, good creams 45 to 60 percent nut content.
Gianduja or Gianduia – which is correct?
Both. Gianduja is the Piedmontese spelling (after the carnival figure), gianduia the standard Italian spelling. On packaging from Piedmont you will find both.
What is a Gianduiotto?
The classic Turin praline made of Gianduja mass, introduced by Caffarel in 1865: about five grams heavy, in the shape of an upside-down boat, individually wrapped in gold foil. Good Gianduiotti consist only of hazelnuts, cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter.
How do I store Gianduja cream?
At room temperature, dark, well closed – not in the refrigerator, there it becomes hard and loses aroma. Opened, it lasts several months; if oil separates on top, this is normal for creams without emulsifier and can be stirred back in.
