Ingredient Wiki: Gianduja Chocolate

Gianduja (john-doo-ya)

A blend of chocolate, very finely ground hazelnuts and sugar typically much smoother than a praline. A silky smooth texture containing about 30-50 percent hazelnut and almond paste.

This chocolate candy was first prepared by Pierre Paul Caffarel.

Pierre Paul Caffarel, a Piedmontese, became famous when he purchased a unique industrial styled machine specifically designed to make chocolates. capable of producing 705 pounds of chocolate a day – a truly amazing feat in the mid 1800?s

Today, Caffarel, a company located in Turin, Italy, enjoys the reputation of creating Italy’s finest chocolate, and has become world-renowned as the very first company to create the indulgent Gianduja .

Gianduia was born out of necessity, way back in 1856. Cocoa was rationed during the turbulent years that followed the Napoleonic wars. Craftsman from the Piedmont region where the world’s best variety of hazelnuts are grown, circumvented the problem by blending precious, exotic cocoa with hazelnuts. Gianduja, an intense mélange of milk chocolate and hazelnuts, is now a classic form of European chocolate, made by only the finest chocolate producers.

You may have tasted varieties of it, such as the famous Gianduiotti, shaped as an upturned boat and Nutella.

Try some of my Gianduja Recipes below