In the February 26th posting, "Sooner Is Better Than Later," I listed Nutella as an alternative to peanut butter for post-run refueling. Well, Nutella fans started coming out of the woodwork! I received several emails from readers praising their favorite spread—Nutella. Then what do I find plastered on the front page of the Life section of our local paper, The News & Record, but the headline "Spreading the Nutella Love." Evidently this little odd-shaped jar of hazelnut and chocolate spread has quite the following. According to the article, Nutella's Facebook page ranks third in number of fans (over 2 million). Only Barack Obama and Coca-Cola have more fans. And guess what tomorrow (2/5) is?— World Nutella Day.Nutella began in 1946 when Pietro Ferrero began grinding hazelnuts to extend his cocoa supply for his bakery. Hazelnuts were plentiful in the region of Italy in which Ferrero lived. This really wasn't anything new. Locals had been doing this to help stretch out the imported product (chocolate) since the 1800s. Ferrero, however, took it a step further creating a spreadable mixture. His creation was officially named Nutella in 1964 and the rest is history.
So in honor of this tasty spread, slather some on a bagel or English muffin after your run or workout tomorrow (Feb. 5).
