The Delicious Italian Chocolate Varieties

By Author: Russ Murray
Total Articles: 310
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In the North-western Piemonte region of Italy Pietro Ferrero decided in the year 1946 that his future belonged to the chocolate. With his brother Giovanni, the master confectioner opened a laboratory in Alba. The first delicacy that was to be developed was the Pasta Gianduja. The chocolate was usually sold only as a rare gift or a treat for the special occasions. This paste mixture of the chocolate and the hazelnut was indeed something to be enjoyed often, and soon became renowned under the name Nutella.
By the early 1950's, Michelle Ferrero, son of Pietro, took over what had become an industrial production facility on a fairly large scale. After the worldwide acceptance of the Nutella (it is said to outsell peanut butter) Ferrero introduced Kinder Chocolates and Tic-Tac mints. In the twenty years, these particular products were extremely popular in Europe and became known all over the world. In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Tic-Tac was introduced to the United States in a major way. Shortly after, state of the art production facilities were built there that equalled the factories then in Italy, Germany ...
... and France in a big way for mass production. Tic-Tac remains the best selling breath mint in the U.S till the present time. Quickly the new Ferrero Rocher line of the high end chocolates joined the other quality products and earned increased the popularity. Known more in Europe, Ferrero also produces the Mon Cheri and Pocket Coffee products, but it is expected these will win worldwide demand very quickly. With all these facilities getting evolved, the Italian hot chocolate gained immense popularity.
The Chocolate found its way to the country of Italy in the sixteenth century once the Spanish importers brought it back from the city of Mexico and the New World. In the sixteenth century Europe, as there, it was also served as a hot drink, and was also reserved for the wealthy or the privileged. Today in Torino (Turin), a yearly celebration lets Piemonte showcase their products and honour this "food of the Gods" in a highly significant manner. In the Piazza Vittorio Veneto visitors will be graced with all things chocolate. A cup of the local Italian hot chocolate is indeed thick enough to stand a spoon in, and will banish all the thoughts of the flavoured milk you might have tasted. When solid chocolate was particularly invented at the end of the eighteenth century, a new world of flavour combinations was opened. Today as then, a regional favorite of Piemonte is a mixture of hazelnut paste and the delicious chocolate.
Russ Murray is the owner of this website and writes articles for his own website. For further details about italian hot chocolate and italian chocolate please visit the website.