NUTELLA SWIRL BANANA BREAD: World Nutella Day!

Today is World Nutella Day! Nutella is a hazelnut chocolate spread that is praised the world over. In January, Nutella riots broke out in Intermarche supermarkets across France when the supermarket chain discounted Nutella by 70%. Police were called when people began fighting and pushing one another. All of the supermarket stock was snapped up with 15 minutes with several customers injured. This is hopefully an anomoly, but it's true that Nutella is a world phenomena.

The history of Nutella:
About 400 million kilos of Nutella are consumed in 175 countries around the world. Pietro Ferrero invented  Nutella after WWII. When Pietro had his vision, the Piedmont region of Italy, and its capital Turin, was already famed for its chocolate industry. It was the birthplace of Gianduja, a creamy combination of chocolate and hazelnuts. But only the rich could think of buying it.
Chocolate was very expensive, and the common people could not afford it. So in 1946 Pietro Ferrero launched Giandujot, or Pasta Gianduja. Produced as loaves wrapped in aluminium foil, it was a sort of solidified Nutella that had to be cut with a knife. The first spreadable version - Supercrema - came a few years later. Spreadability meant that a small amount went a long way, helping to break down the perception that chocolate was only for very special occasions and celebrations like Christmas and Easter. It could also be eaten with bread, which formed a big part of the diet at the time. People who never ate chocolate got the Supercrema habit. But it was Pietro's son, Michele Ferrero, who turned it into Nutella, relaunching it with its now famously secret recipe and iconic glass jar. Nutella was born in 1964. and it was not just an Italian success but a European success.

What goes into Nutella?

• 97 hazelnuts in each 750g jar
• Ingredients: Sugar, palm oil (non-hydrogenated), hazelnuts, low-fat cocoa, skimmed-milk powder, whey powder, emulsifier (soya lecithin), vanillin
• Produced in 11 factories located in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Canada, Mexico and Australia

If you search the Internet today you will find hundreds of recipes honoring World Nutella Day! I post several Nutella recipes every year, but for today's holiday, I'm posting an easy recipe for Nutella Swirl Banana Bread! Wow!

NUTELLA SWIRL BANANA BREAD

Ingredients 
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1/1/2 cups Flour
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup Nutella

Directions
Preheat Oven to 350. Spray 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with cooking spray & dust with flour.
Peel and mash bananas.
Combine sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
Add oil, eggs, and banana and mix well.
Pour half mixture into separate bowl. Combine with 1/2 cup Nutella and mix. (If necessary, soften in microwave safe bowl for 10 to 15 seconds to make it easier to pour)
Alternate batters in prepared loaf pan. Swirl batters with knife (not too much)
Bake at 350º for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 15 minutes before inverting on rack.