Nutella – and the plethora of Ferrero products made with the hazelnut cream – are famous all over the world, invading shelves and pantries across the globe. There are Nutella cookies, the McCrunchy Bread with Nutella (available at McDonald's locations in Italy) and even a hotel dedicated to the Ferrero cream. But in Italy, an even crazier combo has been made for a long time now: mozzarella filled with Nutella.
It is said that the first to fill mozzarella were the priests of Padula, in the province of Salerno. In these monasteries, the balls of soft cheese were traditionally filled with meat and vegetables. Today, there are those who claim Campania as provenance to the recipe for mozzarella filled with Nutella – crediting Vincenzo Falcone, entrepreneur and creator of the Delicious chain from Cava de' Tirreni (Sa), as its inventor. Falcone has been serving his Nutella mozzarella – now also served with sweet pistachio – in his restaurants for five years. But above all, he has made it a “must” for food porn lovers.
But the Semeraro Dairy in Martina Franca (Ta), which has been open for almost seven years, claims that the combination of mozzarella and Nutella has existed since before Falcone advertised it at his locale. "This product is not new,” explains Rosita Semeraro, “It has always been among the requests of customers. Everyone who has a dairy business prepares it.” Mozzarella stuffed with Nutella looks almost like a burratina, but inside – instead of the traditional stracciatella – there is a delicious heart of hazelnut cream. In an even richer variation, Nutella is mixed with cream for the filling. Not everyone loves this product unconditionally. Purists are prodigiously critical of those who produce mozzarella alla Nutella. Blinded by the sacred nature of these two products, they think they should be eaten separately. Most of Semeraro's customers are enthusiastic, though. And then there are the do-it-yourself lovers, who try to replicate the result by cutting a mozzarella in half and stuffing it with Nutella. "But it doesn't taste the same," stresses Rosita.
The imagination of these cheesemakers knows no bounds. In their family-run laboratory, they experiment every day. "We have always done it, from the first day we opened,” says the daughter of the owner Francesco Semeraro. “We started with mozzarella stuffed with ham and tuna, then mozzarella with cherry tomatoes and basil or with cherry tomatoes and oregano – depending on the season – and sometimes customers will ask for mozzarella with salmon. But mozzarella with Nutella is certainly the most innovative.” However, there is something (sweet) boiling in the pot – or rather in the laboratory. "We are doing some experiments with cream and pistachio.” Ready to be amazed again?