With its unmistakable inverted boat shape and its gold coating, it is one of the most famous and beloved chocolates of all time, a symbol not only of its city, Turin, but also of Piedmont: we are talking about the Gianduiotto.

Its history is now secular and, given the historical period, the assumptions of its birth did not bode well, as itwas considered "the chocolate of the crisis”.

The legend of Gianduiotto tells that the wars and the continental blockade of the early nineteenth century imposed by Napoleon have caused the price of many raw materials to increase disproportionately, including cocoa, thus becoming a luxury good.

At the time, cocoa was highly valued by the aristocrats and royalty of the House of Savoia, and there was therefore a need to replace it. Caffarel therefore had an intuition that turned out to be brilliant: replacing part of the cocoa with the cheap Piedmontese hazelnuts, which abounded.

Cocoa was added to Tonde Gentile hazelnuts of Piedmont, now well known for their quality, chopped and reduced to paste.

The result was a success.

Initially, they were called Givu, "cigar butts" in Piedmontese. During the 1865 Carnival the Givus were presented to the public: these new chocolates were distributed through the streets of the city by the traditional Turin mask, Gianduja. This episode officially presents him as Gianduiotto.

Gianduiotto is also the first chocolate to be packaged individually. The choice of coating it with golden aluminum is due to two main reasons:

- imitate the wing of the tricorn worn as a hat by the famous mask of Gianduja, from which it takes its name

- preserve it from heat, making sure it kept in optimal conditions for a long timeFrom what seemed to be the story of a simple rebound, a gold jewel was born instead. It melts in the mouth and that today it is known all over the world.