Best Eats This Week - Carlo Rotta Chocolates

Gianduiotti are perhaps the most underrated of chocolates outside of Italy. It’s a genius combination of cocoa and Piedmontese hazelnut paste that was invented in the 1800s in Turin. Think of Nutella and imagine it in the consistency of a chocolate, now imagine a more sophisticated flavor profile with proper cocoa and more hazelnut and no added nonesense. Oh when a gianduiotto is good, it’s simply sublime - and Carlo Rotta is tapping into the London market with his.

Carlo Rotta is an Italian gourmet chocolate company, with gorgeous packaging and high-end traceable ingredients, of which most are from Italy. Everything’s made in Turin, but they’re now expanding their markets and selling in London – much excitement. Their signature product is their gianduiotti - 30.5% Piedmontese hazelnut (apparently the emerald of the confectionery world), no added fat (which is the same for all their products) and quality cocoa from Ghana and Ecuador. It’s rich, it’s intense, and it’s beautifully indulgent.

Beyond their gianduiotti, they also have these spreads – so yes, like Nutella, but just more refined as they don’t skint on the ingredients. There’s your familiar chocolate and hazelnut, but also pistachio (life-changing, I swear), almond and more. Morning toast and afternoon snacks just got so much better, you’re welcome.

For something different, Carlo Rotta has got it in terms of the gianduiotti and spreads, but they make conventional chocolates as well, such as bars with whole Piedmontese hazelnuts, or cinnamon, or even absinth.

You can find these luxurious treats at Harrods and Selfridges – a sure sign of their quality - and develop a whole new appreciation for Italian chocolate.

Carlo Rotta
www.carlorotta.it/en/
Harrods/Selfridges