Friday madness survey: Nutella vs. peanut butter

HOw about Nutella mixed with PB?! Yum!

As much as I like Nutella, I think my vote would have to go to peanut butter.

You just can't do a grilled PB&J sandwich with Nutella.

GRILLED PB&J? How odd. Frankly, I prefer peanut butter, ketchup & pickles (on toastted wheat).

Nutella, hands down (so to speak).

Only acceptable uses of peanut butter: in satay sauce or on ham (yes, try it); once in a blue moon on a graham cracker.

No -no -

peanut butter with bacon - lots of extra crispy bacon (real strips of bacon- not that round, uncooked stuff) on wheat toast.

And what exactly is Nutella?

My guys' favorite football afternoon "delicacy" is a triscuit topped with peanut butter and a touch of horseradish. Nutella won't do. However, I confess to a Nutella leaning....

Peanut butter - on gummy white bread, american processed cheese-food and Hellman's mayonnaise. (mayonnaise because I cannot stomach the thought of Miracle Whip)! Ironic isn't it!?

NUTELLA on ANYTHING!

Well I suppose this is better then the revived old posts that seem to be dominating Fodors lately.
Peanut Butter. Nutella has little or no nutritional value, it's just empty calories.

Peanut butter, onion, and miracle whip sandwich.

peanut butter,onion,and miracle whip sandwich. Very good on wholewheat.

I'm partial to peanut butter (natural - just ground peanuts, no added sugar, salt, etc.) with blueberries and raspberries (whole fruits - no jam) on toasted whole grain bread.

But if anyone replaced the nutella in my favorite nutella and grand marnier crepe with peanut butter there'd be he!! to pay!

nytraveler - Nutella is chocolate hazelnut spread.

Nutella

can't stand peanut butter

Peanut butter if we're talking sandwiches. Nutella if we're talking crepes.

My son discovered Nutella on our recent trip to Italy. He enjoyed eating it with a spoon right out of the little packages.

Skippy used to have a Honey Nut Roasted PB, but they don't make it anymore (sniff). So,,,,,,,,,Nutella!

Nutella if either. PB is VERY American. Tho' I DO have a GREAT recipe for pate with PB.

Friday is Capital Letters day!!

Okay, I may be the only one but NEITHER! My mother made me SOOOO many PB&J's growing up and I can't even stand the smell of peanut butter.

Never got the Nutella thing. I am not partial to hazel nuts except toast and put on top of a good spinach salad.

Just give me a hunk of good cheese for my break any day!

Nutella = chocolate-flavored Vaseline.

NUTELLA! We just made nutella and strawberry crepes last nigh, but, I don't like my crepe recipe. They taste way too eggy. I want PARIS CREPES!!!

Has anyone else had the "Milky Way in a jar"? It's like nutella with a cream twist. Sooo good on blini. For awhile I was able to get it here (Upstate NY) but haven't been able to in the past year.

I had it for the first time in Russia, but I think it originated in Switz.(?)

BTW- in Russia, they have a "Snickers" version, too...

But I have a MAJOR sweet tooth...

Oddly enough, my husband just discovered nutella - not sure how he got through life up to this point without tasting it! Now of course, he's buying all the time. I, on the other hand, don't like to have it in the house because it's just toooo good.

Also love peanut butter as well. Each has its own merits.

I could only do a teaspoonful of each and then I think YUK! Sorry...

Peanut butter. (And, to echo St. Cirq, Nutella crepes)

Warm peanut butter cookies with the fork tine prints on top - just like my mom used to make. And, she also used to give us apple slices with a little scoop of crunchy peanut butter on top. Delicious.

Peanut butter. I would never leave home without it. Put it on warm French nut bread or a good cereal bread from a French boulangerie. It's the answer to the weak US dollar.

Larry J

Peanut Butter - whenever I am in countries that don't have it, I miss it.

Nutella, nutella, nutella.

Of course the "white" filbert is much better then the "dark-brown" chocolatty type, and I don't know of any other,

BUT it's always Nutella over Peanut Butter.

Actually, any berry preserves over Yucky Peanut Butter which sticks to your mouth.

Ohhhh, Nutella OF COURSE!

I don't really care for peanut butter - only on crisp apples. Or with chocolate.

Peanut butter--unless you're eating a crepe on the Left Bank (or anywhere en France!)

Nutella -- A jar sitting on my desk; allotment of one teaspoonful per day. Yum!

If I had a jar of Nutella on my desk, it would have a very short life span. But so would a jar of peanutbutter.

I CAN'T CHOOSE!!

Peanut butter.

Nutella or peanut butter?

You might as well ask rubies or sapphires?
George Clooney or Antonio Bandaras?
Madame Butterfly or La Boheme?
Audrey Hepburn or Katherine Hepburn?
Superman or Batman?
Mark Knophler or Ry Cooder?
the moon or the stars?

I want it all, baby!

Nutella (or even better, Spanish version of Nutella, is called Nocilla). The white ones are the same, the chocolate one has a bigger quantity of chocolate and it's a strong chocolate flavour than nutella.

I don't like peanut butter.

Culinary arts reached its apogee with Nutella. Empty calories? Well, yeah.

The lowly peanut butter was once described to me by my cardiologist as "clogged arteries on a sandwich." Disgusting!

Peanutbutter, creamy not chunky.

1 cup of pb
1 cup of karo syrup
1 cup of sugar

melt above in micro for 1 minute or so and mix with 8 cups of special k.

top with 1/2 bag melted butterscotch chips, and 1/2 bag melted choc chips.

PB, definitely!

I like them both nutella and peanut butter, although I really love peanut butter on a warm slice of lightly butttered toast or on a bagel.

Every once in a while (I mean years here), I just have to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then dip it on both sides in beaten egg and cook on both sides just as you would for French toast. It is really good. The jelly gets warmed and syrupy and the peanut butter gets warmed and creamy. As I said, I will have the taste for it once in a great while. Last time I had one must have been at least 5 or 6 years ago!

kswl wrote:
"The lowly peanut butter was once described to me by my cardiologist as "clogged arteries on a sandwich." Disgusting!"

You should seek out another cardiologist as nut eating can actually lower the risk of heart disease. Of course, you'll want to eat natural peanut butter - not the hydrogenated oil type. And, sadly, that's why I gave up eating Nutella as it contains hydrogentated oil which truly is bad for your heart.

yummy nutella, yummy!

Ah, I love them both, but:

As an American I have eaten and made a million (well, maybe a hundred) things that include peanut butter. I like Nutella from a spoon, or on good bread, but I've had it warm in a crepe in Paris and thought it was too gooey.

I rarely eat either, though, because I get fat from just looking at food with high fat content. If I had to choose which would be left on earth if there was only the chance to save one, it would have to be PB, based on its versatility.

It's 91 degrees in NYC... really peanut butter weather! But like P-M, I can't choose.
However, my husband is like nytraveler... sez he married me because I introduced him to bacon and PB sandwiches! (Toast, w/ lettuce and mayo)

When in doubt, I always do what Elvis did. Nutella and nanner sandwiches? No way!
Peanut butter and nanner sandwiches?
Way!

" nut eating can actually lower the risk of heart disease." That's definitely what the Peanut Institute wants you to think. The study they bandy about so freely, and that has spawned "The Peanut Butter Diet" and headlines such as "Eat Peanut Butter to Live Longer," grossly overstate the actual findings.

According to the Cleveland Clinic: "** Note: a strong association between a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease and consumption of peanut butter was not found in the articles referenced. However, peanut butter can be incorporated into a healthful eating pattern and still provides a variety of heart-disease fighting nutrients. Consume in moderation."

Nutella is most definitely NOT a health food, nor does it purport to be. It is also high in fat, and I eat it very sparingly!

Nutella, not even a contest.

Aw man, now I need to get some!

I've never been able to stomach Nutella. All natural peanut butter for me--no added salt, sugar, etc.

peanut butter, of course! I love it (but not enough to carry a jar with me on my trip!)

Anne

Nutella always seemed to sweet for me. I'm a PB gal -- but it's gotta be CHUNKY.

Nutella hands down! I first tried it in Florence and almost fell through the floor when I saw it on the counter of all places--my neighborhood Costco!

Yummy, yummy. And don't forget, chocolate has seratonine (sp?) so is most certainly in the basic food groups. (Though I have to admit, I eat it in moderation.)

Nutella for me...cannot stand the way peanut butter sitcks to the roof of my mouth...

(I voted already, but don't think it went through!)

NUTELLA!!!

Had it for the first time in Florence in May and was thrilled to find it on the shelf at my local Costco here in Seattle. And don't forget--chocolate has seratonine (sp?) so it's basically good for you (in small quataties, or course.)

Hi Marianna, your PB&J sandwich cooked as French Toast sounds really good to me!!! Think I will try that tomorrow. And I will remember to go years between enjoying this treat. LOL.
I am afraid that it will be so good that might be difficult though.

About Nutella, well personally I can't stand it. But sure love PB although I don't eat that much PB. When I do it is just Adam's 100% Natural. The ingredients: peanuts (nothing else). So is that healthy or not?????

Hi LoveItaly, I woke up this morning thinking about one of those sandwiches. It makes a nice Saturday morning treat. When our son was little, I would make them for breakfast for his friends who stayed overnight and they loved them - sweet and gooey!

Maybe this is the year for me and today is the day!

Make a sundae with vanilla ice cream topped with Nutella.

Spread a very small amount of peanut butter on celery sticks.

Guess which one is healthier, and then guess which one is best!

Now, another healthy eating tip from platzman and company.
My quick open-faced snack when on the run.
Spread some peanut butter on toasted multi-grain bread, top it off with slices of apple.

Nutella - no contest.

Peanut butter of course. I have tried Oreo cookies toppped with peanut butter on occasion. Yummmm! Oh, and only JIF extra crunchy.

I love PB on celery sticks

This is a hair-raising, not to mention stomach-churning, insight into the snacking habits of American Fodorites. I'm no health food freak, but having read most of this thread with a kind of horrified fascination I'm not sure that I can tackle breakfast.

OK, I'll confess to an occasional weakness for a peanut butter-and-tomato sandwich on sourdough rye or good white bread (forget that barnyard-smelling stuff full of nasty gritty bits), but that's about it.

Neil, are you sure that everyone on this thread is American?

PB and tomato, that's a new one on me. I'll stick to my jelly, thanks.

Hey Neil and PM, I will tell you about a great sandwich. Take bread, any kind of bread. Smear peanut butter all over it. Put thick slices of tomatoes on top. Put on a cookie sheet or foil or whatever and pop under a preheated oven broiler for a few moments. Keep an eye on it. When the PB is sort of bubbling and the tomatoes are hot etc remove and eat!!!

This is a receipe going back four generations here in CA. Has anyone else every ate this??

Now Neil, what is that horrid stuff you all in OZ eat, veggiesomething or other? You know what I mean I am sure.
Hugs to all!

No offense, Neil, but I nearly choked on the veggiesomething when I was in OZ!!

But that's the ONLY thing I didn't like about Australia. Terrific country, great people, just wish it weren't so far away.

I've never heard of that snack, LoveItaly, but I'll try anything once.

Hey PM, that PB/Sliced tomato "receipe" was my FIL's who was born and raised in Houston. The better the bread the better the snack. It is good honest! Take care.

"...barnyard-smelling stuff full of nasty gritty bits" ???

Whoa! I'm having palpitations here!

I also like them both; it depends on the occasion and what else I'm eating. I do like PB & banana sandwiches! I have a triathlete friend who likes PB, banana & bacon sandwiches.

Laura Scudder's 100% Natural Peanut Butter (contents: peanuts, salt) slathered liberally on Nabisco Cinnamon Graham Crackers.

Use sparingly.

OK, I give up, I tried really hard not to look at this thread.

I am now a reformed junk food eater. I eat edamame beans, quinoa, fish and more fish, salads galore.

I have not looked at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a couple of slices of wonder bread in about 15 years. I think I would be willing to trade a few hours of exercise for one little sandwich.

Hey Simone1, go for it, LOL.

Thanks LoveItaly, I needed that.

LoveItaly and P_B, don't get me wrong, I'm not defending the infamous Vegemite, which is a yeast extract that looks like axle grease. (The trick though is to use only the lightest smear on your toast, with plenty of butter.)

In this neck of the woods jelly is what Americans call jell-o, and your jelly is our jam. I heard of an American who once ordered a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in Australia, got a funny look and emerged from the shop clutching something 3 inches thick and quivering strangely.

Loathe Nutella myself but am fascinated to see so much of it spread around on breakfasts at my B&B in Australia. Interesting, this morning the Americans were into the Nutella and the Brits into the peanut butter, after a good helping of baked beans and bacon. Will try peanut butter with celery, sounds like the celery might help break down the clagginess of the PB.

Oh Neil, peanut butter with jello, that would be strange indeed. But than again in the land of OZ....and Pat, peanut butter spread onto a celery stick is quite good, you must try it. Peanut butter is also good spead on apple slices. In fact peanut butter is good period. But Neutella, ugh, personally I do not like it.

I have never had vegemite, but according to your description dear Neil, for that I am thankful!!!

Vegemite for breakfast, nutella on crepes for dessert, peanut butter for the bedroom !!

Marko - Peanut butter in the bedroom? I don't even want to think about that...except sitting up in bed, snacking on crunchy peanut butter spread on toasted whole wheat bread, with a side of chocolate milk, lots of napkins (serviettes) for the crumbs. Haven't had that in about 5 years. Now where did I put that toaster?...

Oh, and lest we forget, the ultimate American childhood junkfood treat: Fluffernutter sandwiches! White bread, spread with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff...gooey, oozy, cavity promoting and wrenchingly sweet... they'll glue your arteries shut for sure.

The only sensible answer to the question "peanut butter or nutella" is "Marmite!"

Do you chaps really eat peanut butter and jam sandwiches or is this a gross calumny put about by malicious Europeans?

In the U.S., we call a jelled spread made from the juice of various fruits "jelly," and the spread that includes (usually mashed) fruit itself is "jam."

Q: In places where "jelly" is the equivalent of our "Jell-0," does the above distinction exist?

In britain "jelly" is a chilled fruit flavoured sweet jelly (sometimes with bits of fruit in) that is made by heating up chunks of jelly bricks and then cooling the mixture so it sets - it's usually put into moulds to make funny shapes. It's a childrens food - not eaten by people out of short trousers and usually served with ice cream at childrens parties. (although you can get alcoholic versions that definately aren't for ankle-biters).
There are also savoury jellies like aspic, but they're quite rare.

Jam is a preserve that contains fruit, sugar and is thickened by pectin. Some contain bits of fruit, some don't. None of them would taste nice with peanut butter.

Marmalade is also a jam.

At the risk of derailing this thread into the gutter, let me recount my initial exposure, so to speak to Nutella:

When I was about 25, I was dating a gentleman who I had known for several years. He had a mixed background and lots of travel -- born in Sao Paolo, lived in Brasilia, Costa Rica, Calgary, and Porto. His mother spoke 7 European languages and Russian, and was a translator, moving from embassy to embassy.

He introduced me to Nutella. As he described it, it was great because it melted at skin temperature

I am not sure if I qualify as a “chap”, maybe a chapette?

To be honest, I never had peanut butter and jelly sandwich until my children went to school and wanted to have one. All other kids took peanut butter and grape jelly for lunch, why couldn’t they? But once I had one, I was addicted.

You are no doubt aware that the ENTIRE rest of the globe looks on at peanut butter and jam sandwiches in horrified fascination? It's the USA equivalent of Marmite - baffling to outsiders.

And this is from someone who has eaten jellied eels (it's a different sort of jelly - but it's still vile)

Nutella hands down!

I realize that, I used to be part of that ENTIRE globe. I guess I would have to say don’t knock it until you try it. I think of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as something good that reminds me of home and children.

I'd be prepared to give it a go, after all if I can manage jellied eels.... but i still haven't got my head around what the "jelly" bit is. I don't think we get "jelly" here.

Maybe I could improvise. Lemon curd perhaps?

Oh no, that might just be really awful.

Bringing it into the travel arena:

When I stayed at a B&B in Scotland (The Lunga, south of Oban, great place!) the host (the Earl) set a breakfast table that had every type of spreadable imaginable -- marmite, vegemite, lemon curd, lime jelly, peanut butter, nutella, marmalades, honey, everything. I couldn't think of one thing he didn't have available. It covered most of the table, and this is a 20 person dining table in a huge banquet room!

Just recalling that morning is enough to make me smile. We experimented a lot with different flavors. Peanut butter does indeed go well with lemon curd

In the US, jelly is made from fruit juice or herb like in mint jelly. Like eel jelly it's clear with no fruit visable. Fruit jelly is sweet. Jam is made with whole fruits and has a texture. I've never really thought about it but we say "PB and jelly", but usaully we mean jam, I think.

I'm surprised this thread has gone on so long. I've never heard of pb and tomato it sounds interesting. My mother loves pb and pickle, I have never been able to bring myself around to trying it.
It's pb on nice thick whole wheat bread
with jam and a cup of tea. I love it.
I also love marmite and vegimite but it's very pricey here.

I'm allergic to tree nuts, so it's PB for me!

Have them both together. It's a Reese's sandwich!
Cheers,
Jan

I don't think of them as that similar, but guess I'd say peanut butter. I don't it eat that much anyway, though.

I think they have jelly in UK, at least I thought I remembered that (without any solid fruit bits in it). IN any case, I think most folks who talk about PB & jelly do mean jelly, not jam. And it isn't just Europeans who think that is vile, I'm American and the thought of eating PB with jelly is nauseating to me. Jelly is just pure sugar practically, so putting that on top of a fatty protein is just disgusting to me. I've never liked that, even as a child.

Now I do like PB toasted, I love the warm slightly toasted bread with peanut butter on it -- however, I just spread the PB on the lightly toasted bread as soon as I take it out of the toaster. I don't really like PB that much, though, and don't eat it more than a couple times a year, probably, as it's so fattening.

"great because it melted at skin temperature"

GreenDragon - ooh la la!! Sounds like a wonderful gentleman to me!!

I love Italy - thanks for that tip, peanut butter on celery is pretty good. So is sparingly used Vegemite on celery. Americans do tend to use far too much Vegemite when first trying it out, then its a bit like eating salty axle-grease.

Peanut butter!
I like a peanut butter sandwich with bread and butter pickles stuffed in between!!!

Hi Pat, am glad you like the celery stuffed with peanut butter (half healthy anyway, right).

BTW, for all you peanut butter lovers. I don't think I have posted this before on this thread, to tired to look back and see but anyway this was my FIL's receipe.

Good thick bread. Spread peanut butter on it, he preffered chunky PB.
Lay sliced tomatoes on top of the PB.
Put under a preheated broiler, on a broiler pan of course until the PB is sort of bubbling and the tomatoes are hot. It is fantastic.

Hope I haven't posted this twice, it has been a long day!! Mangia!

PB for me, but only because I don't care much for hazelnuts. They're my least favorite nuts outside of politics.

For those explaining the right way to handle Vegemite.. oy, I've got a jar of it in the pantry right now. I've done the beginner's schmear, the light touch and the almost non-existant film but it's not getting any better. I'm afraid all those little yeasts carcasses died for naught, and for that, I am sorry. My wife has given up on convincing me too. Of course, she still has PB shipped from Oz to the US. Kraft PB! Guess it all evens out in the end... condiment Karma.

Hey, it's Wednesday already.

Beatchick, he WAS quite the gentleman. Whenever you think of the quintessential romantic Latin Lover...that was him. Of course he was Brazilian, French, Spanish, Portugese, Irish and Brazilian Indian in ethnic heritage... made him unique! (pauses for a dreamy remembrance)

Oddly enough, his name is Aragorn. Really. His mom was a big Tolkein fan.

But, back to the subject!

I had vegemite once, as a friend from Perth, AUS brought some with her when she came to live here. It reminded me of crushed up multivitamins... ugh!

But then she told me that mixing chocolate and peanut butter (like in a reese's) was considered awful by Oz-ites. No accounting for tastes!

When we lived in New York City, our building had a lovely family from Australia for a year. The dad was doing a year of training at New York Hospital, where my husband did his residency. I invited the couple's young son to play with our children, and offered to keep him for lunch. When she asked what I would serve them, I just replied absently that it would probably be something like peanut butter and jelly.

The woman looked appalled, but smiled and said she'd bring Peter up to our apartment in a few minutes. She brought a vegemite sandwich for him, which smelled so much like cat food that our kids didn't want to sit at the table with it! (They were around 2 and 4.)

After we got to know each other a little better, I found out that she'd thought I was planning to mix peanut butter and tomato aspic ("jelly") on bread for a sandwich. She did not realize that I meant jam!

Lost in translation . . .

KSWL: Believe me, the idea of jam is just as bizarre to non-americans.

Come on David, give it rest would you? PB&J is kid food not haute cuisine. Surely there's something you ate as a child which is now unpleasant to your delicate adult palate.

Perhaps this Friday's survey will be Miracle Whip v. Salad Cream. Few takers on either side I'd guess.

Things that English children of my generation ate but would be unlikely to eat now:

Angel Delight

Pink foam mice

Libbys Orange Juice

Mighty milks

Nice biscuits

Spangles

Panda Pops

Mojos/Black Jacks

Spam.

obxgirl, no it's actually true that PB&J is not eaten by kids or adults in most of the rest of the world. It's looked at like we'd look at any other strange combination of food you can think of. Peanut Butter really isn't that big elsewhere. My wife was amazed at how many candy bars and other packaged foods here contain peanut butter. I can't recall ever seeing a PB based candy or cookie/biscuit in the UK or Australia now that I think of it.

Ah, nevermind. I'd miss reading your post and thought you were doubting he'd ever tried it. Can you tell I just woke up? lol

For crepes: NUTELLA all the way!

For toast: PB, for sure!

I love NUTELLA but PB has more nutritional value (fiber, protein), whereas NUTELLA only tastes good.

By the way, my Italian sister-in-law is CRAZY about PB; I always bring her some when visiting Italy from the U.S.

Hey, Clifton, I have a question for you and your Australian wife. About 19 years ago I was in Adelaide and I was having breakfast with my traveling companions. A guy in our group had ordered scrambled eggs and a pancake. When the food came out the eggs were sitting on the pancake. He scooped them off and asked the waitress for syrup. She looked puzzled, so he said it's for the pancake. She said, "Pancakes...with syrup....why that's an odd combination, isn't it?" We all started laughing and she laughed with us, thinking we were laughing at the combination of pancakes and syrup. She then brought out a little bowl of what apperared to be Karo syrup. My friend did not eat his pancake.

So the point of this story is, do they not eat maple syrup on pancakes in OZ? If not, what do they put on pancakes? Eggs?

Right then. In my house I have peanut butter (sun pat with nuts in it not the smooth stuff). I have jam (raspberry and strawberry). I have bread.

So tonight I am going to have a peanut butter and jam sandwich. I will report back tomorrow (if I'm not having my stomach pumped).

Never let it be said that I will duck a challenge.

Good for you, David! I can't wait to hear what you thought of your PB&J sandwich.

My favorite is PB with pineapple jam. Next favorite with PB is strawberry/rhubarb jam. Next is PB and grape jam. A really good alternative to jam is honey--a peanut butter and honey sandwich is sooooo good!

On cold winter mornings here in Michigan, I like to toast slices of crusty bread and spread peanut butter on them while they are still hot so the peanut butter melts and then smear the top with a small bit of jam. That and a cup of tea--yum! what a terrific way to sit at the kitchen table and watch the snow fall outside my window.

I'm not sure what that was about P_M. Pancakes seem more of a fixture there than they do here. The pancake places I've been there (at least in Melbourne they aren't uncommon), serve almost everything on pancakes. Most common was maple syrup, but also jam, etc. And you could get another ice-cream topped pancake for dessert. I can't imagine that the waitress would have been shocked by anything being requested on a pancake, much less maple syrup.

Same goes for sandwiches! Anything edible seems to be fodder for sandwich ingedients (provided it is insulated from the bread by a butter layer). Except peanut butter with jam, it seems.

Clifton: Hmmm....that's interesting. Were pancakes so popular in 1986, when this happened? Just curious.

Now that I couldn't say. My first visit was in the 90's but by then, pancakes seemed to be doing ok in Vic. Could be a regional thing or maybe it's just my perception of it all, since she always looks forward to stopping by the pancake parlor everytime we go back. The one we've gone to is a big place and always bustling though.

Peanut Bitter is still alien to me. I rew up in the U.S. and all the kids around me ate it but my mother never fed it to me. Coming from Ireland she thought it was digusting and not healthy. My brother got a taste for it at a friends hpouse and ended up the only person in the family to eat it...he actually has a nut allergy now which is bizzare. I ate a PB&J sandwick once and I thought it was gross. I would try again but I am not hopeful my opinion will change. I do thought now like roasted peanuts and Datay sauce in thai restauants so I am improving .

Nutella is lovely but I would not substitute it sor a sandwich for a kids lunch. Some of my Irish friends are crazy about peanut butter after spending summers in the U.S. Jiffy seems popuar with them and I get requests to bring some back even though there are some types available here now.

Wow, we've made it to Thursday, and I thought you'd like a rough -- very rough -- tally (very unscientifically done):

Pro Peanut Butter: 34
Pro Nutella: 22
Both: 12
Neither: 4
Pro Vegemite: 2
Violently anti-Vegemite: 5
Marmite: 2

There did seem to be a pattern of time -- clusters of pro PB vs. pro Nutella, which would suggest to a real sociologist that there might be a US vs. Europe/other clustering, born out by what people actually wrote about the context of liking PB.

I couldn't figure out how to quantify the jam/jelly/jello discussion.

It could probably be a new thread, one guaranteed to be pulled, but we once spent a giddy, slightly tipsy evening trying to write a children's menu in Haute-Cuisine-ese. I seem to remember that a PBJ came out something like:

Croque Pierre-Pan: Savory pate d'arachide served with local scuppernong grape aspic, on lightly browned slabs of oven-baked stoneground wheat pain de maison-de-ferme, served with slivered petit carotte garnish.

Forgive the franglaised terms, sure others can top this.

Les Dinosaures D'Inde avev les haricots rosti, dans un jus tomate, avec les pommes a la facon "smash".

Le pain "wonderloaf" comme le buerre de cachuettes, et de confiture framboise, a la facon americaine...

Hah, Mr. West! Excellent! But what are Indian dinosaurs? Or am I missing something?

But your French is just a tetch too good, at least for the US, where haute-cuisine-ese often mixes fractured French with down-home-isms to acknowledge local products and a note of "we're not really that snooty" or maybe "we're really not all that French".

And note to Clifton: "provided it is insulated from the bread by a butter layer" -- arghh! can't stand slithery butter on sandwiches; unless a PBJ (not my favorite), must be mayonnaise, mustard, a light layer of vinaigrette or preferably, nothing!

David, Pink foam mice? Are they like marshmellow peeps?

http://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/about/peeps_all_seasons/easter.html

Go with the strawberry jam if the raspberry has seeds!

And how was it, David??

Though I do love me some Nutella, it's gotta be PB. Brief travel story: DH was sent to Norway to visit cousins when he was 15, and his big sister warned him that they had no PB over there, only "scary goat cheese" etc. So he brought his own, much to his hosts' amusement. Fast-forward 13 years, and when he took me over to meet them, one relative, pantomiming in rather dramatic fashion, pulled out an old PB container, blew off the dust, and set it out in front of him at breakfast. They were MERCILESS. It was great.

In my 1st trimester just about the only protein I could stand were eggs (strangely enough) and the occasional spoonful (or three) of PB.

Gotta love PB and 'nana, I haven't had a fluffernutter since I was a kid, and I'm surprised no one has mentioned Ants on a Log. I love Ants on a Log!!

(= peanut butter crammed all along the cup of a stalk of celery, dotted with raisins - a popular children's treat here in the States)

Cassandra: You're not missing anything. I can't type. It's les dinosuares dinde - ie turkey dinosaurs which are terrifically popular with Brit brats. Scroll down here (in case Jamie Oliver is lurking - Jamie: LOOK AWAY NOW!):

http://www.buyersguide.co.uk/document/bernard_matthews/childrens.htm

And Obxgirl: Pink foam mice are just that. Mice made from pink sweet foam. Think sweet polystyrene and you're in the right area. Not just mice. Shrimps too. And vampire teeth and just about anything else. Here are the shrimps:

http://www.munchncrunch.co.uk/detail.php?itemid=164&PHPSESSID=ea4ac1d958c6956c78fd01a7abf1883b

et pour le dessert nous propose: Joie des anges avec les cents et milles.

Apparently, Elvis Presley liked fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches. There's a recipe in one of Nigella Lawson's books. She also has a great recipe for nutella cake; kids love it (well, me too), and one for nutella icecream as well.


As much as I like both, I do prefer the Dutch chocolate sprinkles, or chocolate curls, that Dutch children (and adults) like to put on white bread for breakfast.

Nutella is Nigella's less glamorous sister.

AHaugeto, That's odd you say that about scary goat cheese.

I was in Epcot (travel for the poor) world showcase, having dinner in the Norwegian restaurant. One of the things available on the smorgasbord were various types of cheeses. One was a medium brown color, and I asked what it was. He said it was goat cheese cured in brown sugar. I tasted it, and it tasted like peanut butter -- it was even similar in texture, a little bit thicker! Very odd!!!

Must have been what they were talking about!

GreenDragon, I know exactly what you're talking about - that brown square of caramel-ly goat cheese was Norwegian gjetost!!! Oh dear God, that stuff is my crack! Thank goodness it's pretty spendy to get it where we live, as I can easily put away half a block (and almost did a few times while we were over there, right in front of my mortified husband and his approving relatives). Better than PB, better than Nutella, mmmmmm. Thanks for the smile.

Thank you for putting a name to it, it was great stuff! I can see how it was addicting.

Of course, I had been drinking Screaming Viking Mead all evening, so perhaps my taste buds were a bit wonky!

Perhaps in deference to refined British tastes we should change the question to peanut butter versus baked beans on toast. Or, even better, versus Spaghetti-Os on toast.

Plain Spaghetti-O's? or with meatballs or with hotdogs?

I'm guessing only Americans will vote for hotdogs.

As a child I loved peanut butter on white bread. Add grape or 'red' jelly (I'm guessing either strawberry or raspberry).

Now I'm thinking about lightly toasting some whole wheat bread spreading peanut butter and Nutella on it.

Almost can't even write about it, but I have a cousin who loves to put peanut butter on hotdogs. Yucky puey.

Believe it or not, Nutella on warm cherries (or warmed cherry pie) is heavenly.

Peanut butter on hot dogs wouldn't tempt me, either, but there are Thai and Vietnamese dishes that combine sausage and peanuts. Which reminds me of another thing about peanut butter: humble no-sugar peanut butter works a lot better than cosmpolitan Nutella when making satay dipping sauce, tan-tan noodles, spicy African soups, etc.

In which David intrepidly tries a peanut butter and jam sandwich – with regrettable consequences.

Having said that I would try one of these creations I stuck to my word. After all how bad could it be? I like bread. I like peanut butter and I quite like jam (in the right places eg a jam roly-ploy). So how awful could putting together three things I like? (Mind you I like curry, custard and kippers – and that’s not going to work out is it?).

So I arranged a jar of sun-pat peanut butter (the coarse kind with bits of nut in it), a jar of Robertson’s strawberry jam, and a loaf of supermarket white bread (I’m guessing that as this is comfort food it doesn’t require a trip to the artisan bakery).

First attempt: I put peanut butter on a slice, then the jam. The combination simply looked too horrible for words. I was put in mind of a dog with a serious intestinal problem. So this attempt was aborted.

Next try. Peanut butter on one slice, jam on the other, and put them together. Then bite in. Sweet. Baby. Jesus. I have not the words for the taste sensation that followed. However “the most horrible thing I have ever put into my mouth ever ever ever, even worse than eating bugs or bogies as a small boy” just about covers it.

Americans: You eat this abomination and wonder why the rest of the world think you’re a bit odd? Custard curry and kippers is a sane combination in comparison!

What a hoot ! can we do a double blind on this experiment ??

Now that was just too, too funny. At least you were courageous enough to try it.

Try it once more, this time with milk.

You are a man of your word, so I’ll let you rant and rave.

Baked beans on toast. An old friend used to tour ... one of the things he liked best was what I guess is a diner along the superhighway, where lots of lorry drivers stop and eat and get a "real fry up" in the wee hours...
He got all gooey eyed about beans on toast... guess he couldn't eat them anymore ... got too "posh" dahling
So...just Heinz beans, right? Heat 'em up and dump them over toast?

As my malaprop-Mom would say, "cujos to you for making good on your word!"

Curious as to what put you so thoroughly off, though. Don't like PB&Js myself much, having made more than 1000 of them for younger siblings between age 8 and 18, but to me they're just too much sweetness, too much stickiness, too much hang-around-after-you-thought-you'd-swallowed it.

But if you think I'm going to try custard curry (itself a horrifying concept) and kippers, you're crazy. Was challenged to try sauerkraut and tuna casserole once, and learned the wages of bravado.

Suzie C: Tha's the recipe right there. Warm them up and put them over hot toast. If it wasn't for beans on toast all of Britain's students would die of malnutrition - and so would a large portion of it's single men.

I am a single man, but I have pretensions towards being a gourmand, so I also stir in Patak's vindaloo paste (this may explain why I am single - the gastric conmsequences of this are quite energetic), or put the infamous Marmite on the toast, then cover with beans.

Cassandra: I suppose what i thought was really vile about it was it is completely unlike anything I have ever tasted before, so completely different that it didn't really register as edible.

As it's a kid's food, you probably have to get aclimatised to it from an early age (or have a naturally sweet tooth - which I don't). Marmite is similar - people don't develop a taste for it in later life.

It was bloody horrible though.

So in the English version of "Fear Factor" where fear isn't a factor for the winner by eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Forget Mountain Oysters, pig anuses, and lavae of bugs I've never heard of, just make the contestants eat PB&J?

Yup and the yanks have to eat Marmite; snake and pygmy pudding or jellied eels. That'd sort the men from the boys.

Better to be a gourmand than a gourmet, I always say. It expands your choices.

Or, as my host in Taiwan said, "Protein is where you find it" (this after pointing out that there are no stray animals on the streets of Taipei).

p.s. We carnivores all eat pig's...everything...every time we consume a hot dog. Nothing goes to waste in the abattoir. Same goes for hamburger, which could accurately be termed "ground beef carcass leftovers."

Nutella. Even as a child I couldn't stand peanut butter.

Peanut butter -- don't like the hazelnut taste with Nutella.

OK, who knows what scrapple is and also like it? I developed a taste for it in college and still love it (although can't understand why people would put maple syrup on it), and I learned to like fried clams by the time I was 5. But you can keep your eel in any form -- including deep-fried (which can redeem lots of things).

Robespierre, back in the days when we did eat regular meat, we always purchased our "ground beef" from the butcher, who ground sirloin steak before my eyes in the shop.

Now we eat ground sirloin only from a company like Coleman, which guarantees its beef is fed a purely vegetarian diet, as nature intended.

Chicken nuggets, now---there's a question mark for you. My nephews exists solely on frozen chicken nuggets and bread (seemingly) and my sister-in-law vehemently rejects any attempts to discern the true nature of this "meat."

If I could handle the 10 different varieties of herring on the Swedish Smorgasbord, I can handle jellied eel. Actually, eel is my favorite sushi Though conch and octopus are good, too.

Yes, I know what scrapple is. I won't touch it, but my brother-in-law grew up on it (formerly Amish family) and loves it. ugh!

So, where in Leeds or London is a good place to try jellied eel for the first time?

What's in snake and pygmy pudding?

Yes, I've had (and enjoyed) haggis. I'll try most things once...

For the record...

It's ALWAYS Antonio Banderas over EVERYONE.

My teen daughter enjoys when I make her Nutella and Marshamallow fluff sandwiches on white bread. I sometimes add sliced bananas.

JIF used to make an sinfully delish Chocolate Peanut Butter but I haven't seen it in years.

PB just because I don't want to hurt it's feelings, we go way back.

Hang on a second - how did the claim that Peanut Butter has nutritional value sneak by without controversy?

I believe the astronauts pack it, because in addition to its well-known nutritional value it squeezes out of tubes quite well.

The beans on toast story brings to mind a recurring New Orleans food...a po-boy made with red beans and rice on french bread.
Very sloppy and very tasty!
Of course, it should be washed down with a Barq's root beer, dawlin!

Was just in our local Whole Foods chain; no Nutella but BjorkChop take note: they had some "organic" form of chocolate peanut butter!

On the local Big Brother programme one of the tasks last night was to spread vegemite thick enough to stick it too a vertical surface...using their mouths only ! It appears that the heat tiles on the shuttle should have been affixed with vegemite ! Whenever we get home from a holiday where vegemite isn't available our first "comfort" action is to toast a whole loaf of bread slather it with butter and vegemite and brew up a big pot of billy tea !!!

"how did the claim that Peanut Butter has nutritional value sneak by without controversy?"

It didn't. Look further up the thread.

Mmmmmm...peanut butter.

My favorite formulation: Take Rye-Crisp crackers (which I don't even like except in this one particular context), spread peanut butter on them, and top with extra sharp cheddar cheese, place underneath the broiler until the cheese is all melted and bubbly. Yum!

Also, Haagen Dazs Peanut Butter & Chocolate ice cream is DIVINE.

PB is so delicious to me that I can't understand how anyone who has actually tried it wouldn't LOVE it! Especially a PBJ sandwich. It's got the whole salty-sweet combo thing going...how can you not love it? Also love crisp granny smith apple slices with PB. Never did enjoy the fluffernutter, I'm not so big on marshmallow.

Can't stomach Nutella even though I love hazelnuts and I love chocolate. It tastes like neither to me, and there's something oily about it. Hubby prefers it over PB though.

OK David, try this for breakfast or tea. Toast two pieces of bread. On one, put PB. On the other, put your favorite fruit preserves/jam/whatever. Keep them separate. Take one bite of the PB on toast. Yum, right? Then take a bite of the fruit preserves on toast. Repeat, alternating. Delicious, no? (Salty, sweet, salty, sweet.) Eventually it's just easier to put them together.

Jif also used to make a heavenly apple-cinnamon PB, but alas, no longer. However, I found a great store in the Mall of America -- PB Loco. They have several different varieties of PB and I found a similar Sumatra Cinnamon and Raisin. You can order it online. Check out www.pbloco.com.

"Ground round," "ground chuck," "ground sirloin" and the like are in a different category than generic hamburger. When the package says "ground beef," you can betcher assets it ain't a prime cut that's been minced. I used to work in a restaurant, so I know whereof I speak: we made our own hamburger, and everything went into it but the bones.

Precisely why I don't eat "ground beef!"

had to make 150, sorry !

For David West and all those horrified by PB&J combo -- was at an upwardly-aspiring cafe yesterday where one of the desserts was described as peanut-butter-crunch ice cream topped with fudge sauce and strawberry compote. I don't detest PB&J's but eat them extremely infrequently; but this dessert was hard for me to even contemplate.

Soccr, so... was this dessert any good?

I think a very important ingredient was missing - NUTELLA!!

Completely DIFFERENT!. ...I put a spoonful of EACH on my morning cereal?
OK OK, no cute comments, but I am a Libra and like both.
One is hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk etc........other is peanuts.(low fat, chunky!) Completely different.
PB more economical, but not really...Costco has two big jars of Nutella wrapped together, reasonable price.

I have a song for my next European trip:

Oh, Nutella, oh, don't cry for me!
I'm coming from America with a banjo on my knee!

I certainly didn't order that mess, Faina!!! But I might have if it had been Nutella gelato instead.

soccr....you're serious aren't You?
There IS a gelato that is hazelnut and chocolate (same thing as in Nutella)
I forget the name in Italian, but it's delicious.
-----cio or something like that!

There is a place in Paris, sorry, we happened on it, that served Nutella ice cream. Devine.

Either way both are delicious spread on tart apples!

Recently had a grilled thin thin pizza sandwich with Nutella and powdered sugar on top O Boy it was good

??? pizza is not a sandwich????

OK, can someone tell me about scrapple? I remember talking to (well, listening to) an old guy in Virginia who told me that it contains all the bits of a pig but the meat, but as he also believed that Neil Armstrong never walked in the moon I wasn't inclined to take his word for it.

As for ground (or as we say here "minced" meat) - with a bit of elbow grease you can solve the problem by buying an inexpensive human-powered mincer. Mine is a Czech model with an evocative German name - "fleischhacker", I think. I don't use much mince, but I found that grinding my own pork 'n' veal produced a much better bolognaise sauce.

Scrapple

2 pounds pork shoulder (or pork butt)
1 whole fresh pork hock
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon sage
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper

Cut up pork shoulder (butt) into 2 inch chunks. Place the pork chunks, pork hock, sage and cayenne in a stock pot and cover with water. Simmer for about 2 to 3 hours or until meat falls apart. Drain and reserve stock.

Pull meat from bone and chop all the meat with a knife or food processor, being careful not to grind it too fine. Set aside.

Measure 5 cups of stock and return to pot. Bring it to a simmer; add meat, cornmeal, salt and peppers, and stir constantly until thick and smooth, about 15 to 30 minutes.

Pour mixture into 2 loaf pans and refrigerate until completely chilled. Un-mold scrapple. Slice and fry until golden brown and crisp on both sides.

Makes 12 servings.

Now, I can't begin to tell you what's in the store-bought stuff.

I bought my first Nutella a few days ago. Great taste -- but I don't see it as interchangable with peanut butter. A little Nutella is great if I need a dab of something sweet.

There are a number of Web sites with recipes and ideas for using Nutella.

I was never that crazy about PB&J -- I like peanut butter and honey. Am fortunate that my mom's neighbor has a bee business and gives her a case of large jugs of honey almost every year. And it is better than anything from a store. Peanut butter on cinnamon bread is another favorite.

Budman!! An actual recipe for the stuff! I'm so impressed. But I never thought I'd have the phrase "euphemistic recipe" run through my head.

Neil: Budman's recipe is probably the Bowdlerized version (hah!) of the original -- and I'm sure it's quite good.

Fortunately for me, I tasted and liked scrapple before I knew what it was (as I did with clams, lobster, sweetbreads, and tripe). Went to college in eastern Pa., and scrapple was the local product of the frugal "Pennsylvania Dutch" (=Deutsch = German community) seeking to waste nothing of the piggy.

Truth-in-packaging require commercial labels to list things like "pork lips, pork tails, pork by-products" and if lips and tails aren't considered "by-products," you can imagine what by-products probably include.

What makes scrapple different from other ground-meat products like sausage or blood pudding (argh) is the large corn meal content and a blend of spices that varies from kitchen to kitchen. I've discovered that Southern brands of scrapple have a more bitter taste, which I suspect means a large proportion of liver and gizzards; Penn. scrapple is sweeter and nuttier (altho' there are those who think anyone who'd eat this highly unkosher stuff must be thoroughly nutty).

The hallmark of perfectly fried scrapple slices is a crunchy brown crust outside and soft inside. Served with sliced, fried apples and/or (glack!) maple syrup.

>>I was never that crazy about PB&J -- I like peanut butter and honey.>>>

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the thread.....

Peanut butter and honey is quite good on a warm toasted bread slice... but I acquired a simpler taste on my first trip to the UK -- toast with honey. simple, delicious, and easy to recreate. It has to be the opaque honey, though, not clear honey!

More than I ever wanted to know about scrapple.

Anyone ever heard of "poor man's cake"? -- toast sprinkled with sugar (no cinnamon, no butter, just sugar)?

No, but we used to make yummy cinnamon toast in the oven... white bread, spread with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, baked until carmelized, yummmmm

Budman's recipe is pretty much on target. My husband's family and people around here "butcher" all the time. The only thing is they do not use pork shoulder. That is good meat, and they do not waste it on scrapple. They use the head meat, the tongue, liver, and meat off the bones and stuff. All the "scraps". My husband's family is Pennsylvanis Dutch. We are surrounded by quite a few Amish here as well.

I have watched them cook it in this huge open kettle with a wood fire. I am a NYC girl, so I was pretty horrified.

Before that though, my husband cooked it for himself one morning. It woke me out of a dead sleep and made me gag. I could not stand the smell. Then he put syrup on it and ate it. I begged him not to ever cook that in my house while I was home again. Well, our house. That was before I even knew what it was. So there is no way I am going to try it.

Peanut butter, hands down!

dsm22, by "euphemistic" I meant that Budman used the pork shoulder, the one part your husband's family doesn't use. It makes a big difference whether the meat is sweet or has that awful offal taste (and smell). I don't blame you for staying away from it after your experience with it -- and, as I said, putting syrup on it? GLACK!

Wonder how peanut butter on scrapple would taste?

Ah, gotcha now Cassandra. Sometimes I am a lit-tle slow. B

Hi GreenDragon, I use to have the toast you mentioned as a child. It has been years since I have eaten it. But will now. Thanks for the memories!

Nutella hands down, just as my fave gelato is nocciolla

The start to a perfect day: three parts Chivas, one part Nutella, served with a banana slice.

I had to resuscitate this thread because I just got back from Trader Joe's, where I discovered a new (to me, anyway) item: TJ's own brand Cocoa Hazelnut spread. I just did a side by side taste test, and TJ's wins hands down. Better on taste and consistency. Here is the comparative list of ingredients:

Nutella: Sugar, peanut oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, skim milk, reduced minerals whey, partially hydrogenated peanut oil, soy lecithin, an emulsifier, vanillin, an artificial flavor.

TJ: Sugar, hazelnuts, sunflower and hazelnut oils, cocoa powder, whey powder, milk powder, soy lecithin.

I hadn't actually realized that Nutella contains peanut oil -- that could be a problem for people (like my husband) who have peanut allergies. I wonder if the European version has the same ingredients. I suspect only the made-in-US Nutella would have peanut oil.

nonnafalice - TJ may have a good spread, but Nutella is made with SKIM milk. That way I can have 2 blobs..LOL!

Well, actually they have exactly the same amount of calories -- 200 per 2 Tbsp. TJs does have 2 grams more fat (13 as opposed to 11), but AFAIK most current thinking is that the partially hydrogenated fats in Nutella are the worst kind for you.

Trader Joe's has a Cocoa Hazelnut spread?! That is the best advice I've received here all week!! Where do they have this?! I was planning heading there tomorrow - bonus.

Zingerman's (sp?) catalog advertised a Dark chocolate hazelnut spread and raved and raved about it. I ordered it - and then they said the FDA wouldn't let them import it! Tease!

Speaking of Trader Joe's try their Macademia Nut Butter.

Both. As long as there is lots and lots...

And speaking of crepes, I could really use a good crepe recipe. A dear friend gave us a lovely crepe pan for our wedding last year and we haven't used it because we don't have a recipe. I am basically a beginner cook as my mother didn't cook, but I'm willing to try anything Just need very clear instructions.

Jacques Pepin’s crêpe recipe:

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon sugar
¾ cup nonfat milk
1 tablespoon of canola oil
A little additional oil for greasing the skillet.

1. Combine the flour, eggs, sugar, and ¼ cup of the milk in a bowl, and mix with a whisk until smooth. (The mixture will be fairly thick.) Add the remaining milk and the tablespoon of oil, and mix until smooth.

2. Lightly grease the bottom of the skillet with a little oil, and heat the pan over medium to high heat. When it is hot, add about 3 tablespoons of the crêpe batter, and quickly tilt and move the skillet so the batter coats the entire bottom of the pan. (Move quickly, or the batter will set before the bottom of the skillet is coated and the crêpe will be thicker than desired.)

On a good day, they are delicious. Sometimes though, they are pancakes.

Enjoy!!!!!

Thanks for the recipe! I just saw at the top of this thread that someone eats grilled PBJ. Anybody ever had grilled PB & brown sugar? I know it sounds weird, but it is really so good. I like to do it in my mini George Foreman grill, no butter on the bread necessary (unlike with grilled cheese), just PB & plenty of brown sugar!

So I'm up for my regular middle-of-the-night spoonfuls of nutella with a little milk and wondered - worldwide, does anyone know where stats can be found that would SHOW how many consumers there are of nutella and peanut butter. PB seems to be a more american thing to me, and being an american I apologize for this heartily to hte rest of the world, but where could we get some numbers? any ideas are greatly welcomed. I've got to go wipe nutella off my beard now thanks.
Best,
Boden

Slcies of tart apple dipped in Nutella - warmed very slightly. Yum.

Overall? If I was forced to make a choice it would be Nutella. But I have room in my heart for both .

Hi,

I know this reply seems to have come well after this thread died down, but I thought I'd say a couple of things about the peanut butter/jam thing and why those from Oz and the UK might not understand it, even thinking of it as vile:

First off, regarding that jam/jelly thing -- for Brits/Aussies, et al, jelly for you is Jello in the States, simply because that's the brand that monopolizes the product and pretty much always has. I think if it weren't for Jell-O brand gelatin, we'd be calling it jelly in the US. My grandmother still calls it jelly, but you know, she was born in 1913, in the US, to British parents. She raised me, along with her sisters, my great aunts, and this was a common term I heard...jelly for jello. For some reason it bugged me to no end as a child, even when I usually embraced all things British. But I didn't understand why she/they called it jelly (for some reason it sounded crude to me), until I started taking my first childhood trips across the pond, spending time with relatives there.

So basically, in the US, jelly means jam. Jam also means jam in the US as well, but I think the distinction trying to be made earlier was that usually, in the US, when we say jelly, we mean the clear kind of jam, that doesn't have the fruit bits in it (otherwise it's the same, but of course we all know the fruit makes the jam, so it's not nearly as good). Grape jelly is a common variety of that. Interestingly, peanut butter and jelly is just a phrase now in the US, whether you mean to put a clear cheap jam like grape jelly on it or a fruity good jam like strawberry on it (I suppose one could have a grape jam, but for some reason grape is almost always found in the clear, non-fruity bit form, so is usually called grape jelly here, but it's not Jello!). If we said peanut butter & jam, Americans would completely understand and would cause others a lot less confusion. But rarely do you hear of strawberry jelly, though it exists, because usually that's a better jam with the fruit bits in it; therefore you'll almost always hear the term strawberry jam in the US, rather than strawberry jelly. But jam is jam is jam in the UK, bits or no bits of fruit (in the US, jelly, jam, preserves -- it's all jam in the UK/Oz).

As for the peanut butter thing, I think this is far more interesting:

Generally, peanut butter is not considered a sweet in Oz, and I'll have to poll more on the UK family opinion, but I know I was never offered a peanut butter/chocolate cup there, though I know it's become a big hit these days with some. Even though it really isn't much of a sweet, that's what peanut butter is considered here in the USA, in a way. It's hard to describe, but you either get "healthy" and eat some celery with it, or more commonly, it goes with chocolate, or jam. Or maybe alone. Myself, I've eaten it in the past plenty of times with butter/margarine, as I know it's eaten elsewhere. But this is not common in the USA (I'm a weird Canadian-born, American-raised, British family hybrid, so it's OK for me ). But I've also eaten it with jam, and that's a success, too, in my opinion. But I think it's a matter of programming at an early age -- peanut butter and something so sweet as jam just do not go along, right? They do if you're American. Just like Vegemite is all the rage for kids in Oz..."We're happy little vegemites..." You really have to wonder about the power of marketing -- I thought my proper British-American family sounded crude for calling Jello by the name jelly, and for some reason Aussie children have been convinced at an early age that Vegemite tastes good...*blinks & runs, eating a PB&J*

Ironically, Kraft Foods, bought out by Philip-Morris (Altria Group), the lovely tobacco company, owns Vegemite (there's something humourous about an American company owning the food icon of Australia) and Jello, too. It's a conspiracy, I tell you.

No Jello (the name at least) for you and no Vegemite for me. No comment.

Oh yes, and peanut butter over Nutella anytime.

If not already mentioned above, you can find 3kg big Nutella jar(seen at Carrefour supermarket)...

Bon appétit
coco

I'm not one to engage in the familiar "what's this got to do with travel?" whine, being a serial offender myself in that regard, but I do wonder why it's on the Europe forum.

PB&J sounds revolting, and so does Nutella. I'm not as brave as david west.

Believe me old chap - never again!

There are only two instances in which I use white bread for sandwiches.

First, turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving.

Second, peanut butter sandwiches. Peanut butter sandwiches are the only type I use butter on as well. Sometimes sliced banana on it too if I'm making it my complete lunch.

As a child, one of my favorite comfort food lunches was a peanut butter sandwich with Campbell's bean soup--I dipped the sandwich into the bean soup. Ummmmm, yummy.

I didn't eat much as a child, and this had my parents and doctors very concerned (believe me, there have been no such concerns since I became an adult). But I did love peanut butter, so my mother would give me a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk at bedtime. Probably kept me from some sort of malnutrition condition.

I think both are vile!

To me, peanut butter (especially the 'natural' kind)is more of a food whereas Nutella is more of a sweet. If I'm a little hungry, PB on Graham Crackers or Ritz Crackers is a nice late night snack. For more of a dessert, I could put Nutella on the same crackers. I would think that PB is healthier since Nutella seems to have lots of hydrogenated oils in it.

The answer to the PB people's prayers is the "Elvis Sandwich"

Toasted whole wheat bread
Layer of extra crunchy peanut butter
Layer of grape jelly or jam
Top with copious amounts fo crisp bacon
Toasted whole wheat bread slice on top

Eat without any guilt whatsoever as you FORGET all about Nutella.

Definitely, Nutella - and a large spoon, & it can only be consumed while standing in the kitchen.

First off, I thought the Elvis sandwich included a whole bar of butter, bananas, and peanut butter (digusting!). Maybe he was partial to several different types?

As for what this has to do with travelling, well, I'd say different regions' or countries' food tastes has a lot to do with travelling! The more you know, the better! I think it lends one or more pieces to the puzzle of a culture. I bought a small cake (icing and all) in a grocery store in Shanghai, China, one time, expecting a sweet treat for me and my travelling companion back where we were staying. For me, mind-bogglingly, it wasn't sweet at all, not even the icing. It was peculiar. But it was fun going through a Chinese grocery store (we also went through a more traditional roadside peasant market with live 'everything').

In any case, peanut butter & jelly(jam) sandwiches are so normal here in the USA that there have been a few products over the years that combined both, like Smucker's Goober (peanut butter and jelly striped through the jar/container). Here's a link from Smucker's with a bit of history, obviously American-oriented, that shows a timeline of the evolution of the pb&j sandwich (note the product Goober being introduced in 1968):

http://www.smuckers.com/fc/newsroom/archive/pbj0302_b.asp

Although there's no clear proof on how peanut butter & jelly/jam sandwiches were first introduced, it looks like it may have started in WWII by the GI's, according to the link.

Here's a heavy-reading link regarding the 'peanut butter hearings' and tumultuous times for FDA (Food & Drug Administration in the US) standards. It does note that the pb&j played a significant role in creating FDA standards (which are still a joke in this country):

http://www.fda.gov/oc/history/slideshow/default.htm

Here's a peanut butter & jelly bar for you (never had one myself):

http://www.clovervale.com/PBJBar.html

A recipe for pb&j cheesecake (personally, pb&j cheesecake doesn't sound appetizing to me at all, nor does the pb&j bar):

http://www.createacakeshop.com/pbjcheesecakes.htm

Here's a good entry from the Wikipedia regarding pb&j sandwiches:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter_and_jelly_sandwich

The most disturbing thing from that link is this line:

"The United States Department of Defense is researching ways of preserving a PB&J for up to 3 years for its combat troops in the field."

But you'll find a great pic of a messy pb&j sandwich, and some interesting info on the pb&j (if you were interested, that is...).

Here's one man's take on Smucker's Goober product used for a pb&j sandwich (in his words, "Pretty stripes of jelly within a peanut butter ocean" -- a bit over the top, really, imo), along with a picture of the jar:

http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?food=3

Personally, I wouldn't buy the stuff; I eat about one or two of these sandwiches a year now seeing as how I'm 33, and I feel I'm old enough to decide how much of each I want, and a better jam is always required than what comes in a product such as Goober.

Really, it's too bad, David, that you didn't like your experimental pb&j sandwich! They pack a punch of energy & sweets (why kids like 'em). Maybe you should try it with the smooth peanut butter, rather than that crunchy stuff (I know, I know, you said never again).

And in regards to the white bread peanut butter thing, as a child, I almost exclusively ate a pb&j on some type of wheat, rather than white, bread. Seven grain or cracked wheat was the best.

The PB&J, an American phenomenon.

Never again!

I think that most Brits find american tastes too sweet. At least that's my experience with things like barbeque, ice cream etc.

I think that these things are set in childhood and if you don't acquire a taste for things like Peanut butter and jam (*shudder*) then, you never will.

We really like Marmite but most americans would eat their own feet rather than go in the same room as it - again a taste acquired in childhood.

Elvis ate squirrels (this is a DAVETRUFACT).

White bread is made of wheat. Just not whole wheat.

I like marmite. If it was a choice between Nutella and Peanut Butter, I'd go the Nutella, but I wouldn't be happy.

Nutella is very special, I admit, but I would not want to live without peanut butter.

Wait just one minute here! It's not Friday!

"We really like Marmite but most americans would eat their own feet rather than go in the same room as it"

Finally! Someone who understands how I feel about Marmite!


(Elvis ate squirrels? I would expect nothing less from a fat, cheesy, druggie who wore frilled and shiny jumpsuits. It's better to just listen to the music and leave out the visuals of his later years. )

kswl - well, if you don't like Marmite, you certainly won't enjoy Vegemite. (Which reminds me of a joke - maybe I can resurrect that old joke thread? If you don't see my name again you'll know why.)

Southerners must be the sugar kings and queens of America, if not the world - quite apart from their taste for interesting regional specialities like grits (which I actually much prefer to oatmeal porridge), white sausage gravy and boiled peanuts. A while back I found a banana cream pie recipe in Fannie Flagg's "Fried Green Tomatoes Cookbook". It looked like something my mum might have made, so why not? The quantity of sugar did seem a little odd, but I forged ahead anyway. After two mouthfuls the whole family stopped chewing and stared at me. Elvis's fate seemed a lot more understandable.

About Nutella....I only threw one food item in the bin when in Paris this October and that was a crepe with nutella on it. Absolutely hideously sweet. Why do they put SO MUCH on the crepe is beyond me. Two bites and that was it!

loathe them both. If I want something sweet on my toast I reach for the honey or the bitter orange marmalade - the sort with lots of peel chunks in it.

Otherwise - marmite rules!

My dad ate Marmite, and I'm not sure why...fermented yeast spread...hmmm...
As for the original question:
NUTELLA RULES!
It is the Christmas season here in Firenze, and you can now by Nutella in 3 kg/6.6lb jars.
I have died and gone to Nutella heaven...

too funny!

I have just moved to Prague and just discovered Nutella. It is fantastic, but, alas, too addictive!! (I realized I had eaten most of our first jar myself and had to throw the rest away!)

Please note: I have never eaten Nutella on anything other than a spoon, but will have to buy smaller jars with caution in the future....

love PB...wish I had some apples....mmm, mmm...goodness!

NeilOz, you may be right about Elvis: location is, sometimes, destiny!

To RufusTFirefly:

Yes, thank you, I know white bread is wheat, it's just the way it's commonly referred to here. When I said mostly on some type of wheat, I meant on some type of whole grain wheat. You know, one time, I had a protracted argument with someone about pasta being wheat and just basically being boiled rather than baked. Basically, anyway. Convincing THAT person that pasta was made from wheat grain was difficult, at best.

And David_West, as for the Marmite thing, I've actually had some before, and Vegemite, too. I can stand both easily (yet spread lightly), and I think probably I like Vegemite a bit more. And really, regarding the infamously feared pb&j, I'd much rather have jam on lightly buttered toast, really. But very, very, rarely (and even as a child I didn't eat many of them, cheese sandwiches were better), I do feel the need for a pb&j. Jam on toast, however, always tastes right. Now wouldn't you call jam & toast sweet? Very sweet to me! But you're right, American tastes can be quite over-the-top sweet (and yes, I'd say Southern tastes are sweeter). Yet, other than the occasional offensive pb&j, for myself, I'm really not a huge fan of sweets. Cheese, on the other hand...

And the only ice cream I occasionally eat is vanilla (and what's up with jelly/jello on ice cream -- now that sounds like an odd overkill). Actually, I sound a bit like a sweet junkie, don't I. *ponder* I really do rarely eat these things, though!

And I still vote no on the Nutella (ick).

I just found this link:

http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/0-9/4realvolvo/features/june/eat_icecream.html

According to that article, on average, Americans eat 21 litres of ice cream each, per year, whereas the British eat, on average, 8 litres of ice cream each, per year. Mostly vanilla (most definitely the most savory, imo).

But seriously, 21 litres each, per year?? I think there are a few Americans eating all of the ice cream for the rest. I think I probably average about 3 to 4 litres per year. 21?! It sounds ridiculous. But I guess the myth of Americans and sweets must be true.

MacPrague: Just use a smaller spoon.

http://www.illovosugar.com/pdfs/2005part6.pdf#search='per%20capita%20sugar%20consumption'

Info on per capita sugar consumption--top 5 consuming nations per capita are:
Brazil, Mexico, Australia, EU, and Swaziland. USA is 7th.

Wonder if Brazil's use of sugar cane to produce fuel is included in the numbers?

I seriously think that the US is probably only 7th because of the high-fructose corn syrup scourge. If we stopped this corn-subsidy sugar-replacement madness, the USA would probably be much higher on that list, if not 1st. And I think between the two, sugar is a lot healthier than high-fructose corn syrup (which I saw someone, mention somewhere, that our bodies do not recognize as sugar -- don't know about the validity of that statement, though).

Oh, and it's not like a sugar-substitute, with lower calories or anything, it's just a different, more insidious sweet (and not as tasty as true, honest-to-goodness, sugar, imo).

Kiahlin: yes, sugar is healthier then corn syrop, less addictive and not as bad for liver. Read the labels and try to avoid that "corny stuff"

FainaAgain --

I'd love to, but it is very hard in the USA to avoid the stuff (I drink way too much soda), but I admit, probably not impossible.

All the more reason for me to exit stage-left and make my great escape to a commonwealth country! I could go to Canada, as I was born there, but it's too bloody much like the USA. *runs from the other Canadians*

I live in USA. I even live in San Francisco! Just switch to Club Soda