« Go back Gianduiotto will have the IGP
The typical Turin chocolate will become a IGP after years of dispute between artisanal tradition and industry. Lindt, the Swiss chocolate giant, has indeed announced that it no longer wants to oppose the decision of the Piedmont Region to obtain this designation.
"It's David's victory against Goliath", exclaims Guido Gobino, owner of the historic Turin chocolate shop of the same name. The dispute began in 2017 when the Gianduiotto IGP Committee made up of 40 Turin chocolate companies and artisans, requested the creation of specifications for this sweet treat. Lindt, which produces its own "gianduiotto" and even has a chocolate bar branded "Torino," opposed this, contesting the recipe and proposing modifications.
Without Napoleon, the gianduiotto would never have been born. In fact, Bonaparte imposed the Continental Blockade on November 21 1806, making it very difficult to obtain cocoa, essential for chocolate production, which had already become one of Turin's trademarks. The master chocolatiers came up with the idea of replacing this raw material with hazelnuts. As for the boat-shaped form of the chocolate, we have to wait until 1865.
The IGP mark is one of the labels aimed at protecting regional specialties.
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