Nocciolini di Chivasso are sweets produced exclusively by hand. They have a golden color and a round shape that resembles a small button. They are composed of: hazelnuts (Tonda Gentile delle Langhe variety), sugar and egg white. They are produced all year round and it seems that they originated around 1810. Their inventor was Giovanni Podio, a master confectioner. His son-in-law, Ernesto Nazzaro, played a decisive role in the promotion and large-scale diffusion of this typical specialty. On the walls of his pastry shop, in the 30’s, stood out the certificates of merit and honors issued by institutions and cities. Among these, the most important was the Royal Coat of Arms, as supplier of the Royal House of His Majesty King Vittorio Emanuele III and the Dukes of Genoa. Until around the 30s, the hazelnut was called Noisettes, the French name of the main ingredient. The advent of Fascism led to the abolition of all foreign names, so the name Noisettes was changed to Nocciolini.
