Nutella was invented in 1940 during WWII, when an Italian pastry maker mixed hazelnuts into chocolate to extend his chocolate ration.  At the time, cocoa was in short supply due to rationing.

The original version of Nutella was actually called, “pasta gianduja”.  Pasta which means paste and gianduja which is the name of a carnival character famous to the region, a character that can be found in the first advertisements for the product.