Gianduja
Gianduja is a paste of roasted hazelnuts, chocolate and sugar, refined to complete smoothness on a mill or in a powerful cutter. Italian standards set the hazelnut content at a minimum of 20–40% depending on the category.
It originated in Turin in the early nineteenth century: the continental blockade made cocoa expensive and scarce, so local chocolatiers replaced part of it with Piedmont hazelnuts. The name comes from Gianduja, a carnival character and symbol of the city.
Gianduja is softer than plain chocolate: the nut oil lowers the melting point, so it melts faster and gives less snap. That has practical consequences — it wants more careful tempering and slightly cooler storage.
It is used as a bonbon filling, as a component in creams and mousses, and as a product in its own right in bars and in giandujotti, the Turin speciality shaped like an upturned boat.