Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher, with the central hazelnut clear in the cross-section

Ferrero Rocher is a spherical chocolate sweet introduced by Italian chocolatier Ferrero SpA.

Description

Introduced in 1982, the chocolates consist of a whole roasted hazelnut encased in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut chocolate and covered in milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts.[1] The sweets each contain 73 calories and are individually packaged inside a gold-coloured wrapper. Rocher comes from French and means 'rock' or 'boulder',[2] after a grotto in the Roman Catholic shrine of Lourdes, reflecting Michele Ferrero's devout faith. Other notable Ferrero SpA brands include Nutella, Kinder Chocolate and Tic Tac.[3]

Ingredients

Milk chocolate 30% (sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder, anhydrous milkfat, food additives [lecithin, vanillin]), Hazelnuts 28.5%, Sugar, Vegetable oil, Wheat flour, Whey powder, Low-fat cocoa Food additives [lecithin, raising agent, vanillin]. Allergen information: contains milk, hazelnut, gluten, soy.[4]

Advertising

In all countries where the product is sold, the advertising campaigns portray parties or formal occasions in which guests are served Ferrero Rocher by their hosts. Ferrero Rocher is traditionally associated with Christmas and New Year and in some countries it is policy to market Rocher only during winter.

Cultural impact of U.K. advertising campaign

In the United Kingdom in the 1990s, an advertisement series was based upon a party in a European ambassador's official residence and it has been repeatedly parodied in popular culture since.[5] The opening voice-over (by UK actor Jonathan Kydd) explains, "The Ambassador's receptions are noted in society for their host's exquisite taste that captivates his guests".[6] The concept of a butler wandering between party guests holding a silver tray with a pyramid of Ferrero Rocher has become a trope and a popular stereotype of diplomacy in general. There has been discussion about the socio-economic targeting of the advertisement and the extent to which it may or may not be insulting to the more down-market audience to whom it was presented as an aspirational brand by means of an Italian advertisement dubbed in English, such as in this quotation from the New Statesman:

Within this inner sanctum of the smart set, a distinguished manservant glided silently through the moneyed throng, with a pyramid of golden baubles, perched on a silver salver, offering a huge piled plate of the sweets to the guests at an embassy party.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ A Brilliant Idea … Ferrero Rocher.
  2. ↑ "rocher - traduction - Dictionnaire Français-Anglais WordReference.com".
  3. ↑ Nurun Italia. "Ferrero - The most famous products".
  4. ↑ Nurun Italia. "Ferrero.com".
  5. ↑ Wood, Zoe (17 November 2009). "Family behind Ferrero Rocher linked to deal with Cadbury". The Guardian (London).
  6. ↑ Crowther, John (23 April 2011). "You're spoiling us, Mr Ambassador! That laughable Ferrero Rocher advert wasn't a joke at all - it was the Italians' idea of style and class". Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  7. ↑ William Cook (14 February 2000). "Eurochoc". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2009.

External links

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