Spread Wars: The Return of the Crunchy

Michael D'Agostino of The World As I See It is collecting pro-peanut butter blog-uments to continue (or end) the Spread Wars of 2012, a battle begun between him and fellow Aussie, Rusty of Swinging Like a Rusty Gate. (Those two links are, I believe, the two posts that started Spread Wars. Read the comments to get an idea of the extent of these debates.)

If size counts, we've already won!

~~~




If Rusty posted more often, perhaps he could garner such support for his spread of choice, Nutella. Just sayin'.
~~~

 

Now, I realize the posts that are collecting are all purely opinion, and I assume the goal here is to establish a consensus, not "prove" one is "better". (I'm actually not going to read the other arguments collecting on Michael's blog until I've posted this.) Opinion or not, I really don't see how there can be a debate!

 

I'm not going to cite facts and stats. Calories, schmalories. As far as health goes, neither spread is as good for you as an apple (which is best when sliced and spread with peanut butter, anyway).

 

Although I will mention the fact that peanut butter is much more affordable than Nutella. In the States, at least. Maybe Australia sits in the golden Nutella zone where it is cheapest. But I can't say that price doesn't weigh into my shopping decision!

 

Beyond that, as I started listing the reasons I find peanut butter superior to Nutella, I have to say the big one is guilt. Nutella *feels like* dessert. I know, I know, it's made with hazelnuts...AND CHOCOLATE! Why not grab the Hershey's syrup? Sprinkle it with some ground hazelnuts and you'll have a healthier snack.

 

Which brings me to:
Where's the crunchy Nutella? If it's really made of nuts, there should be a crunchy option.

 

What makes peanut butter superior to Nutella?
Variety. Nutella has no options. In this house, I keep crunchy for myself, my dad likes creamy "with honey", and there is currently Peter Pan creamy because it is the best for baking. I know some moms who like the convenience of peanut butter and jelly blends for use in quick sandwich-making, and of course, the health-nuts organic food eaters can get their kind. Is Nutella organic? I don't think so.

Nuts. See above comment about crunchy Nutella.

Versatility. I get that peanut butter and Nutella can both be spread on just about anything and improve it, but of the two, only peanut butter can be the base. Have peanut butter on your bread? It can stand alone. Feel a need for more sweetness? By all means, add Nutella...or honey... or jam, or fruit preserves. For variety, add cheese (Yes, Michael, I do that too). Or even bologna - something my brother started me on as a kid. The possibilities are endless.

Proven nutrition. (I believe I mentioned this in a comment somewhere.) When I organized a youth event to explore/experience hunger, one of the recipes recommended by World Vision to end our "famine" was peanut-butter based. (The recipe for "PlumpyNut" should be at this link.) Apparently in countries where this charity is assisting starving kids, the product they give to severely undernourished children is this peanut buttery goop. If it's good enough to feed starving children, it must have true value.

 

 

Remember these? From a few posts ago?

All that said, let me say, I am not "anti-Nutella" as I have been accused. I enjoy Nutella, who wouldn't? It's sweet! It's like dessert...and it accompanies peanut butter beautifully. Twice now I have brought different types of peanut butter cookies to the home of my Internet Fiance, and we have spread them with Nutella, and it was good. However, my peanut butter cookies stand alone. They do not require Nutella to be sweet, melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Nutella, frankly, is  superfluous.

I do enjoy both, but can see many more benefits to peanut butter. Given a choice of only one, I take peanut butter. In fact, I make that choice every time I go to the grocery store. I haven't had Nutella in my pantry in years but I always buy a new jar of peanut butter before the current one runs out. You want proof of a winner of Spread Wars? Follow the money.


(On a side note, is the yellow font easier to read? I read someone saying about the difficulty of reading blogs with black backgrounds, and suddenly remembered a study we found when I was captioning videos, about the easiest reading being black on yellow or yellow on black. Let me know if this change helps.)