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Comment by jjeaff | Hacker News Reader

Hazelnut spread is one of those things that is much more commonly referred to as the brand name. No one says "Reynolds wrap" they say "aluminum foil".

No one says "hazelnut spread", they say Nutella.

No one says "resealable sandwich bags", they say ziploc bags.

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Most people would just say "sandwich" unless the spread is somehow critical to the tale. I know it's a quote, but it sounds most odd to me as most people I know don't really brand drop in conversation. Coke is probably the big exception there...

TIL what ziploc bags are. Just called "sandwich bags" here. Cling film isn't "sarran wrap" here either. :)

There used to be a distinction in the US: Saran Wrap was made of Saran and was much less oxygen-permeable than other cling films as a result. In a development that represents some kind of evidence about trademark law, Saran Wrap in the US is no longer made of Saran, due to concerns about plasticizers leaching into food; but it is still sold as "Saran Wrap". Here in Argentina, I can still get cling film made of PVDC, just not Saran-brand PVDC.

> Coke is probably the big exception there...

Even then, it may not be. There are plenty of places where Coke has become the generic name for pop, and doesn't necessarily refer to the brand.

> No one says "resealable sandwich bags", they say ziploc bags.

Everyone says resealable bags. I've never even heard the word ziploc. In New Zealand.

In the US, they’re always referred to as ziploc bags. If you called them something else you’d get some confused expressions.

Do they also not use hyperbole in New Zealand?

Perhaps no one in New Zealand, but New Zealand has the population of a small US state.

Nutella though is a sugar-and-palm/vegetable-oil spread, which - probably accidentally - contains traces of hazelnuts, powdered milk and cocoa.

I don't understand the downvoting of the parent here, which is factually correct and worth noting. It's incredibly unhealthy and this is just down to marketing that anybody eats it. You can make really nice chocolate spreads with your own hazelnuts

The needlessly bad-faith "probably accidentally" is factually inaccurate.

Just to clarify: it wasn't bad-faith, I was just (trying to be) sarcastic, as most of the store-bought food nowadays "may contain traces of nuts and/or eggs and/or celery" etc.

Aha, do note that sarcasm mostly goes down badly on hn, because literal people, and jokes historically frowned upon.

Nothing in that comment is factually correct or worth noting. Do you realize what butter, Marmelade, Margarine or vegetable spreads are mostly made of?

>It's incredibly unhealthy and this is just down to marketing that anybody eats it.

Because a spoonful of palm oil and sugar with hazelnut flavoring is tasty?

I think 13% hazelnuts, 8.7% powdered milk and 7.4% cocoa[0], are quite a lot more than "traces". Sure it could be better, but then you could say that about 90% of products in the average supermarket.

[0]Just went into the kitchen to check

> No one says "hazelnut spread", they say Nutella.

For one thing, Nutella is chocolate flavored. No one would ever even consider calling it "hazelnut spread".

It's both!

https://www.amazon.com/Ferrero-Nutella-Hazelnut-Spread-26-5/...

Yes, I'm aware that it's made with hazelnuts. But in order for someone to refer to it as a "hazelnut spread", hazelnuts would have to be the dominant flavor. They're barely there at all.

(Compare the consistency of nutella to the consistency of peanut butter.)

Since we are splitting hairs, the container list the product as; "Hazelnut Spread with Cocoa". Quite prominently, in fact.

Why would your definition be more valid than the manufacturers?

We are discussing in the context of what people use in everyday language. In the U.S., the use of "hazelnut spread" over Nutella is exceedingly rare. Even when dealing with an off-brand, non-nutella "hazelnut spread".

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