Dessert

Bacio Perugina

Chocolate with a whole hazelnut, gianduja and chopped nuts

also known as bacio, cazzotto

A whole hazelnut on a heart of melted chocolate and chopped nuts, covered in dark chocolate: born in Perugia in 1922, it was first called «Cazzotto», punch.

A whole roasted hazelnut, resting on a soft heart of melted chocolate and chopped hazelnuts, the whole thing coated in dark chocolate and wrapped in silver foil with a small love note tucked inside: this is the Bacio, Italy's most famous chocolate.

It was born in 1922 in Perugia from an idea of Luisa Spagnoli, who, instead of throwing away the leftover chocolate and chopped hazelnuts at the end of the day, turned them into a creamy filling. Its shape, which resembled the knuckles of a closed fist, earned it its first name: «Cazzotto», punch. It was Giovanni Buitoni, co-founder of Perugina alongside Luisa's family, who decided the name would not do: better to ask for a kiss, he thought, than a punch.

For a century the Bacio Perugina has been among the symbols of Italian chocolate around the world, still made to Luisa Spagnoli's original recipe.

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