Several years ago, I had a frozen ice cream dessert that I simply can’t forget. It was a lovely layering of super-thin chocolate and soft vanilla ice cream, luscious and decadent. Surprisingly, I didn’t encounter this memorable dessert at a fancy restaurant; it was readily available at my local grocery store.
Then all of a sudden and without warning, it vanished. My local grocery store no longer carried it and neither I nor my husband could find it at any other store. We tried. Man, we tried. The problem was (or so I thought) that I simply couldn’t remember the name of the dessert. Without that bit of information, it was exceedingly difficult to explain what I was looking for to anyone else. After a year or so I gave up. But every so often, and for the next several years, I would check the frozen section hoping to spot something that looked like what I remembered.
Then I happened to mention it in conversation with my folks around the dinner table on New Year’s Eve. My mom instantly knew what I was talking about. She’d loved the dessert too and had also noticed it’s sudden disappearance. She thought about it carefully and then said, “It was a Vienna-something”. That was enough for my husband to do a Google search and discover the name that had eluded us for years:
Breyers Vienetta.
Heaven on earth.
Once I’d had my memory jogged, it was a cinch to find more information online. I still remember this commercial for Vienetta:
Apparently Vienetta is still available in Europe, distributed by Unilever, and quite popular. But for some strange reason still unknown to me, it was discontinued in the United States, despite the fact that it seems I was not the only person who still dreams of this dessert. At least I am not alone in wishing this was still available in the U.S. I would not be surprised if it was all due to some kind of legal problem regarding a U.S. patent or some such.
At least the production video is still available on YouTube. It makes me wonder how difficult it would be to create something like this at home.
Ah, Vienetta. How I miss thee.
Update (April 20, 2010):
This has been, hands-down, one of the most popular blog posts I’ve ever written (and that includes thousands of entries on previous blogs over the last decade). Obviously I’m in good company – there’s a LOT of you out there that miss this lovely dessert.
What could be more maddening than remembering this, craving it and discovering it had been discontinued? Finding out that it was brought back, for a limited time and that I missed it.
Yup, that’s right. It was back. Well … sort of. And now it’s gone again.
Apparently Unilever brought out a “Viennetta” branded dessert for the 2008/2009 winter holidays in the United States. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) the product was back off the shelves in February of 2009, which explains why my searches for it have been fruitless (ice creamless?) since people started reporting seeing it in January of 2009.
Why fortunately? It wasn’t exactly the same product we remember. The original was made with Breyer’s ice cream and this temporary holiday fix wasn’t even made with real ice cream. Ingredients were: “nonfat milk, sugars, whey, cocoa, propylene glycol monoesters, cellulose gels, mono and diglycerides, locust bean gum, polysorbate 80, guar gum, natural flavor and carrageenan.”
Oh why do they vex us so? *sigh* At least we’ve got the memories. Right?
Update (March 15, 2012):
Thank you all for your comments! For those of you who haven’t read through them all, here’s some useful information:
Thank you to “Patrick” who apparently lives in Europe where the dessert is still available:
I just read this post and I’m sorry to see you guys have to miss out on this wonderful desert.
If it is at all helpful, i have some contact information with the company itself, you could try and see if you can get some pamphlets or information to bring to your local supermarkets?
Unilever N.V.
Corporate Centre
Visitingadres: Weena 455 – 3013 AL Rotterdam The Netherlands
Postadres: Postbus 760 – 3000 DK Rotterdam The Netherlands
Tel.: +3110 – 217 40 00
Fax: +3110 – 217 47 98
Internet: http://www.unilever.com
Also a big thank you to “Desdemona” who points out:
Please, there’s a petition to bring it back! Sign it and tell everyone you know to sign it, too.
[Petition Online is no longer available. – FR 08/26/2015]
“Rick” from Palo Alto, CA adds:
For those jonesing for the heroin that is Vienetta…I present to you your methadone: Voileta.
It’s a Vienetta knock off that isn’t exactly the same, but contains the same elements. The crispy chocolate layers are fewer and thicker (most likely because Dadu decided to add peanuts) and the Violeta cake is just not as pretty as a Vienetta…But I’m sure the differences are all about circumventing copyrights.
Best of all, I found this at my local Whole Foods. If your local Whole Foods doesn’t carry Violeta, you can always ask since Dadu is already part of their supply chain.
Correction: The crispy layers on the Violeta has hazelnut pieces…Not peanuts.
And yes, Violeta is delicious and has SOME of the same textural creamy/crispy mouth-feel as Vienetta…But Vienetta was much more subtle with the thinner crispy chocolate layers.
[NOTE: I had to briefly close comments on all my blog posts because of a flood of spam. I’ll reopen it at soon as I’ve got that all under control. FR 01/27/2015]
[Comments are re-opened! FR 08/26/2015]
I just found Vienetta in a grocery store today. I was shocked to find it as I haven’t seen it since the late 80’s. The grocery store was located on the IL/WI border. It’s not made by Breyers and the didn’t have all the flavor choices – just chocolate and vanilla but I thought it tasted okay.
OH my goodness! Me too. I’ve been tryign to describe this for about 5 years because I’ve had the craving since then. I wish I could find it like priscilla. I’d have a vienetta party or something – yes, it’s worth celebrating.
I’m happy there’s someone else out there who has lost this very desirable love and is in search of it.
Please bring back Vienetta/Viennetta people, please for the love of greatness.
p.s. Enjoyed the article.
I also used to love this ice cream. My sister-in-law and I would get it all the time, mostly on lasagna night b/c it kinda seemed to fit right in. But then it disappeared. Imagine my surprise when I was at my local Bi-Lo a few weeks ago and there it was, in all it’s glory. I am waiting till I know my sister-in-law will be able to come over before I get any, but I did snap a pic w/ my cell and sent it to her. She was so excited. Woohoo.
when i was younger i use to live in california with my family
me and my sisters would FIGHT over it.
i hadn’t had it for years..like 6 years.
but i remeber it al right.
the rich flavors, the pretty designs… i want it next time i go to kroger..
:D thank goodness it’s in US again!!!! :DDDDD
I have Bi-Lo here!!! I’m looking for this tomorrow morning as I can’t go to the store tonight! Every1 cross their fingers for me!!! Will report back if I find it!
Yup we have it in Chattanooga, TN!! YEAH!!! It’s just Vienetta brand now still has the Unilever logo on bottom tho. I’m so happy!!!
I am SO jealous! We keep looking in our local grocery store for it. I think maybe I’ll just ask the manager about it.
OMG! this i crazy your story is about the exactly the same is mine. i just happened to crave it today so i called my dad and tried to describe it to him and sure enough he remembered and told me the name of it. so i imediatly googled it and the first thing i saw was your article. My world was lightened up when i heard i wasnt the only one wondering where it was. And now that i no i may still be able to find it WHOOO!!! i dont have a bi lo here though. All i have is Kroger, harris teeter, and food lion in Durham, NC. But i am going to search even harder starting tommorow.
For all those on the east and in the north of the US I’m happy to say I’ve found Vienetta at Quality Markets in Dunkirk NY. Quality is part of BiLo with seems to have Vienetta in the south. I’m going to look to see if Vienetta is at Quality Markets in Union City in PA. But for all those yes Vienetta is in the worth east!
i am so jealous of you guys who found it…i’ve been looking for it for WEEKS and i’m trying to order it online places and trying to get my job (publix) to order it again but they can’t find a place to order it. i live in florida so if any one of you have any idea where to exactly get it, PLEASE PLEASE let me know.
I live in Michigan and every Christmas I try looking for this treat. Have been unable to find for years. I remember my mom having this for the holidays. If anyone knows where I can find this in Michigan PLEASE let me know. Thanks
I did a Google to find it too, was just sitting here craving it once again. I haven’t seen it in I don’t know how long. It’s great to hear so many ppl like it and that it is available out there some. Anyone in Texas come across it? Please let me know.
I live in Oregon, and I can buy Vienetta at a local store (and have been on-and-off for the last three months). FOR NINETY NINE CENTS A PIECE.
We have a chain called “Grocery Outlet” in part of the country, and they generally carry overstock/near-date/mispackaged and other items for discount prices. They are one of the only chains that regularly carries out-of-region items (for instance, Edy’s Ice Cream, which is regularly branded Dreyer’s in this part of the country), and they have things I’ve never seen in other local stores. This has been one of their big items recently advertised… and they’ve sold a HUGE amount, particularly for the price.
Needless to say, I stocked up. I purchased about twenty of them total (on various occasions). The first shipment had two flavors, but the last one simply had vanilla. Still, it quenched a craving I’ve had for well over a decade.
Incidentally, it is not a regularly stocked item at this store. Obviously someone has a LOT of product to unload.
I am so glad to know that I am not alone in this wish. Your success encourages me , I’m gonna start looking in Rhode Island again. Although I’m not quite ready to make a road to New York…..yet.
I am SO jealous! We keep looking in our local grocery store for it. I think maybe I’ll just ask the manager about it.
This post made me both so happy and so sad. I’ve been craving Viennetta for YEARS and finally today decided to see if I could have it shipped from the UK. Knowing the ingredients are different makes me leery so I think I may have to just say goodbye to my dream! But it’s good to know I’m not the only one who loved it!
I live in England and Viennetta is available in every supermarket and small store all over the country. Weird to think, something that I walk past at least once a week has caused so many ice cream lovers in the USA upset!! And I can assure you all that the UK Viennetta is unbelievably good!! I obviously dont know what the ingredient changes are (if any) from the one you all know and love but the one I buy here is amazing trust me!! My boyfriend has had to ween me off it and I can now only buy it on special occasions :(
The main 2 flavours here are Vanilla (and choc) and Mint (and choc) both are just as good as each other. Cant believe this product was discontinued in the US?? Maybe if the CEO of Viennetta read this blog he would reconsider his market hahahaha.
Hope you all get the chance to have it again.
Lauren x
I HAVE LITERALLY CRAVED VIENETTA SINCE JULY 2009. I would have craved it longer, but I was only introduced to it then. :( My family and myself were traveling in China, and as we were walking around in Beijing, we found this marvelous delight called Vienetta.
YUM.
Everyone else in my family already knew about it, except for me, of course. But once I tasted it, I knew that it was the best thing that had ever happened to me!!!!
Nah, not the best thing. But pretty close.
My sister and I were sitting here today, trying to find it online. Wewere trying to get it shipped from the UK, too! (Kat, we think alike) But it’s nowhere to be found. :(
Oh, Vienetta, how I wish I could eat you again.
I just read this post and i’m sorry to see you guys have to miss out on this wonderfull desert.
If it is at all helpfull, i have some contact information with the company itself, you could try and see if you can get some pamflets or information to bring to your local supermarkets?
Unilever N.V.
Corporate Centre
Visitingadres: Weena 455 – 3013 AL Rotterdam The Netherlands
Postadres: Postbus 760 – 3000 DK Rotterdam The Netherlands
Tel.: +3110 – 217 40 00
Fax: +3110 – 217 47 98
Internet: http://www.unilever.com
Vienetta is also available in China! It needs to make it’s way back here…
Bring it back! I think about Vienetta all of the time. I haven’t found anything like it. BRING IT BACK!
Please, there’s a petition to bring it back! Sign it and tell everyone you know to sign it, too.
http://www.petitiononline.com/brvien10/petition.html
Agghhh this has been perplexing me that last few years. I recall seeing it as a child in the 90s and early 2000s (heh. Im 22 lol) Im pregnant and has a SERIOUS craving for it but could only describe it as “lasagna ice cream” LOL and I just got that look from people, like Id gone off my rocker. Well, I decided to post about it on Facebook. Low and behold..many others miss it and cant find it BUT I recently relocated to Germany (thank you Air Force!) and several of my friends here had spotted it at the local Germany grocery stores!!! Theyd had no clue it was once in the US lol oh man. It was like fate brought us together haha wish I could ship it to all of you deprived citizens that are stateside! :)
There is a new ice cream flavor put out by Breyers (a Unilever brand) named “Chocolate Crackle” that instantly reminded me of “Vienetta” but I could not remember the name until I did some online searching. I think the hard to remember name and high price may have contributed to it being discontinued.
Give the “Chocolate Crackle” flavor a try, it’s not quite the same but close. I’m sure if you threw some Cool Whip or similar on top it would be nearly identical in taste.
I heard the other day that this is Prince William’s favorite dessert, so maybe with all the interest in the big wedding, it’ll prompt them to bring it back again. :)
That would be awesome!
I have been looking for this for so long. The last time I had it is when my nephew was eight years old. Today is his birthday and he is eighteen. I am happy to see I am not alone in this.
Yay I’m not crazy! Basically the same thing happened to me. Out of no where I thought about this Vienna Ice Cream thing and how much I loved it. Then after talking to my family they remembered as well. Lots of internet searches I was sad to find out it was discontinued in the U.S.
I loved Viennetta as a kid and was so excited to find it in the store again a couple years ago! We stocked up on it, but it was gone a couple months later :( You say the ingredients were different. I believe you, but it still tasted great to me :) Maybe they’ll bring it back again!
Oh man, how I miss Vienetta.. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve had it. They stopped selling it where I was from (NY) and I haven’t found it at any stores since then. Now I live in Texas and its not here either. Makes me so sad. This is by far the best ice cream I’ve ever had. The ice cream is so soft and creamy and the layers of chocolate all hard and crunchy are the perfect balance. Nothing I’ve ever had compares to Vienetta. I WISH it would come back!!
I live in the UK and it’s still available here. In fact I have a mint one in the freezer but I don’t think it will stay there for long :-)
Oh how I miss me some Vienette! I still always look for it whenever I go to the store, but no luck. I also love Jello Pudding Pops which are really hard to find in Baltimore, but at least they are still around.
I was literally just trying to explain this delicious dessert to my husband, and decided to try and find it on the net to show him. Low and behold, I happened along this blog, and the story I had told my husband matched up exactly to the begining of this post. ~~Crazy!
I remember having this dessert once with my mom when I was a kid, and I will never forget how DELICIOUS it was.
Just wanted to say thank you for helping me to solve this mystery.
I’ve just had some of it. : )
I feel so sorry for you non Europeans right now…
Someone at Unilever must be an idiot.
There is clearly huge following of lovers of Vienetta in US, yet they ignore it for number of years. They can make killing on it, yet they do not care.
I have written to Good Humor (US branch of Unilever distributor) number of times and always got dry response – discontinued.
Yes, It is available in China and I enjoy it there every trip there. They have it in three versions – family size, then small tub (3x3x2 inches) then on a stick, believe it or not!
We ALL need to start flooding Good Humor/Unilever with complaints until they bring it back. Good Humor is headquartered in US, Uniulever is in UK. Vienetta started as an original italian product by Algida (now owned by Unilever).
For those jonesing for the heroin that is Vienetta…I present to you your methadone: Voileta.
http://www.daduicecream.com/cat-05.shtml
It’s a Vienetta knock off that isn’t exactly the same, but contains the same elements. The crispy chocolate layers are fewer and thicker (most likely because Dadu decided to add peanuts) and the Violeta cake is just not as pretty as a Vienetta…But I’m sure the differences are all about circumventing copyrights.
Best of all, I found this at my local Whole Foods. If your local Whole Foods doesn’t carry Violeta, you can always ask since Dadu is already part of their supply chain.
Correction: The crispy layers on the Violeta has hazelnut pieces…Not peanuts.
And yes, Violeta is delicious and has SOME of the same textural creamy/crispy mouth-feel as Vienetta…But Vienetta was much more subtle with the thinner crispy chocolate layers.
We bought one, probably every week way back when. I always keep an eye out for it but havent seen it in way too long. I still remember how awesome it was. The hard chocolate layers made it heaven. Bring it back please!
I have been searching to see if I could have the most incredible thing I have ever tasted in my mouth shipped overseas…… they won’t do it. When I was pregnant I was obsessed with finding the tasty chocolate/ice cream log of greatness. Obviously, to no avail. Breyer’s website has stated that it wasn’t a popular item and they had to do away with it. I have found many blogs and posts about people wanting/needing this delight. I find it very hard to believe that there was just not enough clientele. I wish they would bring back the original. Even if it is only once a year around Christmas or something. Then I could stock up for the year; but I would always know it is coming back around the holidays.
OMG..i’ve been searching for the same thing….i was really young when i had this…why did it disappear??? Thank you for your blog….
We used to buy this when we lived in Canada, but since moving to Houston in 1991, we can’t find it anywhere here.
Loved the Mint flavoured one best and wished they’d bring it back.
IMHO the reason it isn’t available in the US is because some CEO exploited it and ruined it basically. Some years ago they started advertising heavily on TV which massively increased demand. Then they jacked the price up AND began changing the formulation…reducing the layers of chocolate, reducing quality of ingredients etc. which in turn raised massive profits but ruined the product to eat so everyone stopped buying it. Now they don’t make any money by selling it in the US because they exploited it into ruin for a quick buck.
I’d say there are some executives somewhere living it up at our expense. Who cares if one can make a fast buck but it ruins something good forever?
Oh dear Lord above- please tell me that some day those unconscionable tosspots responsible for robbing us all of our most cherished childhood frozen treat will see the unprofitable error of their ways and once again send forth the ribbons of vanilla lusciousness and crackling crannies of chocolate in a triumphant throwback to rival even the success of 80s rock band print tees lobbed at us by Target and Urban Outfitters. WITH Breyers, original packaging, non-negotiable. I don’t need to be insulted any more than I already have been by new CareBears with their oversized heads, etc.
When I was studying abroad for a semester in Aberdeen, Scotland 2 years ago, I nearly hyperventilated when I looked down in the freezer at the local grocer outside my dorm and saw the most heavenly dessert ever created…Vienetta!!! I hadn’t tasted that frozen perfection in almost a decade, so the for the next 12 weeks, I ate one-and-a-half Vienetta logs a week! Seeing this blog today when I was suddenly craving it again has given me hope! I pray that the powers-that-be at Unilever see the loyal (and profitable) market here on this side of the pond and bring Vienetta back. To refuse to do so redefines cruel and unusual punishment :(.
http://www.petitiononline.com/brvien10/petition.html
There’s a petition!!! I signed it, because all I have are memories of the commercial.
Oh wow! That’s fantastic. Thanks for the info. :)
I remember having this when I was younger, and my parents not giving me more than one slice. I thought, “When I grow up, I’m going to buy one and EAT THE WHOLE THING BY MYSELF.” Then, it went away. Damn you, Breyer’s! Damn you! :)
This may be where a big box store like Costco could come in handy. I heard if there’s enough requests, the Costco Buyers will actually look into adding the item to their shelves. I’ve had fond memories of this dessert as well =)
I am pregnant and craving the creamy goodness of vienetta!!!! until our friends across the pond wise up and bring our love of layered ice cream back to us I am going to hunt down an alternitive, but I am not happy about it. I have also emailed Breyers and Good humor, so fingers to petition to bring Vienetta back state side. This should be a national cause! thanks for proving me not insane.
Hah! Thank you and everyone else for all the comments. I feel less silly about fondly remembering a dessert now.
I am 25 and fondly remember eating this as a kid. I can remember pretending to eat it out of “fancy glass” like in the commercial, even though it was just in a regular bowl. I always tried to convince my mom to serve the Vienetta off of a platter, too! (I had quite the imagination!) While watching last week’s episode of Glee, it was mentioned and my mouth instantly watered. Before this episode, I, too, couldn’t recall the full name and could only remember Vienna-something.
Oh, Vienetta, please come back to me in your original creamy, tasty form that I oh-so fondly remember!!
Thank you for letting me know I am not alone in my quest for Vienetta! :)
You’re welcome! I’m glad to hear it got a mention on Glee, maybe that’ll spur a come-back for it?
and people are still searching for this ice cream…..anyone stationed in europe that can fly these over stateside?
Whoever would do this for us deprived yanks would make a lot of instant friends.
Just a heads up.. It was just released in Japan under the company Morinaga/Unilever. It comes in vanilla and chocolate. Japan also has an ice cream cone that reminded me of Vienetta, and I was shocked to see Vienetta in Japanese supermarkets. It took me back to my childhood while I was eating it. I’m a little worried that it will disappear in Japan because most new products don’t last or have a limited release. Add Vienetta to your Japan experience!
Thanks for the info! Now I just need to make friends with someone in Japan.