I normally roll my eyes at companies’ self-aggrandizing marketing ploys, but today I’m making an exception: Today I’m celebrating the 5th-annual World Nutella Day.

I first tasted Nutella in Wesel, Germany about 27 years ago. My host family served it up as breakfast, accompanied only by dry toast and coffee. I was instantly—irretrievably—addicted. I plunged into a (mild) depression when I came home and discovered that Nutella didn’t exist in the States.

Now it does, of course. You can even find it at Target. But it’s not quite the same, somehow. To me the American version seems sweeter, more runny, and less nutty than its European counterpart.

Maybe that’s just an illusion. But for me, that perceived difference has helped Nutella keep its alluring, foreign mystique.

In fact, eating a Nutella crêpe in Paris remains among my Top Five Favorite Indulgences. If chocolate-and-hazelnut spread were a religion, a Parisian Nutella crêpe would be my pilgrimage.

If you happen to be in Paris, I recommend the small crêpe stand near the corner of rue de la Harpe and rue St. Séverin. It’s in the heart of the tourist-addled Latin Quarter, but it serves up the best crêpes I’ve ever had. Plus, it’s unlikely to run out of Nutella:

But if—like me—you’re not currently in Paris, here’s a recipe for the next-best thing, courtesy of desserts-recipes.com:

I especially love the recipe’s last admonition: “Pretend you’re in a Paris café while you eat.” And pretend that you’re eating European Nutella, too.

Happy World Nutella Day!