10 delicious retro Hungarian candies you need to try

Hungarian cuisine is relatively well known around the world, with certain Hungarian dishes recognized almost everywhere. But now we present Hungarian candies, which enchant the taste buds with their flavors.

Every now and then, you just want to stay at home curled up in a warm blanket while watching the telly and snacking on some delicious sugary delights. Here is a list of some of the favourite candies of Hungarians. You should try them all!

Hungarian candies

Dunakavics – Danube rocks

Dunakavics are roasted peanuts coated in coloured sugar. They are very similar to peanut M&Ms; however, these are authentic Hungarian products.

The production of the Dunakavics began in 1964, and the dragées still have the same recipe ever since. You can find this delicacy in the stores in blue packaging. The name comes from the fact that, due to the uneven sugar coating, these dragées look like the pebbles at the shore of Danube.

It was the Duna Csokoládégyár (Danube Chocolate Factory) that first started manufacturing them. In the ’90s, the German Stollwerck AG acquired the plant of Budapest Csokoládégyár and the new plant had been moved to Vágóhíd street where it still stands today.

Francia drazsé – French dragée

These cocoa dragées are approximately the Hungarian equivalent of chocolate M&Ms; tiny cocoa balls coated with coloured sugar.

The production of this sweet snack started out at the same time as of Dunakavics; the Danube Chocolate Factory started manufacturing them in 1964. The children soon became very fond of this chocolate to the dismay of parents and doctors who often had to remove them from the children’s nose who stuck them in there for fun.

The current manufacturer, who also owns Dunakavics’s Bonbonetti Choco Kft, kept the original recipe and sells the dragées in red packages. You will easily find them in almost every store. They even come in some new flavours.

Pilóta keksz – Pilot cookies

There are actually three main types of this snack. One that is called Pilóta kakaós is somewhat similar to the popular Oreo but its filling is chocolate flavoured and one of the sides is vanilla while the other is chocolate flavoured biscuit. The other type, called Pilóta vaníliás karika, is a vanilla flavoured ring-shaped biscuit and its bottom is dipped in chocolate. The third type is called Pilóta piskótatallér which is a sponge cake thaler with a small layer of jam on it and the side with the jam is dipped in chocolate to keep the jam side firm.

These cookies have been beloved treats for Hungarians since 1960. The name idea might have come from the fact that the survival kit of the pilots contained biscuits during World War II. Following a couple of changes in ownership, the cookies are currently manufactured by the Mondelez International (Mondelez Hungária Kft.) company.

Sport szelet – Sport bar

It is an iconic Hungarian rum-flavoured chocolate bar coated in dark chocolate. It has been the all-time favourite snack for Hungarians for long decades. Since the beginnings, the manufactureres have changed the packaging a couple of times. Today, this delicious treat is available in different sizes and in several unique flavours.

Sport szelet was born in 1953, and the original packaging depicted a discus thrower. The recipe is still the same, only the size has grown. In 2013, its manufacturer Mondelez Hungária Kft. told the press that they produce 46 million bars a year and Hungarians consume 1,800 tonnes of it.

Macskanyelv – Cat’s tongue

These are 5-8 centimetres long, elongated chocolate bars with wide and rounded ends that somewhat resemble a cat’s tongue. Flavours include white, milk, and dark chocolate. You can eat it right away, or you can use it to decorate sweet dishes.

It was presumably invented by Emil Gerbeaud at the end of the 19th century, although some believe that the idea came from the Austrian Küfferle company. What is certain is that, in Hungary, it was Gerbeaud who served it first for his customers in his confectionary at Vörösmarty square. It can also be found in many other countries.