Here is the Ice Cream of the Year in Hungary!

In 2023, the Hungarian Confectionery Industry Association (Magyar Cukrász Ipartestület) has organised the 25-year-old and very popular Ice Cream of the Year competition. This year’s best ice cream is a really special flavour: pumpkin almond with walnut variations.

The aim of the competition is to promote traditional high-quality handcrafted ice cream, so that the Hungarian confectionery industry can offer its customers better and better quality ice cream, thus creating a demand for healthy and quality handcrafted products, turizmus.com reports.

As in 2019, this year’s competition was once again organised as a festival by the industry association in the framework of a city event. The competitors prepared their entries in front of spectators, so that consumers could learn more about the mysteries of ice cream making. In a fully equipped on-site ice cream laboratory, the competition took place on three professional freezers from morning until early afternoon.

A total of 81 ice creams entered this year’s competition in five categories. There was no compulsory flavour this year either, with no limits to the creativity of the contestants.

In an extremely strong competition, the following results were achieved:

“A” category: competition for confectioners, artisan ice cream makers

Gold medal winner and winner of the Ice Cream of the Year: pumpkin almond with walnut variations – János Somodi – Florida Fagyizó, Balatonmáriafürdő

“M” – Free category: competition for confectioners, artisan ice cream makers (added sugar, gluten, lactose and milk protein free ice cream category)

Gold medal: Almond Garden (Mandulakert) – Roland Kovács – Krém Cukrászda, Székesfehérvár

“Chocolate” category: confectioners, ice-cream makers, raw material manufacturers and distributors were also eligible

Gold medal: Salted caramel pear – József Végh – Krém Cukrászda, Székesfehérvár

“C” category: competition for raw material producers, distributors

Gold medal: Gundels’ favourite (Gundelek kedvence) – Takács Norbert – m-Gel Hungary Kft., Budapest

“C/M-Mentes (Free)” category: competition for raw material manufacturers, distributors

Gold medal: Pomázi V.I.P. Pineapple Strawberry – Takács Norbert – m-Gel Hungary Kft., Budapest