Budapest Chocolate Factory Wins Gastronomic ‘Oscar’

Hungary Today 2023.08.02.

Bonbonier Chocolate Manufactory has won an international competition for its oolong-raspberry rose tea flavored candies and its cinnamon hot chocolate. Both products were awarded one star each at the Great Taste Awards, Magyar Nemzet reports.

“I have wanted to make tea candies for a long time, but I never had the motivation. When we brought this special oolong raspberry rose tea to our café gallery last year, I found that customers raved about it. I did not need any more inspiration than that, I kept tasting and smelling, and suddenly it occurred to me how well this flavor could work with a twist, like with peanut praline. It worked. That is how this creation was born, and I can say that it turned out to be a very exciting candy,” says Nóra Erdélyi, Bonbonier‘s chocolate master, whose two creations won awards at the Great Taste Awards this year.

About the making of the winning candy, Nóra Erdélyi shared the following:

I prepared a thick, rich-tasting chocolate cream from tea boiled with cream, that we made really exciting with crunchy praline.”

The judges highlighted the sensationally beautiful appearance of the candy, as well as the way the fruity acidity of the Venezuelan dark chocolate used in the candy harmoniously supports the extravagant flavors of the oolong-raspberry-rose cream.

“I tried a lot of exotic spice dishes this year, inspiring the recipe for our hot chocolate,” says the chocolate maker, who runs a very cozy café on Ráday Street, Budapest, with her partner. “The natural, aromatic vanilla notes of our Ecuadorian hot chocolate are complemented by cinnamon spice. We make this harmoniously rich, velvety hot chocolate both as a hot beverage to be consumed on the spot and as a packaged product to be prepared at home,” said the owner, who was surprised at how popular the product remains even in the hot summer. “I am proud that after the candy awards in previous years, this year we were able to win a star at the Great Taste Awards with our hot chocolate,” she emphasized.

Another candy creation that was awarded at the 2021 Great Taste Award: The Pistachio Salted Caramel Candy. Photo: Facebook/Bonbonier

Fact

The Great Taste Awards is a competition organized by the English Guild of Fine Food, known throughout the world as the Oscars of the food industry. This year, a wide range of products were nominated in 35 categories, covering the entire spectrum of gastronomy, from chocolate and dairy products to meats and wines. From March to June, a panel of 500 chefs, food critics, experts, and food bloggers tasted and evaluated the nominated products. Of the 12,000 products submitted, only about 200 were selected to receive the highest rating of three stars. According to the organizers, the Great Taste stars and logo are signs to consumers around the world that they are buying a product of outstanding quality and taste.

Erdélyi’s childhood dream was to become a chocolate maker and start a small manufactory with a cozy store, which she opened in 2012 with her partner Tamás Csomor, who is responsible for the business side of the company.

As a true Hungarian enterprise, they are growing and developing year by year, but for the time being they only approach the foreign market via the internet, although they usually exhibit at the Vienna Advent Fair.

The café in Budapest. Photo: Facebook/Bonbonier

In their shop they make artisan chocolates that contain no vegetable palm oil, additives, or flavorings. They work with high quality ingredients in small quantities and the products are handmade or handcrafted.

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The awards ceremony was held in the Parliament building, where this year's St. Stephen's Day bread was also presented.Continue reading

Via Ungarn Heute, Featured image via Facebook/Bonbonier