Conquering Europe, One Tangy Bite at a Time

Anyone who thinks Hungary has no influence beyond its borders has obviously not been keeping abreast of recent Túró Rudi news. What, you may ask, is a Túró Rudi? Technically speaking, it is a small bar of smooth but tangy curds - túró, which, despite years of local claims to the contrary, is not cottage cheese - covered in a light blanket of chocolate, and sometimes spiked with a vein of fruit preserves or nuts. We, however, think it is the most elegant and addictively delicious mass-produced confection on God's sweet Earth. And now, after years of being cooped up in Hungary, it's taking over Europe.

Friesland and Danone, which jointly own the patent for the Túró Rudi, began their efforts to penetrate surrounding markets a few years ago. Friesland tentatively ventured into Romania in late 2003 with their mainstay Pöttyös Túró Rudi brand (literally "dotted Túró Rudi, and marketed outside Hungary as "Túró Rudi Dots") after Danone did the same in Poland a year earlier with a Rudi product branded as Danio Batonik ("Small Stick"). This was followed by Danone's move into the Czech Republic last summer, and the Pöttyös punch into Slovakia in the fall. Friesland is now heavily advertising its product in Slovakia, reports index.hu, following an early introduction in Romania, where the piquant treats are now produced locally, having turned out to be more popular than killing Ceauşescus.

We've eaten so many we're seeing dots

Both manufacturers are now planning to expand even further before the end of the year, but are keeping tight-lipped about how and where they next plan to push the lip-smacking delicacy. There is truth to the rumor, however, that products will undergo minor improvements to cater to local tastes; Friesland will use milk chocolate coating - the traditional Túró Rudi is decisively dark - while the Danone product will have a splash more vanilla. While eyeing each other's moves warily, the two rivals may actually benefit from a simultaneous debut, as locals find themselves scrambling for any old bite of the new taste sensation. So far, however, Danone is thought to have profited more from the parallel marketing efforts in Slovakia, since, being the second to enter the Slovak market, it only had to follow up Pöttyös's comprehensive media campaign in that country with store promotions and discount offers.

Either way, we are overjoyed to hear that this most scrumptious evidence of Hungarian genius is finally getting the fame and following it deserves. And we are hereby proud to announce that from now on the Pestiside homepage will feature a direct link to the Túró Rudi fanlisting, the official non-official home of Túró Rudi fans the world over, and wholeheartedly encourage you to join us in putting our names down in support of this remarkable contribution to human happiness. If only all of life could be this sweet.