We are used to embellishing the Christmas tree with baubles and various decorations, and although chocolates and sweets may appear here and there, they are certainly not part of the traditional decorations. Except in one country, theHungarywhere specials exist Christmas candy, covered in chocolate, called “szaloncukrok“, singular “szaloncukor“.
They are wrapped in shiny and colored sheets, which give them a very pleasant appearance, making them perfect to use as decorations for the Christmas tree.
The word can be literally translated as “parlor candy“. The link between the two things is quickly explained: these sweets, towards the end of the 19th century, decorated the Christmas trees of “good” lounges in Budapestperforming a double function.
On the one hand they filled the tree with colour, on the other they were offered to guests as a sweet surprise. Only later, with mass production starting in the 1950s, did they become available to all of society, albeit in a limited number of flavors.
As for theirs originsthe ones who brought them to Hungary in the 19th century were probably German traders and sweets producers. The trees, in those days, were decorated with gingerbread, dried fruit and paper decorations, but the Hungarians had the brilliant idea of adding sweets.
Nowadays they are easy to find even in neighboring countries, but given that they continue to enjoy enormous popularity in Hungary, they are considered to be a specialty of the country in all respects. There are now over 150 different flavours, from classic marzipan to caramel, from coconut to hazelnut, from strawberry to cherry. What a delicious Christmas!
SOURCES: hungarianconservative/Budapest Christmas
