Ice Cream of the Year Revealed

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This year, the spa town of Hajdúszoboszló, known for Europe’s largest spa complex, was the venue for the “roadshow” of the prestigious “Ice Cream of the Year” competition. Organized by the Hungarian Confectioners’ Association (Magyar Cukrász Ipartestület), the competition aimed to promote the high quality and variety of artisan ice cream for years. Once again, the title of “Ice Cream of the Year” was awarded to an exceptional creation.

The competition, which traditionally has a festival-like character, was held as part of a municipal event in Hajdúszoboszló. From Saturday morning until early afternoon, the participants prepared their creations in a fully equipped ice cream lab in front of the public. This gave visitors a unique opportunity to gain some insight into the secrets of ice cream making, Magyar Nemzet reports, citing a press release from the organizers.

According to the industry association, in addition to the traditional and “free from” competition categories,

a new category, “Pávai’s Favourite,” was announced this year in honor of the host, Hajdúszoboszló, and to mark the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the medicinal waters of Hajdúszoboszló.

One of the favorite pastries of Dr. Ferenc Vajna Pávai, geologist and known as the “father of thermal water,” was apple pie, hence apple flavored and apple pie flavored ice creams were eligible for this category.

This year’s “Ice Cream of the Year” competition attracted a record 100 entries in five categories, and together with the award-winning Hungarian ice cream specialties of previous years, over 130 ice creams were on offer throughout the day.

The ice creams were judged by a jury of master pastry chefs, members of public and professional organizations. According to the experts, the creativity of the competitors was once again boundless.

In the artisan categories, the traditional flavors were joined by innovative flavor combinations – from orange caramel brown butter ice cream, spicy masala tea ice cream, to malted pecan ice cream.

Cottage cheese was the hit base flavor, while berries were the main fruit flavor: raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants, and strawberries were a surprise in several ice creams, along with jostaberries and chokeberries. Some ice creams also featured bold spices, such as wild pepper from Madagascar, rose pepper, or the spicy Timur pepper. In the “Pávai’s Favorite” category, apple was usually flavored with the classic cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, but there were also more exciting ingredients such as apple brandy or apple cider.

In addition to last year’s winner “Pumpkin Seed Sorbet with Red Berry Fruit,” ice cream specialties presented at the event also included “Caramel Corn Ice Cream,” “Creamy Tiramisu Ice Cream with Extra Crunchy Coffee Crunch,” and “Coffee and Milk Chocolate Variegato,” as well as “Dobos Cake Revolution,” created in ice cream form to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Hungarian traditional Dobos cake this year.

In a very strong field, the results were as follows:

• “Ice cream of the year” (winner of the competition of pastry shops and artisan ice cream parlors): “Dörgicsei mandulás” (“Almond from Dörgicse”) by Sándor Márton, Bagaméri Fagylaltozó, Balatonfüred.
• “All free” category (best sugar-, gluten-, lactose- and milk protein-free ice cream): “Salty pistachio sorbet with blackcurrant and blueberry” by Ágnes Böröczky-Asztalos, Margaréta Fagyizó, Balatonszemes.
• “Pávai”s Favorite” category: “Tündérpite” (“Fairy pie”) by Márton Sándor, Bagaméri Fagylaltozó, Balatonfüred.

Special prizes:

• Audience Award: “Pistachio with candied citrus fruits” – Éva Heléna Marsa, Vanília&Gelarto, Nagykőrös.
• Special prize of the professional organizations: “Balatoni mámoros csokoládé” (“Balaton intoxicated chocolate”) – Nándor Bergmann, Kis Bergmann Cukrászda, Balatonfüred.
• Special prize of the First Hungarian Order of White Table Knights: “Camelia” – László Gyuris, Virág Cukrászda, Szeged.
• Quality prize for artisan ice cream: Márton Sándor, Bagaméri Fagylaltozó, Balatonfüred.

Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image: Pexels