Túró Rudi facts for kids
Túró Rudi is a popular snack from Hungary. It has been around since 1968. It's a bar with a thin chocolate coating. Inside, it's filled with a creamy dairy product called túró, which is like a soft cheese or curd. The name "Rudi" comes from the Hungarian word "rúd," meaning rod or bar. It's also a nickname for "Rudolf." Túró Rudi comes in many different flavors and sizes.
The most common type is the plain, "natúr" bar. It's usually cheaper and very popular. You can find it in two sizes: the classic 30-gram (1.1 oz) bar and a larger "óriás" (giant) 51 g (1.8 oz) bar. There are also many flavored versions. Some have fruit jams inside, like apricot, strawberry, or raspberry. Others have flavors like coconut, vanilla, nut, or caramel. You can even find the plain bar with a dark chocolate coating.
The "pöttyös" (meaning "spotty" or "spotted") look is a big part of Túró Rudi's marketing. The famous red polka dots help people easily recognize the snack. In 2003, a company called Friesland Hungária started selling Túró Rudi in other countries like Slovakia, Romania, Spain, and Italy. There, it's called DOTS. The version sold in Western Europe is often sweeter. It also has a milk-chocolate coating to suit local tastes.
Túró Rudi first appeared in a Hungarian family movie in the 1980s. The film was called Kismaszat és a Gézengúzok, which means Little Smear and the Scapegraces.
It's best to keep Túró Rudi in the fridge, around 4 °C (39 °F). A regular 30-gram bar usually costs about 95 Hungarian forints (around 30 euro cents). The larger "óriás" bar costs about 140 Hungarian forints (around 45 euro-cents).
Contents
How Túró Rudi Started
The idea for Túró Rudi came from a snack in Russia. It was called Cырок (Syrok), which means "curd snack." This Russian snack was a rectangular bar of curd, butter, and fat, covered in dark chocolate. It had a thinner coating and a sweeter filling. Many believe Túró Rudi was inspired by it. Its design and production began after someone named Antal Deák visited the Soviet Union.
A teacher named Sándor Klein, from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, gave the snack its name. The name stuck, and Túró Rudi became very popular in the 1970s. Production started in Budapest. Then it moved to Mátészalka. By the 1980s, several more factories were making Túró Rudi.
Different Kinds of Túró Rudi
The original Túró Rudi has changed over the years. Many different companies now make their own versions. People often have strong opinions about which one is the best! The brand name "Pöttyös" legally owns the Túró Rudi name. However, some other companies claim their product is more like the "original" Túró Rudi. They say their bars use real túró and other special dairy ingredients.
Túró Rudi Around the World
Austria
An Austrian company called Landfrisch started selling its own version. They admit it was copied from the original Túró Rudi. Their bar is called Landfrisch Rudi. It also has a chocolate coating. Besides the plain version, they sell vanilla and coconut flavors. In 2005, it even won an award at a big food fair. You can also find it in India.
China
In China, a similar snack has been sold since October 2008. It's called Túró Kiittyy (Image).
Poland
In Poland, the company Danone sells a product that was once known as Danone Túró Rudi. Now, it's sold under the name Danio Batonik.
Russia
In Russia and many other countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, you can still find the original version of this snack. It's rectangular and a bit softer. It's also sweeter than the Hungarian Túró Rudi.
Japan
There aren't any similar snacks made in Japan. However, some Japanese visitors who tried Túró Rudi in Hungary loved it so much that they created a website just to share their love for it!
Túró Rudi in Culture
- In the Hungarian versions of the Richard Scarry children's books, the character Red Baron is called Túró Rudi. This is because "Rudi" is a nickname for Rudolf.
- The Hungarian band 100 Folk Celsius has a song about Túró Rudi.
- There's a short movie called Túró Rudi made by János Kellár.
