arany jános – Ingyenes Angol online nyelvtanulás minden nap https://www.5percangol.hu Tanulj együtt velünk Sun, 09 Mar 2025 22:36:47 +0000 hu hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.4 https://www.5percangol.hu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/android-icon-192x192-1-32x32.png arany jános – Ingyenes Angol online nyelvtanulás minden nap https://www.5percangol.hu 32 32 Arany János celebrated in Wales – magyar költőt ünnepeltek https://www.5percangol.hu/news_of_the_world/arany-janos-the-author-of-the-bards-of-wales-celebrated-in-wales/ Fri, 03 Nov 2017 12:44:12 +0000 https://cmsteszt.5percangol.hu/arany-janos-the-author-of-the-bards-of-wales-celebrated-in-wales/ There is a Welsh legend, barely known in Wales, but known by almost every Hungarian. Surprising, isn’t it? Those who have been around St. John the Baptist Church in the centre of Cardiff in the evening of 21 October could learn about the fascinating story of 500 Welsh bards.

Wondering why this story is so well known in Hungary? According to legends, 500 bards were executed by King Edward I for failing to sing his praises at a banquet in Montgomery Castle in 1277. Their story became the symbol of the passive resistance against the Habsburg oppression in the 19th century in Hungary. The great Hungarian poet János Arany wrote a ballad about it (selling it as a translation of a Welsh song to slip through censorship) after refusing to write a poem celebrating the Emperor of Austria, Franz Joseph, in the decade of the absolutist rule following the defeat of the Hungarian revolution of 1848.

Prof Robert Evans, Regius Professor of History at the University of Oxford, said Hungary considered itself similar to Wales, as a nation that had suffered oppression.

“The idea that the bards refused King Edward was part of the Romantic culture of Britain in the 19th Century,” he said. “It was well known even in Europe but it was picked up by Arany due to [political] circumstances which made it famous.”

The poem was only published after Hungary gained independence.

Since then literally every Hungarian has learnt the poem by heart in school. The poem has been translated into English and Welsh, and Welsh composer Karl Jenkins also wrote a cantata based on it in 2011. This makes a really exciting link between Welsh and Hungarian culture, don’t you think?

‘Local people know very little about it at all. In fact it is only recently that I have been spreading the word about it’, Montgomery Mayor Eric Fairbrother told BBC Radio Wales in March 2017 .

Projection mapping is an exciting new projection technique that can turn almost any surface into an interactive, dynamic video display. Instead of projecting on a flat screen, light is mapped onto any surface –this time on the beautiful facade of the centrally located St John the Baptist Church.

The Hungarian Cultural Centre London organised this spectacular show as the year 2017 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author of the poem, the Hungarian “Shakespeare of ballads” János Arany. The animation was projected 4 times every hour from 7pm to 10pm on 21 October.

The show was designed by a group of talented Hungarian visual artists, the Glowing Bulbs / Kiégő Izzók.

The event wasn’t the first to celebrate the renowned Hungarian poet in Wales. On the 2nd of March a special celebration of the life of the poet behind “The Bards of Wales” was held in Budapest. The Mayor of Montgomery, Eric Fairbrother, also participated in the event in Hungary and said that the poem was a “great link” between the two countries. During the televised ceremony Mr Fairbrother presented the honorary status of Freeman of Montgomery to the famous poet posthumously.

source: bbc, YouTube

Quite a lot of of Arany János poems have been translated into English. Can you match the Hungarian and the English titles?

1. Patience and Courage
a. Ősszel
2. The Legend of the Miraculous Hind
b. Enyhülés
3. I Lay Down the Lyre
c. Fiamnak
4. In Autumn
d. Letészem a lantot
5. To My Son
e. Rege a csodaszarvasról
6. Top Hat
f. Családi kör
7. Family Circle
g. Cilinder

Key

1. b.

2. e.

3. d.

4. a.

5. c.

6. g.

7. f.

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Arany János: Családi kör – ahogyan a nagykövetek szavalják https://www.5percangol.hu/mindenfele/angol-arany-janos-csaladi-kor-ahogyan-a-nagykovetek-szavaljak/ Mon, 15 May 2017 12:29:24 +0000 https://cmsteszt.5percangol.hu/angol-arany-janos-csaladi-kor-ahogyan-a-nagykovetek-szavaljak/  

Családi kör (Hungarian)

 

Family circle (English)

 

Este van, este van: kiki nyúgalomba!

Feketén bólingat az eperfa lombja,

Zúg az éji bogár, nekimegy a falnak,

Nagyot koppan akkor, azután elhallgat.

Mintha lába kelne valamennyi rögnek,

Lomha földi békák szanaszét görögnek,

Csapong a denevér az ereszt sodorván,

Rikoltoz a bagoly csonka, régi tornyán.

 

The evening comes and everything is hushed,

while darkly nods the leafy mulberry tree;

a buzzing insect strikes against the wall,

a loud crash follows, there is heard no more.

As if the very clods of earth had legs

the clumsy frogs to rolling everywhere

while round the eves there wheels a wandering bat,

an old owl’s hooting in a ruined tower.

 

Udvaron fehérlik szőre egy tehénnek:

A gazdasszony épen az imént fejé meg;

Csendesen kérődzik, igen jámbor fajta,

Pedig éhes borja nagyokat döf rajta.

Ballag egy cica is – bogarászni restel –

Óvakodva lépked hosszan elnyult testtel,

Meg-megáll, körűlnéz: most kapja, hirtelen

Egy iramodással a pitvarba terem.

 

 

Recently milked by the woman of the house

the white form of a cow is faintly seen

chewing the cud in silence in the yard:

a placid beast, though bothered by her calf.

A cat, too lazy to go chasing flies,

her body stretched, moves slow with cautious steps,

she pauses, looks around and is gone –

she’s fled into the hall with sudden speed.

 

Nyitva áll az ajtó; a tüzelő fénye

Oly hivogatólag süt ki a sövényre.

Ajtó előtt hasal egy kiszolgált kutya,

Küszöbre a lábát, erre állát nyujtja.

Benn a háziasszony elszűri a tejet,

Kérő kis fiának enged inni egyet;

Aztán elvegyűl a gyermektársaságba,

Mint csillagok közé nyájas hold világa.

 

The door stands open; on the courtyard hedge

the hearth’s reflected light is welcoming.

Before the door, his feet upon the steps,

a faithful dog lies stretched to guard the home.

Within, the woman of the house skims milk;

her small boy asks and has from her a sip.

She then goes mingling with the other ones

just like the gentle moon among the stars.

 

Egy eladó lyány a tűzre venyigét rak:

Ő a legnagyobb s szebb… a hajnali csillag.

Vasalót tüzesít: új ruhája készen,

Csak vasalás híja,… s reggel ünnep lészen.

Körűl az apróság, vidám mese mellett,

Zörgős héju borsót, vagy babot szemelget,

Héjából időnként tűzre tesznek sokat:

Az világítja meg gömbölyű arcukat.

 

A young girl’s throwing twigs upon the fire –

the eldest and most fair, a morning star;

she warms her iron for her new-made dress

– and ironing’s all it needs – for next day’s feast.

She tells a story to the younger ones,

sitting around at work, all shelling peas,

or shredding beans, their little chubby cheeks

lit by the fire, a flame with crackling pods.

 

A legkisebb fiú kenyeret kér s majszol;

Üszköt csóvál néha: tűzkigyókat rajzol.

Olvas a nagyobbik nem ügyelve másra:

E fiúból pap lesz, akárki meglássa!

Legalább így szokta mondani az apjok,

Noha a fiú nem imádságon kapkod:

Jobban kedveli a verseket, nótákat,

Effélét csinálni maga is próbálgat.

 

The youngest asks for bread, then munches it

and weaves a circle with a burning brand.

The older boy ignores the rest and reads

(this lad will be a pastor, that is sure) –

such is at least his father’s fondest wish,

although as yet he doesn’t care for prayers

and much prefers to study songs and rhymes

he’s even tried his hand at writing verse.

 

Pendül a kapa most, letevé a gazda;

Csíkos tarisznyáját egy szegre akasztja;

Kutat az apró nép, örülne, ha benne

Madárlátta kenyér-darabocskát lelne.

Rettenve sikolt fel, amelyik belényul:

Jaj! valami ördög… vagy ha nem, hát… kis nyúl!

Lesz öröm: alunni se tudnak az éjjel;

Kinálják erősen káposzta-levéllel.

 

But now they hear their father’s hoe put down,

his well-worn satchel’s hung upon a nail.

The children search in it and hope to find

some bits of bread he left after the day.

They thrust their hands in; there’s a sudden shriek –

“some devil’s in there…. No, a little rabbit!”

cries of delight… They will not sleep all night

they go and fetch it cabbage leaves to eat.

 

A gazda pedig mond egy szives jó estét,

Leül, hogy nyugassza eltörődött testét,

Homlokát letörli porlepett ingével:

Mélyre van az szántva az élet-ekével.

De amint körülnéz a víg csemetéken,

Sötét arcredői elsimulnak szépen;

Gondüző pipáját a tűzbe meríti;

Nyájas szavu nője mosolyra deríti.

 

The father says “Good Evening” to them all,

sits down to stretch his tired and aching limbs;

with dusty shirt-sleeve wipes a wearied brow

that has been deeply furrowed by life’s cares.

But when he sees his little ones around,

delightfully his wrinkles disappear;

he knocks his soothing pipe upon the hearth

and smiles at kind words from his gentle wife.

Nem késik azonban a jó háziasszony,

Illő, hogy urának ennivalót hozzon,

Kiteszi középre a nagy asztalszéket,

Arra tálalja fel az egyszerü étket.

Maga evett ő már, a gyerek sem éhes,

De a férj unszolja: “Gyer közelebb, édes!”

Jobb izű a falat, ha mindnyájan esznek, –

Egy-egy szárnyat, combot nyujt a kicsinyeknek.

 

The house-wife hurries then to fetch his food.

It’s proper that he should not have to wait.

Soon she has pushed the small round table out

and brought the simple dishes she’s prepared.

She and the children have already fed.

“Come dear,” he says, they must all eat again,

the food tastes better if all feed together:

then gives the little ones a leg or wing.

 

De vajon ki zörget? “Nézz ki, fiam Sára:

Valami szegény kér helyet éjszakára:

Mért ne fogadnók be, ha tanyája nincsen,

Mennyit szenved úgy is, sok bezárt kilincsen!”

Visszajő a lyánka, az utast behíván.

Béna harcfi lép be, sok jó estét kíván:

“Isten áldja meg a kendtek ételét is,

(Így végezi a szót), meg az emberét is.”

 

“But who’s that knocking? Sarah, go and see…”

A poor man’s asking shelter for the night.

Don’t turn him out if he has got no home;

how many suffer driven from shut doors.

The eldest girl gets up and asks him in,

a crippled soldier bids them a good evening:

“May God bless what you eat,” he says to them,

“and those, too, who partake of it,” he adds.

 

Köszöni a gazda: “Része legyen benne:

Tölts a tálba anyjok, ha elég nem lenne.”

Akkor híja szépen, hogy üljön közelébb –

Rá is áll az könnyen, bár szabódik elébb.

Éhöket a nagy tál kívánatos ízzel,

Szomjukat a korsó csillapítja vízzel;

Szavuk sem igen van azalatt, míg esznek,

Természete már ez magyar embereknek.

 

 

The father thanks him. “Come, and have your share;

mother, put on his plate a little more.”

Then he invites him to sit down with them

the man says `no,’ then readily agrees,

enjoys a simple but a tasty meal,

a jug of water then quenches his thirst.

No words are uttered while they have their food

this is the Magyars’ custom when they eat.

 

 

“Nem mese az gyermek”, – így feddi az apja,

Rátekint a vándor és tovább folytatja;

Néma kegyelettel függenek a szaván

Mind az egész háznép, de kivált a leány:

Ez, mikor nem hallják, és mikor nem látják,

Pirulva kérdezi tőle… testvérbátyját:

Három éve múlik, hogy utána kérdez,

Még egy esztendőt vár, nem megy addig férjhez.

 

“They are not `tales”‘ – the father chides the boy,

the soldier understands and carries on.

And they are hanging on his every word,

but it’s the eldest girl who’s most intent.

When no one’s listening, or no one sees,

she asks about `her brother’ with a blush:

for three years she’s been asking after him,

she’ll wait one more before she weds another.

 

Este van, este van… a tűz sem világit,

Kezdi hunyorgatni hamvas szempilláit;

A gyermek is álmos, – egy már alszik épen,

Félrebillent fejjel, az anyja ölében.

Gyéren szól a vendég s rá nagyokat gondol;

Közbe-közbe csupán a macska dorombol.

Majd a földre hintik a zizegő szalmát…

S átveszi egy tücsök csendes birodalmát.

 

1851

The evening ends; the warm fire shines no more.

The glowing cinders now begin to wink.

The children, too, are tired, there’s one asleep.

His head is resting on his mother’s lap.

The guest speaks less, the silences increase;

only the purring of the cat is heard.

Then rustling straw is heaped upon the ground

the crickets reign now in this silent realm.

 

Masterman, Neville

A videóban szereplő nagykövetek:

Iain Ferrier Lindsay, Egyesült Királyság

Batbayar Olkhonuud Zeneemyadar, Mongólia

Maximiliano Gregorio Cernadas, Argentin Köztársaság

Juraj Chmiel, Cseh Köztársaság

Jerzy Snopek, Lengyel Köztársaság

Eric Fournier, Francia Köztársaság

Liubov Nepop, Ukrajna

Marie-France André, Belga Királyság

Aliaksandr F. Khainouski, Fehéroroszország

Gordan Grlic-Radman, Horvát Köztársaság

Rastislav Káčer, Szlovák Köztársaság

Gajus Scheltema, Holland Királyság

Ksenija Škrilec, Szlovén Köztársaság

 

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The Bards of Wales – Arany János verse angolul https://www.5percangol.hu/mindenfele/angol-the-bards-of-wales-arany-janos-verse-angolul/ Sat, 04 Mar 2017 13:16:39 +0000 https://cmsteszt.5percangol.hu/angol-the-bards-of-wales-arany-janos-verse-angolul/  

Edward király, angol király

Léptet fakó lován:

Hadd látom, úgymond, mennyit ér

A velszi tartomány.

Edward the king, the English king,

Bestrides his tawny steed,

“For I will see if Wales” said he,

“Accepts my rule indeed.”

 

Van-e ott folyó és földje jó?

Legelőin fű kövér?

Használt-e a megöntözés:

A pártos honfivér?        

“Are stream and mountain fair to see?

Are meadow grasses good?

Do corn-lands bear a crop more rare

Since wash’d with rebel’s blood?”

 

S a nép, az istenadta nép,

Ha oly boldog-e rajt’

Mint akarom, s mint a barom,

Melyet igába hajt?

“And are the wretched people there,

Whose insolence I broke,

As happy as the oxen are

Beneath the driver’s yoke?”

 

Felség! valóban koronád

Legszebb gyémántja Velsz:

Földet, folyót, legelni jót,

Hegy-völgyet benne lelsz.

In truth this Wales, Sire, is a gem,

The fairest in thy crown:

The stream and field rich harvest yield,

And fair are dale and down.”

 

S a nép, az istenadta nép

Oly boldog rajta, Sire!

Kunyhói mind hallgatva, mint

Megannyi puszta sir.

 

“And all the wretched people there

Are calm as man could crave;

Their hovels stand throughout the land

As silent as the grave.”

 

Edward király, angol király

Léptet fakó lován:

Körötte csend amerre ment,

És néma tartomány.

 

Edward the king, the English king,

Bestrides his tawny steed;

A silence deep his subjects keep

And Wales is mute indeed.

 

Montgomery a vár neve,

Hol aznap este szállt;

Montgomery, a vár ura,

Vendégli a királyt.

The castle named Montgomery

Ends that day’s journeying;

The castle’s lord, Montgomery,

Must entertain the king.

 

Vadat és halat, s mi jó falat

Szem-szájnak ingere,

Sürgő csoport, száz szolga hord,

Hogy nézni is tereh;

 

Then game and fish and ev’ry dish

That lures the taste and sight

A hundred hurrying servants bear

To please the appetite.

 

S mind, amiket e szép sziget

Ételt-italt terem;

S mind, ami bor pezsegve forr

Túl messzi tengeren.

With all of worth the isle brings forth

In dainty drink and food,

And all the wines of foreign vines

Beyond the distant flood.

 

Ti urak, ti urak! hát senkisem

Koccint értem pohárt?

Ti urak, ti urak!… ti velsz ebek!

Ne éljen Eduárd?

 

“Ye lords, ye lords, will none consent

His glass with mine to ring?

What! Each one fails, ye dogs of Wales,

to toast the English king?”

 

Vadat és halat, s mi az ég alatt

Szem-szájnak kellemes,

Azt látok én: de ördög itt

Belül minden nemes.

“Though game and fish and ev’ry dish

That lures the taste and sight

Your hand supplies, your mood defies

My person with a sight.

 

Ti urak, ti urak, hitvány ebek!

Ne éljen Eduárd?

Hol van, ki zengje tetteim –

Elő egy velszi bárd!        

“Ye rascal lords, ye dogs of Wales,

Will none for Edward cheer?

To serve my needs and chant my deeds

Then let a bard appear!”

 

Egymásra néz a sok vitéz,

A vendég velsz urak;

Orcáikon, mint félelem,

Sápadt el a harag.

The nobles gaze in fierce amaze,

Their cheeks grow deadly pale;

Not fear but rage their looks engage,

They blench but do not quail.

 

Szó bennszakad, hang fennakad,

Lehellet megszegik. –

Ajtó megől fehér galamb,

Ősz bárd emelkedik.

All voices cease in soundless peace,

All breathe in silent pain;

Then at the door a harper hoar

Comes in with grave disdain:

 

Itt van, király, ki tetteidet

Elzengi, mond az agg;

S fegyver csörög, haló hörög

Amint húrjába csap.

 

“Lo, here I stand, at thy command,

To chant thy deeds, O king!”

And weapons clash and hauberks crash

Responsive to his string.

 

“Fegyver csörög, haló hörög,

A nap vértóba száll,

Vérszagra gyűl az éji vad:

Te tetted ezt, király!

 

“Harsh weapons clash and hauberks crash,

And sunset sees us bleed,

The crow and wolf our dead engulf

This, Edward, is thy deed!

 

Levágva népünk ezrei,

Halomba, mint kereszt,

Hogy sirva tallóz aki él:

Király, te tetted ezt!”

“A thousand lie beneath the sky,

They rot beneath the sun,

And we who live shall not forgive

This deed thy hand hath done!”

 

Máglyára! el! igen kemény –

Parancsol Eduárd –

Ha! lágyabb ének kell nekünk;

S belép egy ifju bárd.

“Now let him perish! I must have”

(The monarch’s voice is hard)

“Your softest songs, and not your wrongs!”

In steps a boyish bard:

 

“Ah! lágyan kél az esti szél

Milford-öböl felé;

Szüzek siralma, özvegyek

Panasza nyög belé.

“The breeze is soft at eve, that oft

From Milford Haven moans;

It whispers maidens’ stifled cries,

It breathes of widows’ groans.”

 

Ne szülj rabot, te szűz! anya

Ne szoptass csecsemőt!…”

S int a király. S elérte még

A máglyára menőt.

“Ye maidens bear no captive babes!

Ye mothers rear them not!”

The fierce king nods. The lad is seiz’d

And hurried from the spot.

 

De vakmerőn s hivatlanúl

Előáll harmadik;

Kobzán a dal magára vall,

Ez ige hallatik:  

Unbidden then, among the men,

There comes a dauntless third.

With speech of fire he tunes his lyre,

And bitter is his word:

 

“Elhullt csatában a derék –

No halld meg Eduárd:

Neved ki diccsel ejtené,

Nem él oly velszi bárd. 

“Our bravest died to slake thy pride.

Proud Edward hear my lays!

No Welsh bards live who e’er will give

Thy name a song of praise.”

 

Emléke sír a lanton még –

No halld meg Eduárd:

Átok fejedre minden dal,

Melyet zeng velszi bárd.”

 

“Our harps with dead men’s memories weep

Welsh bards to thee will sing

One changeless verse our blackest curse

To blast thy soul, O king!”

 

Meglátom én! – S parancsot ád

Király rettenetest:

Máglyára, ki ellenszegűl,

Minden velsz énekest!

“No more! Enough!” cries out the king.

In rage his orders break:

“Seek through these vales all bards of Wales

And burn them at the stake!”

 

Szolgái szét száguldanak,

Ország-szerin, tova.

Montgomeryben így esett

A híres lakoma. –

 

His man ride forth to south and north,

They ride to west and east.

Thus ends in grim Montgomery

The celebrated feast.

 

S Edward király, angol király

Vágtat fakó lován;

Körötte ég földszint az ég:

A velszi tartomány.

Edward the king, the English king

Spurs on his tawny steed;

Across the skies red flames arise

As if Wales burned indeed.

 

Ötszáz, bizony, dalolva ment

Lángsírba velszi bárd:

De egy se birta mondani

Hogy: éljen Eduárd. –

 

In martyrship, with song on lip,

Five hundred Welsh bards died;

Not one was mov’d to say he lov’d

The tyrant in his pride.

 

Ha, ha! mi zúg?… mi éji dal

London utcáin ez?

Felköttetem a lord-majort,

Ha bosszant bármi nesz!

” ‘Ods blood! What songs this night resound

Upon our London streets?

The mayor should feel my irate heel

If aught that sound repeats!”

 

Áll néma csend; légy szárnya bent,

Se künn, nem hallatik:

“Fejére szól, ki szót emel!

Király nem alhatik.”

Each voice is hush’d; through silent lanes

To silent homes they creep.

“Now dies the hound that makes a sound;

The sick king cannot sleep.”

 

Ha, ha! elő síp, dob, zene!

Harsogjon harsona:

Fülembe zúgja átkait

A velszi lakoma…

“Ha! Bring me fife and drum and horn,

And let the trumpet blare!

In ceaseless hum their curses come…

I see their dead eyes glare…”

 

De túl zenén, túl síp-dobon,

Riadó kürtön át:

Ötszáz énekli hangosan

A vértanúk dalát.

But high above all drum and fife

And all trumpets’ shrill debate,

Five hundred martyr’d voices chant

Their hymn of deathless hate.

 

translated by Watson Kirkconnell

The Bards of Wales is a ballad by Hungarian poet János Arany, written in 1857. Alongside the Toldi trilogy it is one of his most important works.

Arany was asked to write a poem of praise for the visit of Franz Joseph I of Austria, as were other Hungarian poets. Arany instead wrote about the tale of the 500 Welsh bards sent to the stake by Edward I of England for failing to sing his praises at a banquet in Montgomery Castle. The poem was intended as a metaphor to criticise the Habsburg rule over Hungary after the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. It was a method of passive resistance to the repressive politics of Alexander von Bach in Hungary, and the planned visit of the monarch.

The poem was written “for the desk drawer” and was first published six years later in 1863, disguised as a translation of an Old English ballad, in order to evade censorship.

The poem is considered to be a manifesto of the passive resistance which led to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. Arany wrote his own preface to the poem:

The historians doubt it, but it strongly stands in the legend that Edward I of England sent 500 Welsh bards to the stake after his victory over the Welsh (1277) to prevent them from arousing the country and destroying English rule by telling of the glorious past of their nation.

The royal form of bardic tradition ceased in the 13th century, when the 1282 Edwardian conquest permanently ended the rule of the Welsh princes. The legendary suicide of The Last Bard (c. 1283), was commemorated in this poem from 1857, as a way of encoded resistance to the suppression of the Habsburg politics of his own time.

The best-known English translation was made by Canadian scholar Watson Kirkconnell in 1933.

In the 6th grade of elementary school, every Hungarian student is required to learn “The Bards of Wales”.

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Tikkadt Szöcske, az új magyar kóla https://www.5percangol.hu/news_of_the_world/tikkadt-szocske-az-uj-magyar-kola/ Sat, 18 Jun 2016 20:27:12 +0000 https://cmsteszt.5percangol.hu/tikkadt-szocske-az-uj-magyar-kola/ It appeared on the shelves only a few months ago, and already the new Hungarian cola, Tikkadt Szöcske is being sold in more than 100 places all over the country, index.hu writes. The name of the brand means ‘thirsty grasshopper’, it is a reference to a line in the famous Hungarian narrative poem Toldi by János Arany.

Breakthroughin this industry doesn’t come easy for small companies. Bottled drinks are typically mass-produced since they don’t make much profit, hence the lack of new, smaller brands on the market. Most of the drinks on Hungarian shelves are somewhere on the Pepsi-Coca-Cola axis, with some flavoured mineral water brands and pricier, imported teas thrown in the mix.

When it comes tocola, there are no Hungarian brands that have achieved anything more than moderate success, particularly in the shadow of the two giants of the cola world.

Edit Bódi-Neumann and her husband, Martin Neumann, the founders of Italműhely, and the couple behind Tikkadt Szöcske, saw the need for variety on a field otherwise dominated by Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and despite the difficulties, created a successful Hungarian cola.

Martin Neumann is a chemist and food technologist, and he developed the drink in his own home laboratory. Cola is a complicated drink in terms of ingredients as well as preparation. The development of the Szöcske flavour took years.

The recipe, just like that of the big brands, is a secret, but there is one among the hundreds of ingredients that the couple is especially proud of. They use real kola nut extract imported from Africa, which is rather expensive. That is why most brands only use a flavouring.

Interestingly, much like beer, it takes a few weeks for Szöcske to achieve its finalised flavour after being bottled. Demands for Szöcske were on the rise from the beginning. After a few months, the drink is being sold in more than 100 places all over the country, and it also appeared in the Hungarian pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival.

They are approaching more orders than what they can complete, but the company, which employs 5 people at the moment, does not want to comprise and place quantity over quality. The founders are not thinking about international distribution just yet. Instead, they want to expand on the Hungarian market and bring out new products, such as the O calorie version, sweetened with stevia, which appeared on the shelves a few days ago, as well as Szöcske in 0.33 litre glass bottles, which would help to popularize the product in restaurants and bars. 

source: Daily News Hungary

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