Astra is yellow, Pfizer is green: Hungarian pastry shop offers vaccine-themed treats

Shop's treats rides a cultural trend of celebrating Covid-19 vaccinations

Hungarian confectioner Katalin Benko prepares COVID-19 vaccine themed desserts in her cake shop in Veresegyhaz, Hungary, April 16, 2021. Picture taken April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
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A Hungarian pastry shop has launched a range of Covid-19 vaccine-themed sweet mousses as a lighthearted antidote to angst over the different types of vaccines and the implications of receiving one or another of them.

At the Sulyan family's patisserie in the small town of Veresegyhaz, north-east of Budapest, the choice is between a selection of layered mousses with colourful jelly toppings presented in small glasses with decorative syringes on top.

Each colour of jelly represents a different Covid-19 vaccine: citrus yellow for AstraZeneca and a slightly darker yellow for Sinopharm, matcha green for Pfizer, orange for Sputnik V and a vivid blue for Moderna.

These sweet offerings from the Sulyan family come at a time when millions of Hungarians are being asked to go through a registration process to sign up for vaccination, while debating the merits of the different vaccines.

People are not being given a choice of shots but rather receive whichever one is available from their family doctor. In recent weeks, thousands have joined Facebook support groups to connect with others who have received the same shots as they have.

"Here, people have a choice, there is no registration, there are no side effects," said confectioner Katalin Benko at the Sulyan patisserie, and added that the intention was not to campaign for or against vaccination or in favour of one shot or another.

"Anyone can try these, as the only possible side effect would be a little smile on their face," she said as she carefully spread orange jelly on top of some mousses.

Hungarian confectioner Katalin Benko prepares COVID-19 vaccine themed desserts in her cake shop in Veresegyhaz, Hungary, April 16, 2021. Picture taken April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Hungarian confectioner Katalin Benko prepares Covid-19 vaccine-themed desserts in her cake shop in Veresegyhaz, Hungary. Reuters