These are the region’s favorite pastries: pizza minis, cheese scones, hot dogs

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 08. 26. 13:05

Among Hungarians, cheese scones are the hit among delicatessen buyers, among Czechs, ketchup hot dogs, and Croatians and Slovaks swear by pizza minis – this is revealed by the analysis of the Pek-Snack Group, which is present in 6 countries and has a regional network. Based on the data, the tastes typical of different countries emerge: for example, in our country, people buy less ketchup hot dogs and more mustard hot dogs, the local favorite is cottage cheese bagels, while in the South Slavic states, savory versions of cottage cheese products are popular, while in Croatia, burek is the big favorite.

While international trends, such as the growing popularity of donuts and croissants, are characteristic everywhere, interesting differences also emerge between individual countries based on the most popular delicatessen products – the analysis of the Pek-Snack Group concludes. According to the data of the bakery manufacturer, which is present in 6 countries, has an extensive regional franchise network and strategic retail partnerships, cheese scones are unbeatable in Hungary. Sold by the piece (not by the piece), the product in the so-called “mini” category accounts for 15 percent of sales from the entire Hungarian franchise network. Grissini (Italian breadsticks) and peach minis are also very popular in our country. In other countries in the region, we see a different order: while we do not disdain pizza flavors, it is so popular in the others that such products are among the most sought-after. In Croatia, Slovakia and Bosnia, pizza minis are also one of the most popular products, while in the Czech Republic, pizza twisters are also in the top spot. In Švejk’s home country, it is particularly interesting that they love a “maxi” product, i.e. sold by the piece: the most people buy hot dogs with ketchup.

A local specialty is the mini crumbly bread, which is one of the most popular products in its category in Hungary. At the same time, the crumbly bread is available in several markets, but it is characterized by a different taste: while Hungarian customers prefer the spicy, piquant version, the natural version with larger crumbly pieces is the favorite in the Bosnian market. Another local curiosity is that chia seed pastries stand out in the Bosnian market, accounting for 15 percent of sales within the entire savory category. These are often filled with cheese or meat, so chia appears here as an ingredient in traditional pastries made with savory fillings.

Zoltán Novák, CEO of Pek-Snack, said that in addition to the characteristics of different markets, there are also regional favorites that have their place in every country. Such are, for example, chocolate-covered donuts, sweet croissants or pizza products. Pek-Snack flexibly adapts to hit products and country-specific favorites during product development, and they regularly try to provide consumers with their own innovations, new products and flavors.