You say chocolate cat tongues, i say macskanyelv

When you’re raised by cool, European-born parents, chances are you’ll be exposed to cool, European products from an early age. So it was for lucky little me. I got to snack on Katzenzungen — that’s German for slender bars of chocolate (aka Schokolade) shaped to resemble cat tongues.

These traditional treats are eternally popular with young and old all over the world. They come in milk or dark chocolate. They make wonderful gifts, and excellent cake decorations. Think you can stop at just one? Good luck with that.

Feodora is a brand I remember fondly:

There’s also Sarotti:

Note the uber-sweet packaging, with that distinctly Victorian-era vibe.

In France they’re called langues de chat- in Spanish, lenguitas de gato- in the language of my ancestors — Hungarian — macskanyelv. And leave it to those cool, creative Hungarians to create a cool update of this quaint candy. Here is T-Shirt Design’s modernist Magyar take on tongues for big cats …

… and little ones: