The annual Hungarian Product Grand Prix (Magyar Termék Nagydíj) was held last week in parliament, where awards were handed out for the 10th time to a range of domestically-manufactured products judged as exceptionally innovative or simply exceptional. According to a brief on stop.hu, one of the unusual things about this year's product GP is that over 45% of the 100 contestants were foods or food-related, which is significantly higher than average. Also unusual - at least to us - are some of the products and companies that took home the trophies. One is a line of organic pálinka from Kaiser 2000 Kft (above right). So no more worries about dangerous artificial additives while you are pulping your liver and brain drinking shots of nearly-pure fruit alcohol!

Then there is the Pápa Meat Processing Company (Pápai Hús Élelmiszeripari Feldolgozó Zrt), which won accolades for its fried Prague ham, even though fried Prague ham is probably the only food product on Earth unhealthier than pálinka, and the company itself is so unhealthy it is in liquidation.

Meanwhile, the other food-related winners were as follows:

• Fried pork loins and bacon by Pick Szeged Zrt
• Chocolate-flavored apple chips and dried sour cherries by NOBILIS Zrt
• The "Perfetto" dried pasta product line (above left) by the Füri Pasta Industry and Food Distributor Company (Füri Tésztaipari és Élelmiszerforgalmazó Kft)
• Fresh peppers from the Vegetable and Fruit Production and Marketing Association of the South Alföld Gardeners (Délföldi Kertészek Zöldség-gyümölcs Termelő és Értékesítő Szövetkezete)