A restaurant has invented a dessert shaped like the novel coronavirus to boost sales during the pandemic.
The Black Madonna in Prague would normally be bustling with tourists, but it has suffered during the Covid-19 outbreak.
With a drop in the number of visitors Czech Republic, and the country battling one of the highest infection rates in Europe, the venue decided to create a topical sweet treat that would draw customers back.
The dessert’s creator, Olga Budnik, got the idea during lockdown in the spring and is now selling more than 100 each day.
She added: “I found a photo of the virus on the internet and I figured out in detail how to make the dessert.
"How to make the spikes, what the colour would be like, and I prepared it all."
The dish is slightly smaller than a tennis ball, with a chocolate crust and dusted with cocoa butter spray. The virus’ “spikes” are made of white chocolate and dried raspberries.
Inside there is a pistachio filling with raspberry puree and raspberries in the centre.
The delicacy has been a big success, with sales of more than 100 each day and rising.
“The coronavirus crisis has meant a huge drop for us, in tens of per cent, like for other gastro enterprises,” the cafe’s marketing manager Vojtech Hermanek said.
“But at the same time, it was a chance to bring out the coronavirus cake which is a symbol ... showing that not everything is lost.”
Ms Budnik, a Ukrainian living in Prague for the past six years, already has sights on next creation.
She is planning a Covid-19 vaccination-themed sweet which should taste of citrus and liqueur.
“It will be lots of lime with a bit of alcohol,” she said.
