The story
Dobos torte is named after József C. Dobos, who ran a delicatessen in Budapest and wanted a cake that would keep well at a time when refrigeration was limited. He stacked thin sponge layers with chocolate buttercream, a filling he had come across in France and that was then little known, and sealed the top with hard caramel to stop it drying out. He unveiled it at the National General Exhibition in Budapest in 1885, where Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste it. Dobos shipped it across Europe in special wooden boxes and gave his recipe to the confectioners' guild in 1906.
Also known as dobostorta, Dobosh torte, Dobos cake.
On the Meridish menu
Dobos torte was the dessert course on menu No. 9 on October 9, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Thin sponge layers and chocolate buttercream under a hard caramel lid. A delicatessen owner unveiled it at this capital's 1885 national exhibition, where an emperor tasted it.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
