Special dishes inspired by Corona.

These bold ideas are creations of chefs and bakers during the pandemic. With many unusual concepts, whimsical shapes, and stories behind them, all these dishes will become a source of cheerful spirits for anyone during this global crisis called Covid-19.

Toilet paper rolls

In Dortmund, Germany, a bakery called Schuerener Backparadies has added a new item to its daily menu and it's been met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. It's a pastry shaped like a roll of toilet paper, created by baker Tim Kortuem.

When the pandemic began to spread in many parts of the world, toilet paper was one of the fastest-selling and most frequently out-of-stock items. Therefore, baker Tim came up with the idea of ​​creating a new cake, a cake covered in a layer of white fondant shaped exactly like a roll of toilet paper.

Like France and many other countries, shops and restaurants in Germany also had to close to prevent the spread of the virus. However, many places still offered delivery services for customers who requested them. Schuerener Backparadies recorded selling at least 200 cakes in a single day, a record for the shop. Baker Tim also said: "Customers were very excited about the new cakes, and most were hoping to find something positive at this time." These toilet paper-shaped cakes helped his bakery overcome a difficult period and brought joy to people.

Corona chocolate cake

Jean-Francois Pré, currently a chef and bakery owner in Landivisiau, Brittany, northwestern France, came up with the idea for this chocolate cake when people were worried about the new coronavirus COVID-19 spreading not only in France but also throughout the world and Europe.

French pastry chef Jean-François Pré has made and sold these egg-shaped chocolate cakes that resemble the coronavirus. The cakes are covered in a dark brown milk chocolate coating and adorned with red spikes made from red almonds.

Pré shared that he made this cake with the intention of bringing joy to customers during a stressful time with news of the pandemic everywhere. The cake was sold at the Landivisiau shop in the first weeks of March before the country went into lockdown.

Corona Burger

As the Covid-19 pandemic spread across the world, Hoang Tung, the owner of a fast-food restaurant chain in Hanoi, came up with a new idea to boost people's spirits.

Tung said he created a burger with a meat patty shaped like the novel coronavirus and named it the "Corona Burger." He and his chefs spent about a day experimenting with recipes using: green tea powder, pandan leaves, green vegetables, etc. Finally, the team of chefs created a burger with a bun made with green tea powder and crushed water spinach to create a natural color, preserving the sweetness and green color when baked.

"There's a saying, 'If you're afraid of something, eat it.' So, once you've eaten these Corona-shaped burgers, you won't be afraid of the virus anymore. That's the idea to spread joy to others during this pandemic," said the restaurant owner. Tung's shop sold about 50 Corona Burgers like this every day before officially having to temporarily close. Before that, the chef also created a unique red dragon fruit pizza.

Dr. Fauci's cake

Delite Donuts, located in Rochester, New York, used an image of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as the background for their donuts as a way to raise awareness and boost people's spirits. Dr. Fauci is the person who issued the most outspoken warnings to the community about the serious impact of Covid-19.

According to bakery owner Nick Semeraro, his shop sells thousands of buttercream-covered bagels with Dr. Fauci's portrait every day. Many customers even request delivery to other cities and states across the U.S. The bakery staff, as well as everyone else, are impressed by Dr. Fauci's actions. They appreciate the message he conveys, the way he informs people during this tense pandemic, and the bagel seems to have become a sweet thank you to him.

My Tong