The Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrun Frostadottir, visited Warsaw on Wednesday, where she met Donald Tusk. The topics of the talks included: Russia's invasion of Ukraine and economic cooperation. However, the attention of journalists was caught by an unusual gesture of the Polish Prime Minister during a joint press conference. Tusk handed the Scandinavian a Prince Polo bar.
— My father will be especially pleased with this gift. He loves these bars. I grew up on them. We could find them at home, in the wardrobes, in the car, everywhere. Thank you very much, said Kristrun Frostadottir.
President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson spoke in a similar tone about the famous candy bar in 1999 during his trip to Poland, stating that “an entire generation of Icelanders grew up on American Coca-Cola and Polish Prince Polo.”
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Why is Prince Polo such a popular bar in Iceland?
The production of chocolate wafers began in 1955 at the Olza SA plant in Cieszyn. But how did a sweet from Silesia become a hit on a distant island? In the 1950s, Poland was looking for new markets for its food products.
Iceland, rebuilding its economy, needed diverse suppliers. As part of trade, Poland exported wood and vodka to the island, for which it imported herring in return. However, the key point of this cooperation turned out to be the introduction of wafers to the Icelandic market.
One of the most important elements of Prince Polo's success was the ingenious classification of the product. Instead of classifying the wafer as a candy, which would have prevented it from being exported to Iceland due to import restrictions on sweets, it was described as a “sponge cake”. The bar quickly gained popularity.
“From that moment on, Prince Polo became extremely popular, and around 1970, the average Icelander ate about 1 kg of these 'biscuits' a year,” Westfjords Heritage Museum reminds us on Facebook.
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Newspapers in Iceland wrote about the lack of the Polish bar
Gazeta.pl reminds a colorful anecdote related to the candy bar and Polish-Icelandic relations. When martial law was introduced on the Vistula River, the export of the snack was suspended and it quickly ran out. The news hit the front pages of Icelandic newspapers.
Even though imports of Polish bars have been decreasing for years due to the opening of the Icelandic market, they have left a mark on the local culture. Singer Svavar Petur Eysteinsson chose the phrase “Prins Polo” as his stage name.
