Though, I still have a question: many people who move to other countries complain that they cannot find cottage cheese (túró) or sour cream (tejföl). Are there such things in Canada?
On the principle of better late than never...
Yes, as someone else has mentioned, you can find them, though it will take some investigation.
Here in T.O. you can find literary a
multitude of East European grocery stores: some are strictly Hungarian, many are Romanian (but with a distinctly Hungarian flavour) and while most are Russian or Polish, they all cater to essentially the same clientele. You might want to check out 'Blue Danube', 'Mezesmacko', and the 'European Sausage House', although if you are looking for supermarket-style variety, your best bet remains 'Starsky' in Mississauga.
It is a bit of a trial-and-error process until you find that special 'magyar-tasting' cottege cheese; there are several varieties of Polish and Russian (by the latter I also mean Lithuanian, Letvian, etc.) cottage cheeses that are either close or even identical to it, but you really have to taste them first. As far as sour cream is concerned, in all honesty, I have never noticed a significant difference between the Hungarian vs. Canadian version (and sour cream is one of my absolute favourites!) but it may well be that I have been living here for too long to notice any more.
You can find a lot of different kinds, ranging from the ones with 1% milkfat content to those with up to 20% (!this is the strictly kosher version, and it is deliciously thick almost like a creamcheese!).
By the way, are there differences in the stocks of big stores or they are usually the same?
Absolutely!
Most big stores belong to large commercial chains (Price Chopper, No Frills, Food Basics, Loblaws, Metro, etc) but are managed as individual franchise units (think of something similar to the old 'gebin') and hence they make a very active effort to adjust their product range to the specific tastes and demands of the immediate neighbourhood where they are located. A 'No Frills' (Hung. appr. 'Semmi Flanc'; a reasonably solid, middle-middle-class-oriented food supermarket) in Chinatown for example will try to stock its shelves somewhere between 10-50% with Far Eastern products, whereas a store belonging to the same chain but located on the corner of Wilson and Bathurst (in the middle of the old 'ghetto', i.e. one of several Jewish quarters) offers a range of products up to 50% of which are kosher and/or of Eastern European nature/origin.
Generally speaking, if all else fails and there are no 'ethnic' stores around, the nearest Jewish grocery store is likely to carry a lot of East European (or -like) stuff, simply because most Jews here have East European origins. Unless, of course, you are looking for anything pork.
Now, as to the prices... that is a different issue altogether.
The Hungarian stores here seem to be involved in a silent war as to which can price itself out of the market faster; 'Mezesmacko' has gained a reputation (well deserved or not) of being one of the most expensive East European stores around, but the rest are really doing a good job of trying to catch up too. This may well be related to Hungarian customers forming a smaller market (economies of scope and scale...) than, say, Russians, although in light of the fact that more than a hundred thousand Hungarians call T.O. their home, I think it is more in line of keeping the tradition of trying to fleece the customer as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Oh, and if you ever walk into a Hungarian store, just wait for the customer service: I promise they will make you feel home immediately!:mrgreen: