Hungarian Cuisine

The great traditions of Hungarian cuisine have, in the last ten to fifteen years, successfully mingled with modern sophistication. Nowadays traditional dishes are prepared from healthy raw materials, while keeping their unique taste and savour. At its roots, classic Hungarian gastronomy is nothing less than French bonne bouches reaching Hungary via Austria and mixing with ancient Hungarian peasant dishes – many of them originated in Asia – offering every gourmand something to his/her taste.

A traditional Hungarian meal is of at least 4 dishes. If you ever to eat in a Hungarian inn, bar or restaurant, start with Hortobágyi stuffed pancake , which is a delicious salty pancake filled with meat, in paprika stew sauce, topped with sour cream. It is strongly recommended to try baked or fried goose liver with fresh bread and purple onion. This dish is world famous, often served to delegations from different countries to introduce them the Hungarian cuisine. Sold in special boxes and jars in most of Budapest's markets, goose liver makes the perfect present.

In most restaurants one can come across the famous Újházy chicken soup , which is a golden, redolent dish containing obviously chicken, all kind of vegetables and special noodles. It is known to be a medicine for the sick, as mothers cook chicken soup for their family members to recover quickly. Don't miss fish soup , which is a traditional Hungarian soup, its most famous variations are from Szeged and Baja. You can try fish soup almost everywhere, but the best is to visit the special inns (halászcsárda – fisherman's inn), which are specialized for fish dishes and offer unforgettable tastes that are impossible to mistake. Try the small spicy peppers served with it – it is an adventure you will long remember. World famous is the Hungarian goulash (gulyásleves), which is – in contrary to the general knowledge – not a stew but a thick soup, seasoned with special Hungarian paprika that gives its unique taste, deep red colour and spicy smell. There are many kinds of goulash, thickened with beans, noodles and vegetables. All Hungarians like it, foreigners are crazy about it and once they have tasted it they can't let its memory go, so don't hesitate for long – try it!

Hungarian paprika is world famous, especially the ones grown in Kalocsa and it's area, it is popular and widely used among Hungarians, so don't be surprised that most special Hungarian meals are paprika based. Try the traditional paprika chicken and the paprika stew (pörkölt), which is made of several different kinds of meat, pork, beef, lamb, calf, game, etc. and is served with special noodles. Sour cream is often used to perfect the taste. To ease the dish, ask cucumber salad topped with sour cream or try one of the famous and very delicious pickles of Vecsés. Compulsory also is stuffed cabbage , a popular, traditional meat dish. If you are looking for lighter meals, try fish, which is prepared in many various forms. Trust the chefs, they know what to do with fish! If you wish to eat pasta, don't hesitate much – order salty curd pasta with sour cream and greaves ( túrós csusza ).

Desserts deserve their own chapter in the history of Hungarian cuisine. Try the famous Gundel pancakes , filled with nuts and marmalade, covered with chocolate cream and a bit of alcohol that is flared up before being served. Somlói nudle is extremely popular, along with the dumplings , of which the most popular ones are curd dumplings and the ones filled with plum. Gesztenyepüré is very tasty, made of cooked, mashed chestnuts, topped with whipped cream. Delicious home-made strudels are prepared with many fillings, curd, poppy-seed, apple, apricot, cabbage, and have unique taste.

To rinse the meal try some of the world famous Hungarian wines that are special due to the slopes and the soil in which the grapes grow. Tokaj's sunny slopes and particular climate offer perfect circumstances for producing the sweet Tokaji Aszú. Eger is famous for its Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood), and many other parts of the country (Balaton region, Siklós) have their peculiar wine. Don't start your meal without preparing your stomach with a short drink, let it be the special Hungarian bitters Unicum or the extremely popular plum, apricot or mixed fruit brandy, pálinka.