Before spending my first ever Christmas in Hungary, I had no idea what to expect from Hungarian food. I didn't know any Hungarian dishes nor have I ever learned about Hungarian cuisine. I now know that, in fact, when it comes to Hungarian food, there isn't just one specific course you should aim for. You can probably enjoy a real culinary affair in Hungary, starting with delicious starters, through hearty main meals, to fluffy and addictive desserts. I am certain you too, heard of the famed Hungarian goulash. In reality, there is so much more to this country's cuisine than this dish and in this article, I'm going to help you understand everything you need to know about Hungarian food you ought to try. In other words, if you are a foodie in search of the next best trip, then I can assure you that by the time you finish this article, you will want to book your flights to Hungary. Ready to drool? Here is the Hungarian food you need to try as soon as possible.
Warning: don't read this on an empty stomach... Proceed at your own risk.
Hungarian Cuisine
Hungarian cuisine is mostly Central European, although you can most certainly recognize certain Eastern influences. A typical Hungarian food is heavy and abundant in meat and dairy. Hungary is famed for its high-quality salamis and delicious dry sausages, including the outstanding Mangalica Sausage, which truly tastes special. Bread is part of the day to day Hungarian diet. It usually accompanies every type of dish, including main courses. Baked good are also prominent in Hungarian cuisine with many bans and pastries, both salty and sweet. Hungary has an array of cakes, including the delicious Dobos Cake.
Goulash, perhaps what foreigners envision as the quintessential Hungarian food, it's rarely eaten in a Hungarian home. The goulash has an interesting history of its own, being a soupof meat and vegetables, seasoned with paprika, dating back to the 9th century, eaten by Hungarian shepherds. Speaking of paprika, this is perhaps one of the most interesting spices, widely available in Hungary. Surprisingly, Hungary is associated with hot paprika, but in reality, mild and slightly sweet paprika is far more common.
Tip: When buying Hungarian paprika make sure to check the label to ensure the paprika comes from Kalocsa or Szeged.
Hungarian Charcuterie
A Hungarian cold plate is a classic way to showcase a wide variety of meats. There are usually presented on a wooden board and contain salami, cured meats and sausages.
Sometimes they have some pickles and chutney on the side too, to enhance the taste of the meat. You can usually eat this as a starter, or can be used as a party food for everyone to nibble. During special occasions, it's common to start the evening by having a cold plate in the middle of the table, for everyone to self-serve.
Kolbász
Kolbász is a type of cooked Hungarian sausage, usually smoked. You may encounter the following types:
Gyulai Sausage
Named after the Hungarian town of Gyula and has Protected Geographical Status. It is slow cooked while being beech wood smoked. It is made from pork, 'szalonna' (Hungarian bacon fat), garlic, pepper, caraway, and a Hungarian red paprika. You can eat it sliced with bread or you can add it to various dishes.
Csabai Sausage
Made in the town Békéscsaba, and has Protected Geographical Status. It is similar to Gyulai, but a little spicier. Csemege Kolbász Mildly spiced cooked smoked sausage. Cserkész Kolbász A cooked smoked sausage made from beef and pork. Debreceni Kolbász A strong paprika flavoured sausage usually used for cooking.
Mangalica Sausage
Mangalica is a special Hungarian breed of pork. Mangalica pork sausages are meant to be less fatty and generally healthier and tastier. Winter Salami The Hungarian winter salami is made from cured pork and spices and smoked slowly. Hungarian Chesses
Hungary has its fair share of local cheeses, but before you get too excited, now I'd say that Hungarian food has its forte when it comes to meats and meat-based dishes. Nevertheless, Hungarians very much like their dairy. In my opinion, the Hungarian milk, butter and sour cream are all excellent, but the cheeses tend to have a more plastic feel to them. The only notable exception is the wonderful Tihany blue cheese which is one of the best blue cheeses in the world. I do like stringy smoked Hungarian cheese, but I tend to be more of a cheddar fan rather than a Trappista fan.
Túró
A creamy type of cottage cheese which is used in various meals and desserts. One famed snack which contains cottage cheese is Túró Rudi or Pöttyös (which means dot). Túró Rudi is a popular snack since 1969 and it has an inner filling of cottage cheese covered in an outer coating of chocolate. Nowadays, the brand has various type of jam added in the middle of the cheese filling which makes the dessert rather delicious. I personally like the blackcurrant version only.
Trappista
Trappista is a traditional Hungarian, Bosnian and Serbian cheese made by Trappist monks. It melts easily which makes it great for toppings and it one of the most popular cheese in Hungary. I think it's a very nice cheese when melted on top of an open sandwich or on a pizza, but definitely not my favourite on its own.
Tihany Cheese
Tihany cheese is a lovely tasting blue cheese made in the Tihany area, located on the Western side of Hungary.
Smoked Cheese
Not just a Hungarian cheese but an Eastern European type. Some smoked cheese has a very stringy texture in Hungary, which makes it fun to eat. You can literally buy a cheese clew which looks adorable.
Hungarian Breads If you love bread, then you are going to enjoy plenty of Hungarian food. Starting with their staple fried bread, through milky bread and pretzels, Hungary is incredible when it comes to bakeries. If fresh pastry is what you are after, then Hungary should be your next travel destination.
Lángos
Lángos is a fried bread served with a variety of toppings. In my opinion, this is the absolute best Hungarian food you can possible get. You can enjoy it mainly as a street food, and you can almost always see it at the markets. You can also get it at pretty much every Hungarian Christmas market, and we even found it in Prater, Vienna. A good Lángos is round and larger than both your hands, has a thin and crispy middle and fluffy sides. You can eat it plain, with garlic, sour cream and cheese, as well as bacon. In Budpaest, I also found it served with paprika on top and minced meat. My personal favourite remains the sour cream and cheese version.
Pogácsa
Pogácsa is a type of bun, round puffed pastry with cheese or with bacon, traditionally cooked on the fire.
Perec
The mighty pretzel, usually with salt and cheese.
Kifli
Kifli is a crescent-shaped bread which is great for breakfast. It usually has salt or cumin on top.
Bundás Kenyér
This is a type of French toast which is eaten for breakfast.
Hungarian Starter
Vinetta Or Padlizsán Krém
Another classic which was always part of our family Sunday dinner. Vinetta is a Transylvanian dish which consists of eggplant cream. The eggplant is baked on an open fire, peeled, then mashed. Onion and various spices are added to the mashed eggplant and mixed into a delicious cream which can be eaten as a dip.
Libamájpástétom
This is a Hungarian delicacy: foie gras - goose liver pâté.
Hungarian Soups
For lunch, Hungarians eat soup before the main course. Here is a list of some interesting soups which sure make Hungarian food more exciting than you ever imagined. And yes, there is plenty more for you to sample, beyond the goulash soup.
Gulyásleves
This is the famed goulash soup. It's a vegetable and meat soup with spicy paprika.
Main Meals
Now that you enjoyed a variety of starters, pastries and soup, it's time to dig into the core of Hungarian food: main courses. Most of them are heavy and hearty, but very delicious. In my opinion, food in Hungary is simple, made with basic ingredients, but indeed very tasty. When trying Hungarian food is imperative that you don't start counting the calories.
Töltött Káposzta
The mighty cabbage rolls. They contain minced meat and rice, rolled in cabbage and slow cooked in tomato based sauce for several hours. They are served with sour cream. Although this is a Hungarian food, it's also a Romanian traditional food, and throughout our travels, we found it served in Austria and Slovakia. In Sweden and Finland, for example, they serve these cabbage rolls with lingonberry jam and not sour cream. It's believed that these rolls originated from Turkey and have been adapted throughout the years.
Székelykáposzta
This Hungarian food is a type of pork and sauerkraut stew usually spiced with paprika and served with sour cream.
Töltött Paprika
These are stuffed peppers with minced meat, rice and spices. Again, this is a common dish all around Europe.
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