Countries worldwide often boast a wide selection of strange dishes. Hungary is no exception, as Hungarians eat some of the most unique (and often quite weird) foods in the world.

It is a known fact that different nations around the globe vary in their culinary attractions. This is simply due to cultural and environmental differences. Environments largely influence the way people cook and the availability of the ingredients, while traditions dictate what standards the local cuisine has.

Of course, we must not forget the external history of a nation, which can also highly influence what sorts of food people eat.

Centuries ago, when the nomadic ancestors of Hungarians rode the great Carpathian plains, effortless and straightforward meals were in high demand. Later, around the 5th and 16th centuries, the people of Turkey and Italy both exerted their influence over the local cuisine, not to mention the Austro-Hungarian Empire. With the latter came an extravagant, refined, and sophisticated style of cooking. Combine all these and you get the indulgent Hungarian cuisine we know today.

However, now we bring you a list of oddities and extremes, dishes you will hardly find even in traditional Hungarian restaurants.

Főzelék

A dish that is too thick to be soup, and too thin to be considered a stew. Yes, this is the traditional Hungarian meal, főzelék. Its widespread popularity can be attributed to many factors. Most probably, people like főzelék because of just how easy it is to prepare. Főzelék can be made out of just about any legumes: peas, lentils, green or yellow beans, etc. Squash and spinach főzelék are not unheard of either! If you want to try your hand at making this Hungarian speciality, here are the basics. After you chose your base legume of preference, just add water, bring it to a boil, and thicken with flour.

Zúzapörkölt

This dish shows just how resourceful the Hungarian culinary scene is. The base of zúzapörkölt is, well, pörkölt: a more well-known speciality. Instead of using beef or pork, this dish is made from chicken gizzard. Do not fret, this hearty stew will surely prove satisfying. Serve it with cooked pasta or nokedli (a type of small noodle) for the most authentic experience.

Fried chicken heart

From one extraordinary ingredient to another, this next entry will surely weird some readers out. It uses another strange ingredient, chicken’s heart. It is one of the easiest meals to prepare, simply pour oil into an iron skillet with a lid, add spices, stir well, and cook over medium heat. It will release a lot of juice, let it boil. When the meat is about to be done, remove the lid and simmer on high heat, stirring it occasionally. Once the juices are about to be evaporated, cook for another minute at most, stirring it constantly. Mashed potatoes, parsley potatoes, and onion and butter potatoes make a perfect side dish.

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Fried blood

This dish is also connected to the long-standing tradition of pig slaughter, something which is not exclusive to Hungary. However, festivities take centre stage at these autumn gatherings. Once a year, the whole extended family reunites to sing, dance, and drink lots of pálinka together! It is customary to use all parts of the pig in various recipes. The first part of a pig slaughter is letting all the blood out of the pig in the morning. Fried blood is usually prepared by letting the blood congeal, and then frying it with onions to be served for breakfast.

forrás: Dailynewshungary.hu

After cooking the pork parts with garlic, paprika, salt, and black pepper, the meat mixture is typically stuffed into pig stomach in a similar manner to a sausage. The sausage-like head cheese is then cooked again before it is pressed and smoked.

It is typically eaten thinly sliced with fresh bread, mustard, and pickles, and it is usually washed down with a glass of traditional fröccs, made by mixing wine and soda water.

Origins and History

Despite its name, Hortobágyi húsos palacsinta does not have a direct historical connection to the Hortobágy region. This dish was introduced at the 1958 Brussels World Expo, showcasing Hungary’s culinary creativity to an international audience. Since then, it has become a staple of Hungarian restaurants and home cooking.

Ingredients and Preparation

The dish starts with palacsinta, Hungary’s version of thin crepes. While palacsinta is often associated with sweet fillings like jam or cocoa, this version takes a savory turn.

Key Ingredients:

• Thin pancakes (palacsinta)
• Minced or diced meat (usually pork or beef)
• Onions, garlic, and paprika
• Sour cream

Cooking Process:

1. The meat is cooked with onions, paprika, and garlic, creating a well-seasoned, flavorful filling.
2. Each pancake is generously stuffed with the meat mixture, folded or rolled, then placed in a baking dish.
3. A rich sauce is poured over the stuffed pancakes, often mixed with sour cream for a creamy texture.
4. The dish is baked briefly, allowing the flavors to meld and the sauce to coat the pancakes beautifully.
5. It is served warm, garnished with extra sour cream and fresh parsley.

Why It’s a Must-Try

Hortobágyi húsos palacsinta perfectly embodies Hungarian comfort food – warm, filling, and packed with flavor. The combination of soft pancakes, robust meat filling, and creamy sauce creates a satisfying dish that’s both indulgent and uniquely Hungarian.

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The French version dates back to the 17th century and was later refined in the 19th century. The Hungarian adaptation, known as „Madártej” simplifies the recipe while retaining its light and refreshing qualities, making it a favourite treat, especially during warm summer days. In English it is better to call it „floating island” instead of „birds’ milk”, though.

Here’s the classic recipe to try.

Ingredients:

– 4 eggs
– 1 litre of milk
– 6 tablespoons of sugar (divided)
– 1 tablespoon of corn-starch
– 1 pinch of salt
– 1 vanilla pod or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Preparation of the dessert.

Meringue:

– Separate the egg whites from the yolks.
– Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until the mixture is glossy.
– Heat the milk in a large pot until it steams but does not boil. Using a spoon, scoop dollops of the egg white mixture into the milk, creating “dumplings.”
– Poach the meringue dumplings for about 2 minutes on each side, then remove them and set aside.

Custard:

– In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and corn-starch until smooth.
– Gradually add a ladle of the warm milk to the yolk mixture while stirring continuously to temper the eggs.
– Pour the yolk mixture back into the pot with the milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens. Do not let it boil.

Assemble and chill:

– Pour the custard into serving bowls or a large dish. Place the poached meringue dumplings on top.
– Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours before serving.

This dessert is a delightful combination of creamy vanilla custard and fluffy meringue, perfect for any occasion. Enjoy!

Hungarian plum dumplings are a delicious and traditional dish that many people enjoy. These dumplings are made from simple ingredients and can be a sweet treat for any time. Here is how you can make them.

First, you need to prepare the dough. For this, you will need 500 grams of potatoes, 200 grams of flour, one egg, and a pinch of salt. Boil the potatoes until they are soft. Peel and mash them well. Let the potatoes cool. Once cool, mix the potatoes with flour, egg, and salt. Knead the mixture until it becomes a smooth dough.

Now, it is time to prepare the plums. You need about 16 small plums, washed and pitted. Some people like to put a sugar cube inside each plum for extra sweetness.

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Next, divide the dough into 16 pieces. Flatten each piece of dough and place a plum in the centre. Wrap the dough around the plum and make sure it is completely covered. Roll it in your hands to make a smooth ball.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and gently drop the dumplings in. Cook the dumplings until they float to the top, which usually takes about 10 minutes. While they are cooking, prepare the breadcrumbs. Melt 50 grams of butter in a pan and add 100 grams of breadcrumbs. Stir until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.

Once the dumplings are cooked, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon. Roll each dumpling in the fried breadcrumbs until they are well coated. You can sprinkle some sugar on top if you like.

Hungarian plum dumplings can be served warm or cold. They are a wonderful dish to share with family and friends. Enjoy your cooking!

The history of lecsó, the Hungarian counterpart of the French dish ratatouille, began in America with Spanish mediation, and not surprisingly, Turkish-Serbian influence. However, we can also say that while keeping these international origins in mind, lecsó is a very Hungarian dish, as it is not similar to any other nation’s paprika-tomato dish, neither in its garnishing nor its preparation.

The first peppers were brought home to Europe by the Columbus’s doctor, and then, as a result of a later expedition, tomatoes also made their way to the old continent. However, for a long time, Europeans failed to use the amazing new vegetable, as surprisingly it was believed to be poisonous for an incredibly long time.

To Hungary, the tomato – and with it a dish similar to today’s Hungarian lecsó – arrived across the Balkans during the Turkish occupation. Although the Turkish course was suspiciously similar, the traditional Hungarian lecsó only appeared much later, so we probably didn’t get the idea of the dish from the Turks.

In its present form, the food first appeared around the 1870s, and was prepared on an open fire by Bulgarian gardeners who settled down in the country. In 1902, the magazine A Hét first published a recipe for lecsó, although at that time it was still called “rácz omácska,” where the word “omácska” meant ‘sauce.’

The word lecsó first appeared as a provincial word from Diósjenő, collected by Sándor Horváth in the form lëcső, lëcsó (green pepper with tomatoes) in the 1914 issue of the Magyar Nyelv (Hungarian Language) magazine’s Volume 10. According to some experts, the word is a distorted version of the term všeličo (mixed, of all kinds) used by the Slovak-speaking population of Kistompa, just 20 kilometers from Diósjenő.

The ‘real career’ of lecsó, on the other hand, began when the First Hungarian Can and Ore Factory made canned lecsó so successful under the brand ‘Globus’ that it also became a serious export item as well. This was the time when the dish’s foreign name, the German-sounding “letscho” was also born.

Today, we consider ‘letcho’ to be one of the cornerstones of Hungarian cuisine, and just as the other main dishes of the country, there are just as many recipes of it as many houses from lecsó with rice, lecsó with eggs, and lecsó with sausages.

Lecsó

– ingredients –

8 Hungarian wax peppers

4 large tomatoes

1 large onion

100 grams of bacon

100 grams of sausage

salt, pepper to taste

Wash and slice the peppers, chop the tomatoes and finely chop the onions as well. Cube the bacon and start frying it. Once the fat has melted, add the onion, sauté it and then after a few minutes add the wax peppers too. As soon as it shrinks a little, add the sausages and the tomatoes as well. Add salt and pepper to taste, and after cooking together the mix for 10 minutes, the basic Hungarian lecsó is ready, which we can soup-up a little by adding rice, eggs, or more sausages.

Source: Hungary Today

Igaz/Hamis feladatban döntsd el, hogy a feladatban lévő mondatok a cikk alapján igazak vagy hamisak.

Decide whether the following statements of the article are true or false.

1. The Hungarian lecsó is similar to other nations’ paprika-tomato dish, both in its garnishing and its preparation.

2. Europeans didn’t dare to use the amazing new vegetable because they thought it was poisonous.

3. Tomato arrived in Hungary during the Turkish occupation and people started making lecsó then.

4. Bulgarian gardeners made the first present form of lecsó in their kitchen around the 1870s when they settled down in Hungary.

5. The word lecsó was first used in Diósjenő which is not far from Kistompa.

6. Globus lecsó was sold only in Hungary.

7. There is only one recipe of lecsó Hungarian people use.

8. Only after the wax peppers shrinks, add the tomatoes and sausages.

Key: 1. F, 2. T, 3. F, 4. F, 5. T, 6. F, 7. F, 8. T

Mákos guba (poppy seed bread & butter pudding) is one of the most important Hungarian Christmastime meals. However, it makes a delicious and filling dessert at any time of the year. The combination of soft poppy seed bread with vanilla custard is simply phenomenal. Keep on reading to find out about its history and how you can make it at home. Let’s start with the origin of the word guba. According to falatozz.hu, it is an onomatopoeic word of Finno-Ugric origin, and is closely connected to words like gubacs (nutgall), gubó (seedpod), göb (knot), gömbölyű (rounded). Guba doesn’t only mean a meal made from a type of dough or pastry, but also the fruit of a plant and an old clothing item, although these conformities are based on similarities in appearance. Our ancestors called this dessert lőnye, while the traditional version made with raised batter was called bobajka in certain regions. The first printed Hungarian cookbook (1695) contained the recipe of mákos guba, and it was quite similar to how we make it today.

Based on the recipe mentioned in the cookbook, the dessert was made from both pretzel and bread, which they softened with water instead of milk due to economic and financial reasons. The reasons are similar behind the spread of dry crescentroll as the main ingredient, because it was hard to get hold of fresh bread after WWII. A lot of folk beliefs can be connected to poppy seeds. It was believed that the seeds will bring money to the house. Just like lentils, it is the symbol of wealth. Moreover, mákos guba was traditionally served at the time of fasts, before Christmas, or on Good Friday as part of the meat and fat free diet. Since then, the dessert has become a very popular dish that can be eaten at any time.

And now for the recipe. The main ingredients are the crescent rolls, milk, sugar and poppy seeds. The crescent rolls can be dry, but they should be of good quality, just like the milk, with at least 2.8% or 3.5% fat. Some people use bread or milk-loafsinstead of crescent rolls. You should flavour the milk with real vanilla, because it makes a big difference. You can also spice up the milk with cinnamon, cloves, lemon zest, orange zest or even dried fruits if you want to make something special. INGREDIENTS: 15 tablespoons of ground poppy seeds 7 tablespoons of powdered sugar 10 pieces of dry crescent rolls 1 litre milk 1 vanilla stick or 1 pack of vanilla sugar DIRECTIONS: Start by cutting up the crescent rolls to small circles. Then bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla seeds or the vanilla sugar. Pour the milk over the rolls, let it soak for some time and then sieve the excess milk. Put one layer of rolls into a bigger glass bowl, sprinkle it with the mixture of poppy seeds and powdered sugar and keep on layering until you run out of ingredients. If you’d like, you could bake it for a few minutes, but it is not necessary. Serve it with vanilla custard or pudding. Enjoy your meal! 

source: Daily News Hungary

There is probably only one food more Hungarian than ‘rakott krumpli’ (potato casserole), goulash soup.

Although there is no evidence that potato casserole has such an ancient origin as curd dumplings, as the oldest recipe mentioning it is from 1865, it is certainly not imported by other nations. At the same time, the first recipe, to put it mildly, approached this food from a rather different direction than we do now, because it somehow sounded like this:

“Boil the potatoes, peel it and cut into slices. Cook veal pieces until soft and chop them coarsely. Chop a little green parsley as well, a small head of red onion, and five washed and dehulled anchovies. Melt a piece of butter, add all the above-mentioned ingredients, add a little salt and steam the mix well. Put a few spoons of sour cream and a few pieces of butter on a plate, a row of potatoes and salt it. Then pour sour cream and butter on it again, then the veal, and sour cream again. Then layer potatoes again until you put everything on the plate. Top with butter and sour cream, and decorate it with chopped anchovies and fry it until it turns golden.”

This original recipe featuring veal and anchovies is far from today’s sausage-egg version, but this may prove that it wasn’t inspired by the French tartiflette. In terms of its origin, gastro-historians think it first appeared around the areas of Debrecen and Szeged.

Potato Casserole

-ingredients-

– 600 g potatoes

– 5 eggs

– 200 g of sausage

– half dl fat (or oil)

– salt

– 330 g sour cream

Cook the potatoes and eggs in their shells, then peel and cut into circles. Also cut the sausages and fry them a little in their own fat. The fat of the sausages can be used later for layering. Then start layering the ingredients in a baking dish. First a little fat, then potatoes, eggs, sausages, fat again, and sour cream. You can salt the layers a bit, and even sprinkle pepper on them to taste. When the ingredients run out, cover the top of the last layer with sour cream and bake the potato casserole for approximately an hour in an oven preheated to 200 degrees, or until the top layer turns golden brown.

source: Hungary Today

A cikk elolvasása után döntsd el, hogy a következő 8 állítás igaz, vagy hamis a szöveg alapján. Minden helyes válaszod 1 pontot ér.