A miskolci kocsonya és a béka esete : )

Hungarian kocsonya, and the frog in the aspic : )

The aspic is a traditional cold food found in the kitchen of almost all European countries in some form. Usually, it is either a side dish or an appetizer, but we Hungarians eat it as a main dish, usually in winter, around the holidays, such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve. It is also interesting that every family has its own little tradition on how they make it.

Some people use the most traditional recipe: they put pork feet or nails, pork skin and other soft parts of the pork into it, while others put lean meat into it before it jellifies. You would not think, but the ‘kocsonya’ has some health benefits as well. The fats in the dish are rich in amino acids and the high lysine content can strengthen the immune system. It is also good for your skin and nails, because thanks to its C-vitamin content, it helps the absorption and production of collagen.

Fun fact:

According toa story in Miskolc, an inattentive waitress of the Magyar Huszár (Hungarian Hussar), Potyka Kati, when one of her costumers asked for an aspic, went down to the cellar in order to bring the customer his meal. She brought the plate but did not notice that there was a frog in it. The costumer was stunned by the sight of a frog blinking back at him.

This could have happened because before refrigerators they used the basement to keep cold things there. The frog might have crawled into the bowl and then stuck there when the fluid jellified. Whether it is true or not, it makes an interesting story, and it gave birth to a festival since; the Miskolci Kocsonyafesztivál (Aspic festival of Miskolc). They make bowls decorated with frogs and some people even dress up as frogs.

source: Daily News Hungary