When you think of Hungarian cuisine, you probably have goulash and chicken paprika in mind. However, there is much more to traditional Hungarian food than these two tasty and iconic dishes. Hungarian food has a long history with many influences, including from neighboring Slavic countries, along with Germany, Austria, and France. Paprika, the favorite condiment of Hungarians, is used generously, although mild paprika is more commonly used than hot paprika. No matter what the dish is, it is often spicy and rich, a reflection of Hungary’s Magyar past and its cultural influences.
Hungarian meat dishes
Like many Eastern European cuisines, Hungary has no shortage of meat recipes. Goulash, tokany and porkolt contain meat and a hearty mix of vegetables in stews or sauces. The most traditional goulash is made in a kettle and contains beef, potatoes, carrots, and of course significant amounts of paprika. Porkolt means roast, and it is a stew made from beef, pork, lamb, or chicken that is cooked with onions, spices, and paprika. It is often served with nokedli, or an egg dumpling with noodles, another traditional Hungarian recipe.
Both are often on the menu for Sunday dinner. Hungarian cuisine is also rich in sausages, and it is ubiquitous without much preparation; Hungarians also eat pork sausages as a snack or with breakfast.
Hungarian fish dishes
If you want something a bit lighter, Hungarian fish dishes may be preferable to rich meals with beef or pork. Traditional Hungarian menus include seafood served with various sauces, vegetables or mushrooms. Hungarians also make a famous fish soup, properly called fisherman’s soup. It is a Christmas favorite and is made from river fish, onion, green pepper, and lots of red pepper. There are many versions of fisherman’s soup, but it always contains these four ingredients. It is served on white bread and often followed by a second plate of pasta mixed with sour cream and cottage cheese, and sometimes bacon as well; This is called turos csusza.
Vegetarian options in Hungarian cuisine
If you are a vegetarian traveling to Hungary, your options are limited. It is possible to find meatless goulash and green peppers stuffed with vegetables and cabbage rolls. If you like breakfast for dinner, you can fill up on pancakes. There is an excellent traditional Hungarian food that is generally meatless: lobsters. Prawns are deep-fried flatbreads topped with a variety of delicacies – garlic sauce, cheese, and sour cream are favorites – that are a bit reminiscent of pizza. They are often served as a substitute for bread.
Lobsters are often topped with sausage, but you can also find them totally vegetarian.
Desserts in Hungary
Hungarians have appropriated dessert recipes and other sweet mixes from all over Europe. Its most decadent specialty is somloi galuska, a sponge cake containing walnut kernels, rum sauce, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Dobos Torta is another incredibly rich sponge cake topped with chocolate cream and topped with caramel. If you have a sweet tooth, you will think you are in sugar heaven; You will also find a host of donuts, strudel and other sweet cakes and pastries that define Hungarian dessert cuisine.
