About Hungarian food

Hungarian cuisine is a combination of simple peasant food that originated many centuries ago when nomadic tribes rode the great plains of Hungary, some new ingredients that arrived with the Italians and Turks in the 15th and 16th centuries, and the elegant, highly developed cuisine which came from the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The result is delicious, often hearty, fare that helps Hungarians withstand long, cold winters. It is also often incredibly indulgent, especially when it comes to pastries, cakes and desserts.

The Bulgarians and Turks were responsible for introducing the most beloved and well-known spice of Hungary – paprika – in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Turks also introduced filo pastry, tomatoes and sour cherries, which became essential ingredients to the Hungarian kitchen.

Layered potato casserole (rakott krumpli).

Probably the most famous dish to come from Hungary is the paprika-laced meat stew known as gulyas (goulash); the name actually means 'herdsmen' and came to be associated with the meat stew the herdsmen ate. Kettle gulys (Bogracs gulyas) evolved from being a shared hearty soup cooked in a kettle on the Great Plain, to later becoming an aristocratic specialty. Interestingly, two hundred years ago when Hungary took a stand to protect its language, culture and gastronomy, gulyas became a symbol of the proud nation and everyone ate it – rich and poor. They still do today. And there are many variations on the theme – dishes known as paprikas, tokany and porkolt.

Notis torte

Sweets became elevated to an art form in the days of the Austro Hungarian Empire and exquisite confections were made – strudels filled with apple, sour or sweet cherries, cream cheese, poppy seeds and walnuts; elaborate layered cakes like the magnificent dobostorta with its mahogany toffee topping; kugelhoph, beigli and many more delights were created and celebrated.

As the Hungarians say: Jo etvagyat, barataim! (Enjoy your meals, my friends!)

 

View our Hungarian recipe collection here.