Foods to try in Hungary

About Hungarian cuisine

Hungarian cuisine is known for its specific and delicious flavors, but also for the fact that the dishes are quite abundant and often not the most suitable for the diet.

Traditional dishes such as the famous goulash (gulyás – stew or soup) occupy an important place in Hungarian cuisine. The dishes are often flavored with paprika (ground red pepper), which is an innovation of this country.

Paprika powder, obtained from a particular type of pepper, is one of the most used spices in Hungarian cuisine. Thick Hungarian cream called tejföl is often used to soften the flavor of dishes. The famous Hungarian river fish soup called “fisherman’s soup” or halászlé is usually a rich mixture of different types of fish.

Other dishes are chicken paprikash⁠, Pörkölt stew⁠, vadas, (game stew with vegetable sauce and Spätzle⁠), trout with almonds and savory and sweet dumplings, such as Túrós csusza⁠, (dumplings with fresh quark cheese and cream ).

Desserts include the iconic Dobos pie, strudel (rétes), stuffed with apples, cherries, mac or cheese, Gundel pancakes, plum dumplings (szilvás gombóc), somlói dumplings and sweet chestnut puree gesztenyepüré (boiled chestnuts mashed with sugar and rum and crumble in breadcrumbs, covered with whipped cream).

Foods to try in Hungary

Goulash

If you ever visit Hungary or go to a Hungarian restaurant, it will be impossible to avoid goulash. This is because goulash is one of the most popular Hungarian dishes. Goulash is a hearty, hot stew filled with beef, paprika, onion, and potatoes.

The great advantage of goulash is that the necessary ingredients make it a very affordable dish. It is also very filling and full of flavor. Different regions in Hungary may have their own version of goulash. For example, some regions may use carrots, others may add pork. However, more often than not, the goulash will be made with beef.

Halasz

Fisherman’s Soup can be incredibly delicious. It is a very popular dish, just like goulash. Traditionally it is cooked directly on the stove in a cauldron, although if you do it at home, you can make do with the stove.

Different types of fish can be found in this soup. Some of the more common fish include carp, perch, or catfish. Traditionally, this soup is rich in paprika, which is why it is often bright red. Some variations of this soup may use several types of fish instead of just one. Other variations can serve this noodle soup.

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Paprika chicken

Chicken paprikash is the favorite dish of Hungarians, but also of tourists who visit this country. As with fisherman’s soup, paprika tends to be surprisingly red, and that’s all because of the paprika content. In addition to paprika, onions, tomatoes, garlic and sweet peppers are added. To make the food creamy, you will need to add cream.

Chicken is the most popular choice for this dish, but some prefer veal. To make the food more filling, it is stuffed with delicious dumplings.

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In Hungary, you will find that Lángos is more of a street food than a dish you will find in Hungarian restaurants. It is crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Many people love to eat Langos with cheese sprinkled on top. You can also eat it with sour cream.

Galuska muttered

Somlói Galuska consists of three layers of sponge cake, each of which has a different flavor. Between these layers are layers of custard and rum-soaked raisins. This dish is often topped with whipped cream and topped with chocolate sauce.

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Kurtös Kalács

A special spiral-shaped sweet dough, cooked on charcoal and covered with lots of sugar. Add cinnamon, cocoa, coconut or chopped nuts. This is the secret of kürtös kalács, one of Hungary’s most popular street sweets.

Once an indispensable food of the nobility and an essential component of every wedding and baptism, kürtös kalács has over the years transformed into a precious daily food, a sweet sought after in Christmas markets and an indispensable element of every celebration.

Turós Csusza

It is a traditional Hungarian dish made from a special pasta (csusza) with ricotta and crispy bacon. All this is mixed in a preheated bowl.

It is a perfect second course, easy to cook, cheap and stuffed. If you’re craving something sweeter, there’s also a version for it: túrós tészta omits the bacon and adds plenty of powdered sugar to the mixed cream cheese instead. This variant is also common and opens the doors to all subsequent Hungarian pasta specialties, such as poppy, walnut or cabbage pasta, so loved by locals and so unknown to visitors.

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