Hungarian cuisine

Hungarian cuisine is known all over the world, but there is much more to our cooking than
goulash soup and a generous sprinkling of paprika. Down the centuries, Hungarys top chefs
and a legion of committed grandmothers have drawn influences from Turkish, Slavic, French,
Italian, Austrian and German cooking. As a result, Hungarian cooking is actually quite
difficult to define. But there are some ever-present ingredients, including tejfl sour cream,
tr curd, which is often, but not always sweetened, szalonna smoked bacon or pork fat,
cumin, caraway seeds, garlic, and of course paprika. Unmissable specialities include goose
liver, kolbsz spicy sausage, palacsinta pancakes, both sweet and savoury and papriks
csirke paprika chicken.
In many families, soup is an essential starter, and with good reason. Finding a bad soup is
quite a challenge and, surprising though it may sound, even sour cherry soup makes for a
refreshing summer appetizer. Main courses are usually generous and generally meaty, and
vegetarian options are often limited. Most menus do offer fish, including local fogas perch
and some soups, fzelk vegetable stew, tszta pasta, often with potato, cabbage or curd
and pancakes are also vegetarian. Whatever you do, don't miss out on dessert, particularly if it
is Somli galuska a sponge, chocolate, rum and cream delight.
Green salad is a recent addition to the menu, and does not take centre stage in traditional
Hungarian cuisine. But what many Magyars miss out on when it comes to vegetables, they
make up for by eating plenty of fresh (and often organically grown) fruit, particularly melons,
berries, cherries, peaches, apricots and tomatoes. It is worth avoiding the supermarkets and
going to a local grocer or a market or market hall for something home-grown to snack on.

Sour Cream:
Sour cream is a traditional ingredient in Eastern European cooking, and its also important in
Hungarian cuisine. It gives a pleasant tang to many dishes. Sour cream is widely used in dips,
spreads, sauces, cakes, souffls, and in savoury dishes such as beef Stroganoff or Hungarian
goulash soup.