Hungarian cuisine heavily favours the use of paprika, and you can therefore expect many specialties based on the vibrant vegetable. The national dish is the hearty meat stew goulash, while other must-tries include cheesy, garlicy Langos, and fish such as carp and catfish. Wash it down with a Hungarian wine – may we suggest ‘Bulls Blood’.
National Dish:
Goulash
Chicken paprikash
Paprika
Mains:
Goose liver
Pörkölt stew
Somlói dumplings
Langos – puffy bread with cheese and garlic sauce
Fish:
Halászlé fisherman’s soup
Carp, Catfish
Trout with almonds
Dessert:
Gundell pancakes
Tuorudi – sheeps cheese dessert in chocolate
Dobos cake
Gesztenyepüré roasted chestnuts mashed with whipped cream
Beer:
Borsodi, Arany Ászok, Dreher
Wine:
Bulls Blood and Egri Leányka red
Zöldszilváni and Harslevelű white
Tokaji dessert wine
Spirits:
Pálinka fruit brandy (a.k.a. firewater!)
Unicum herbal liqueur
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
