For a small country Hungary has produced an admirably diverse spectrum of dishes. Cooking them, however, is far from simple. Rather than struggle with the recipe book, a crash course in cookery in the country itself is the best way to understand a cuisine which, like Hungary, takes its influences from Germany, Italy, several Slavic nations and even Turkey. Not to mention, that is, walks of life from the region's earliest nomads to a rather enterprising 15th century monarch named Matthias Corvinus.
Typical Hungarian Dishes
First appearances are often deceptive and initially, Hungarian food seems fairly simple. Wholesome and heavy are the phrases that spring to mind when first seeing or tasting it.
There are the soups for starters: best epitomised by the hot, spicy fish broth known as halászlé seasoned with fish from Hungary's two main rivers (the Tisza and Danube). The country's signature dish, goulash, bridges the divide between soup and the thick meat stews such as porkolt or tokány common in rural Hungary. Methods of making date back centuries but the key herb used is fiery Hungarian paprika. Any of these are best wolfed back with dumplings (called nokledi) perhaps accompanied by sheep's cheese or Wiener schnitzel. The latter three also complement the most popular main course meat, pork. Stuffed cabbage (töltött káposzta) and stuffed pepper (töltött paprika) are also comomon. For desert, everything from the nation's oldest pudding kürtöskálacs (fruity stove cake) through to the chocolate and caramel sponge cake feast dobos torta tempt diners.
The common denominator in almost all cases is that the food feels very rustic: the kind of hearty fare that could have been enjoyed by peasants centuries ago. This is most probably true, as many meals in Hungary today do indeed have their origins deep in the country's rural past. But then the plethora of tastes start to open up. An average goulash recipe will contain fifteen to twenty ingredients. Even the dumplings on the side have several different sizes and tastes. The lasting impression of Hungarian cookery is of subtle complexity and vivid colour achieved through skilled manipulation of locally-specific produce. Reproducing that dish tried on holiday, however, will prove difficult.
Learn Hungarian Cooking from Hungarians
Budapest is unique in that it is both capital of arguably the most culinarily varied countries in Eastern Europe, and cosmopolitan enough to offer the opportunities to learn how to cook the local way. Mastering the art of creating internationally popular dishes like goulash and chicken paprika (and a fair few deserts) entices many visitors to Hungary.
Chefparade Cookery School
The best-known cookery school in Hungary welcomes Hungarian and foreign students alike, making for a class with added authenticity for the tourists participating. It's a modern and well-equipped place, with cookery packages starting from €129, and optional visits to the Nagy Vásárcsarnok (Great Market Hall) to procure ingredients just like the city's best chefs often do. A typical itinerary could see students concocting csirkepaprikás (chicken paprika dumplings) on Tuesdays through to all-sweet Saturdays where delights like Mákos Guba (rolls dipped in milk with honey and poppy seeds) or zserbó, the specialty cake at Budapest's most glam cafe, Gerbeaud, are the order of the day. Get to Chefparade by taking metro line 3 to Ferénc Körut, then walking down Tompa utca.
- Location: Pava utca 13, Budapest 1094
- Telephone: 0036 1 2106042
Bagolyvar Restaurant—Cooking at Budapest's Owls Castle
The Bagolyvar is one of the few restaurants in the world solely run by women, and one of Budapest's most famed restaurants too, garnering a reputation for traditional Hungarian dishes with a twist. The curious can learn how to make some of the meals served here with the in-house cookery classes.
The Nagy Vasarcsarnok
Budapest's Great Market Hall is one of the largest surviving Hungarian markets, designed by Samuel Pécs in the 1870's. It's a suitably grand venue under which to watch city chefs buying the produce to grace the evening menus at Budapest's top hotels. One can obtain everything here from cheese to fruit.
Food Fun Year-Round
A couple of the city's leading hotels, the Hotel Intercontinental Budapest and the Four Seasons Gresham Palace, also offer sporadic cookery classes. Autumn is a prosperous time for culinary festivals across Hungary, many of which have hands-on cookery demonstrations. Siofok, on Lake Balaton in Western Hungary, hosts Tojasfesztival, a September celebration of all things egg-related. Meanwhile IFE Foodapest, in November, is aimed more at the international food and drink industry.
With such opportunities for getting up close and personal to its cuisine and how it is created, Hungary is by some way the best country in Eastern Europe for studying food - whether as an enthused diner, a wannabe chef or simply someone wanting to expand their recipe repertoire and have fun into the bargain.
Luke Waterson - Author Luke Waterson writes, or has written, for various publications including Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Moon Guidebooks and The ...
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