10 Essential Words in Hungarian #2 – Traditional Hungarian Food

One of our readers gave me a hint in a comment, so I did not have to think long and hard to find the next topic for this series of articles which turned out to be a success story.

According to Gotohungary.com, which is an amazing site operated by Hungarian Tourism Zrt.:

„Hungarian cuisine is a synthesis of ancient Asiatic components mixed with Germanic, Italian, and Slavic elements”.

I do not want to repeat by any means what the Gotohungary.com article says, but they are right about highlighting an important fact about Hungarian cuisine. From the point of view of culture and traditions, similarly to the U.S., our country is a melting pot. There was a lot of coming and going here in the Carpathian Basin. This is one of the most striking characteristics of Hungarian cuisine too. Maybe this is the reason why so many foreigners grow to like Hungarian food and want to return to the country.

Here come the words:

pörkölt – stew
gulyás leves – Goulash soup
halászlé – fisherman’s soup
töltött káposzta – stuffed cabbage
pálinka – „fruit brandy”
kolbász – sausage
kürtőskalács – chimney cake
somlói galuska – „a sponge cake spilled with rich chocolate sauce and topped with light whipped cream”
dobos torta – „a sponge cake layered with soft chocolate butter cream topped with a thin slice of caramel”
palacsinta – pancake

Feel free to add to the list in a comment!

Curiosity:
“I have a sweet tooth.” (EN)
Édesszájú vagyok. (HUN) – “I have a sweet mouth.”

written by Magonyi Magdolna

Photo: magyarkonyhaonline.hu

Source: http://gotohungary.com/traditional-food