Yay or nay? – 6 odd Hungarian delicacies that make our skin crawl
In general, Hungarians are proud of their cooking skills and traditional dishes. However, even Hungarians find some of the Hungarian delicacies odd or even disgusting. Cottage cheese pasta with fatty bacon on top? Yay or nay? What would foreigners think of these weird meals?
Bacon
Dívány has collected some Hungarian delicacies that may be odd for foreigners. While bacon sounds normal, Hungarian bacon differs from the thinly sliced US bacon. Traditionally, Hungarians cut big chunks of bacon and put it on sticks to bring it to its juices over fire. It may be odd to eat a huge piece of fat on its own, usually, people it eat with bread. However, some may enjoy putting bacon over another odd Hungarian delicacy; pasta with cottage cheese. Here’s a tutorial on how you can master this bacon-cooking process at home:
Bread with lard
Hungarian cuisine is not for the lighthearted, or people on a diet. Hungarians firmly believe that lard and bread are a match made in heaven. For some extra flavour, you can even put some paprika or raw onions on top. This way you can keep everyone from coming anywhere near you for the rest of the day… Bread with lard brings back nostalgic memories for most people in Hungary, but would foreigners try it alongside other fatty Hungarian delicacies?
Stogiakos
Head cheese
Head cheese is a meat cheese made from pre-cooked pig’s head meat, stomachs, skin, heart, tongue, kidneys, skin skinned from fat bacon, jelly ingredients and spices, usually stuffed into cleaned pig stomachs, pressed and usually smoked. Quite understandably, this meal crosses the line for many.
Meat jelly (kocsonya)
Hungarian meat jelly, or kocsonya, is basically a meat soup turned into a jelly. Thus, the taste is nothing to worry about. However, the jelly-like texture, combined with the often-intact animal parts, can be visually startling and texturally challenging for those unaccustomed to such culinary traditions. The dish’s cold serving temperature and savoury flavour further add to its peculiarity, making kocsonya a memorable, if not puzzling, experience. While it may be one of the weirdest Hungarian delicacies, many believe that it improves skin quality due to its collagen content.
Fried blood
Hungarian fried blood can seem quite strange to foreigners due to its unconventional main ingredient and preparation. This dish involves frying coagulated pig’s blood with onions, and spices, resulting in a rich, iron-laden delicacy. The deep, dark colour and distinctive taste of the blood can be off-putting to those not familiar with consuming such ingredients. Additionally, the cultural and psychological barriers associated with eating blood make fried blood one of the most unusual and challenging Hungarian delicacies for many foreigners.
Rooster testicle stew
Yep, you read it right, a stew made from rooster testicles. This traditional dish features rooster testicles simmered in a rich paprika-infused sauce, creating a hearty and flavorful stew. The thought of consuming rooster testicles, along with their soft texture and unique taste, can be off-putting. In conclusion, this meal is undoubtedly among the top three of the oddest Hungarian delicacies.
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