Hajdúnánás – the Hungarian town unique for its ostrich farm

According to szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu, there is a very unique town in Hungary well-known for the revival of its old traditions with  the locally-cultivated prize-winner bio products purchasable at the local market, and the friable meat made by the housewives. That is Hajdúnánás, a small Hungarian town.

Located in Hajdú-Bihar county, in the Northern Great Plain region of Hungary, in the close proximity of Debrecen and Nyíregyháza, the town with a population of 17,000 people is very proud of its past and they try to develop dynamically, to be an attractive place for the inhabitants.

The locals are famous for their many initiatives thanks to which more and more people get acquainted with the local products. Many tourists visit the area to taste the local delicacies, to take a look at the ostrich farm or to see the local currency called the Bocskai Korona. Hajdúnánás took advantage of its own distinctiveness and realised that locals should be educated and trained to revitalise the traditional professions and provide stable financial ground for them and their families. It was thanks to these that eventually the Kedereskert, the Nánási Merchandise and the currency of the Bocskai Korona were born.

In fact, the small town is quite attractive because of its medicinal waters, its beach, its rich historical collection, its artefacts and its country houses that provide an excellent recreation for everyone.

commons.wiki.org by Civertan

What is less known of Hajdúnánás is its significance in gastronomy. Here comes why.

The Nánási Merchandise

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The 1st brand of the town was launched in 2013. Their original concept was to offer high-quality products competitive prices, because there is no need for transportation. The products do not contain any preservative and are free from artificial components, too. The taste and quality of the goods are excellent and their increasing recognition in professional circles is showed by several prizes awarded to the merchants. The lovely wooden cottages that sell the goods look like a tiny fairy-tale village. The people working in family enterprises produce bottles of syrup and jars of jam to which they themselves cultivate or collect the ingredients. Thanks to the cold procedure, they preserve the beneficiary agents from herbs that give the exceptional flavour to the products while they are also healthy.

Interesting local products are the pumpkin jam, the dill syrup and the sage syrup.

Apart from these, a further famous product is the honey, called Popovics honey after its producer. The apiarist travels in the country and benefits from the unique opportunity that the Hungarian countryside provides: he can collect around 18-20 types of honey. István Popovics also knows the  curative power of the different types, and is pleased to give his customers advices.

Further goods worth-mentioning are the vegetables, fruits, sausages, pastes and products made out of leather that are typically Hungarian specialities.

The currency of the Bocskai Korona

It was in 2011 when the local currency, called the Bocskai Korona, was introduced. Its popularity is so great that more and more people in the nearby towns are interested in it. In the town, more than 100 places, shops and markets accept it, and the customers are happy to use it because of the various discounts connected to those.

The Bocskai Korona /civishir.hu/

Kendereskert (Kenderesgarden)

An old tradition was revitalized by the reconstruction of this charming farm where apart from shepherd traditions, adult and children programmes, camps and special events are organised. Its concept is to familiarize the children with the plants and the domestic animals living here. Furthermore, products coming from this farm are of excellent quality and of competitive price.

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Visitors can see the Hungarian Grey beef, the mangalica (a Hungarian domestic pig), but the Hungarian racka sheep, the goat, the donkey, the horse and further types of animals can be also seen.

The friable meat

Sous Vide Immersion Circulators cooking Eggs on the left and meat inside vacuum bags on the right                                           commons.wiki.org by Pedro. Serna

One of the gastronomic specialities of the town is the friable or sous vide meat that means a certain method of cooking. In this method, the meat is vacuum-sealed in a plastic pouch and then placed in a steam environment of lower temperature than the normal, for 50-70 hours. The meat cooked this way will be more friable and durable, too. This method is what makes unique the types of meat served in Hajdúnánás.

(The list of the best Budapest places for barbecue lovers can be checked out here.)

The Nánás ostrich farm

In Hungary, ostrich farms are pretty rare. The 1st one was constructed in Hajdúnánás 25 years ago. The new farm was opened to the public 4 years ago and the owner, Dániel Nyakas, is pleased to guide the visitors around in the farm dreamt by his father. It was in 1993 that the 1st ostrichs arrived. Those are mainly kept for their meat. Their meat is one of the healthiest thanks to its low fat and high protein content. In Hungary, this type of meat is still less popular, but there is a growing demand abroad.

Furthermore, it is only in Hajdúnánás in the whole country that we can find an ostrich slaughterhouse, where they also treat the meat. Special ostrich sausages are produced flavoured according to the request of the customer.

Hajdúnánás ostrich farm commons.wiki.org by Görgyfi

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The Martinek Farm

The enterprise of the family started in 1996 and has developed significantly since the beginning. Everything can be found for the production of the quality milk and other dairy products. They believe that the basis for the appropriate quality is the good fodder. This is the most important concept for them in order to provide healthy products, like cocoa, yogurt, fruit-flavoured dairy products and also cheese, that are free from additives and artificial components.

For more information about Hajdúnánás, visit the website of the town:

http://www.hajdunanas.hu/eng/introduction-to-hajdunanas

Photos: pixabay.com; commons.wiki.org; civishir.hu

Source: szeretlekmagyarorszag.hu