American TV show explores bizarre culinary traditions in Hungary – VIDEO

The famous American cuisine and travel television show Bizarre Foods, hosted by Andrew Zimmern on Travel Chanel, explored the most bizarre culinary traditions of Hungary. Although some of the dishes he tasted was prepared with a modern twist, the show mostly provides the audience with traditional Hungarian favourites.

Bizarre Foods focuses on regional cuisines from around the world which are typically perceived by Americans as being disgusting, exotic, or bizarre. In each destination, Zimmern samples the native culinary delights. He typically shows how the foods are procured, where they are served, and, usually without hesitation, eats them.

In 2011, Zimmern explored the old and new culinary traditions of Hungary. In the show, he first attends an outdoor mangalitsa (Hungarian breed of domestic pig) feast with a Romani family, where he also tastes the most traditional Hungarian fruit brandy called pálinka.

The second destination of the culinary expert was Lake Balaton, where he joins a group of local fishermen, and then they makes a fish soup from what they had caught together.

After discovering two provincial regions of Hungary, Zimmern and his staff takes the road to Budapest, where Anna Péter, a Hungarian gastro blogger, is their guide. In the capital, the American culinary expert becomes acquainted with the so called lángos – a deep fried flat bread – and the so called kürtõskalács – a traditional Transylvanian pastry specific – which he describes as “this is enough reason to come to Hungary.” The American culinary expert is also taken to the factory district Csepel, which is described in the show as “the greediest part of town.” In Falatozó Bar, Zimmern tastes kidney stews and rooster testicle stew, which he even names “the most sophisticated thing that I have eaten the entire time that I have been in Hungary.”

Despite the wide range of local dishes Zimmern has sampled in different extreme local circumstances, the most bizarre Hungarian culinary experience comes when he visits the Bock Bistro in the heart of Budapest. Among other dishes, the fat and blood ice-cream he tastes is the most special one. This odd dish is made of pork fat and pig blood, which ingredients are quick frozen in liquid nitrogen, and then served on a stick. The result can be classified as either delicacy or disgust, depending on your taste. Although Adrew Zimmern has a considerable experience in the restaurant industry, he describes the fat and blood ice-cream as “the most provocative dish I have ever been served in a restaurant.”

VIDEO

The Bizarre Foods from Hungary episode has been watched more than 206 thousand times since its uploading on YouTube. If you feel like you want to watch the episode too, you can do it here.

written by Gábor Hajnal

Source: http://dailynewshungary.com/