Favourite Hungarian ingredients – garlic

Some ingredients are unique to Hungary while others can be found in other nations’ cuisine, too. Even though garlic belongs to the latter category, the dishes made with it are specific to Hungary.

Garlic is indigenous to South Asia, but thanks to its excellent flavouring quality, it is loved all over the world. In ancient times, they associated it with magical powers while in Egypt, it was seen as a holy plant. In the Middle Ages, when the plague was rampaging through Europe, doctors put its leaves in the beak of their plague masks so that it cleansed the air they breathed. Others wore it as a talisman on a necklace.

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In Hungary, garlic gained popularity around the 15th century. As it likes light and warmth, a good place to grow it is the Makó area. By now, it is an everyday ingredient in most households and is part of the base of many Hungarian dishes.

Roast á la Brasov / Brassói aprópecsenye

There are several origin stories when it comes to this delicious Hungarian meal. Some say it was created in 1948, on the train connecting Budapest and Brasov. Others say it existed before that as it was featured in a 19th-century cookbook. The most feasible explanation comes from The Gastronomy of the 20th century by Sándor Csáky, claiming that it is the creation of an unknown chef, who first made it with tenderloin, tomato, mushroom and egg barley. The “apró” (tiny) qualifier in Hungarian was added referring to the small pieces of potatoes and meat in which form this dish is often served.

If you love meat and potatoes with a nice garlicky taste, you have to try this dish. You can find the recipe HERE.

Újházi chicken soup

One of the most well-known Hungarian soups is named after Ede Újházi, an actor from the 19th century. Besides some iconic roles, he was also known as a lover of gastronomy with a sophisticated sense of taste. He was a frequent guest at the restaurant we call Gundel Restaurant today, where this soup is believed to have been created for the first time. As he often shared his ideas with the chefs or even instructed them, this soup ended up as a tribute to him, bearing his name. Even though the soup’s popularity really took off only a few decades later, after Újházi had already passed away, it is still a well-known and loved dish today – it is also an integral part of Hungarian weddings.