5 traditional Hungarian pörkölt/stew recipes + VIDEOS

Photo: Funzine

The Hungarian pörkölt (stew) is an integral part of Hungarian gastronomy. Pörkölt is essentially some kind of meat cooked in a thick and red base sauce with red onions and paprika, and it is usually served with potatoes, noodles, or simply a slice of bread.

Hungarian stew is not exquisitely made with one type of meat; it generally works well with any type of red or wild meat, but white meats like chicken or catfish make great stews too. Pörkölt used to be a typical dish of herdsmen until it rose in rank and could be served at weddings. Made with the famous Hungarian spice paprika, it has become a well-known and loved Hungarian dish.

Many Hungarians believe that there is a difference between chicken stew (csirke pörkölt) and chicken paprikash (paprikás csirke), but in reality, both dishes are prepared in exactly the same way. The only difference is whether you add sour cream to the sauce or not. Stews usually do not have sour cream in the sauce, while paprikash dishes often do.

For the recipes, I included Kitchen Paprikash’s recipe videos. Kitchen Paprikash is a YouTube channel dedicated to Hungarian cuisine and showing people how to make delicious Hungarian meals (in English).