Hungarikum collection expanding: Szekler gate and lángos!

According to a statement released by the Hungarian government on 17 October, the Hungarikum Collection has been expanded with two new items.

The Hungarikum Collection has been expanded with the Szekler gate (Székelykapu) and famous Hungarian deep fried flat bread, the lángos, in accordance with the decision of the Hungarikum Committee, the government announced on its website.

Szekler gate (Székelykapu)

Wooden Szekler gate by Ernő Kiss (2000) at the Geologist garden. – Fekete street, Tata, Komárom-Esztergom County, Hungary. Source: Wikimedia Commons/Globetrotter19

In the statement, the government also defined what a Szekler gate and the perfect lángos are like.

The Szekler gate is a type of large gate with a characteristic carpentry technique, which evolved from the medieval town, castle and manor house gates,

Impress Magazine writes. “From the 17th century onwards, the Szekler gate type became a real attraction and cultural relic of Szeklerland, with its increasingly distinct carved ornamentation and the elaborate decoration of the so-called gate mirror above the small gate.”

Lángos (Hungarian deep fried flat bread)

They also explain how to make the perfect lángos. According to the government, the perfect lángos is medium thick, not too oily, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.

“The tradition of making lángos is closely linked to the tradition of baking bread. The perfect lángos is medium thick, not too oily, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Traditionally eaten with grated cheese, sour cream and garlic to taste, we can now choose from a wide variety of sweet and savoury toppings.”

New addition to the Hungarian Values Directory

The Hungarian Values Directory (Magyar Értéktár, one level below Hungarikums) has also been expanded. The bokortanya (literally “bush ranch”) was added to the list. This unique bokortanya settlement structure was developed in the Nyírség from the mid-18th century (the Nyírség is a central landscape in the north-eastern part of the Great Plain). The people who lived here built dwellings, farm buildings and other facilities for livestock farming on land far from inhabited areas.

Also included in the Directory is the Zselic lime honey (zselici hársméz). It is a special type of honey that has been produced for centuries in the indigenous lime forests of Somogy County.

The Hungarikum Committee’s decision increased the number of items in the Hungarikum Collection to 89, while the Hungarian Values Directory contains 152 outstanding national values, the statement concludes.

As we reported, the National Bank of Hungary (MNB) has unveiled special commemorative coins that pay tribute to one of Hungary’s most influential historical figures Ferenc Deák. Check them out HERE!