recipe

Popular Hungarian dishes for New Year’s Eve – PHOTOS & RECIPES

Just like for every holiday, Hungarians have their distinct dishes for New Year’s Eve as well. Some of them are absolutely delicious, however, others are rather questionable. In this article, you can learn about the most typical New Year’s Eve dishes you can find in Hungary.

As our New Year’s Eve 2020 article shows, Hungarians can be highly superstitious beings. New Year’s Eve’s dishes and activities are no exception. Some dishes are eaten on 31 December and/or 1 January to keep away bad luck and attract wealth and health.

Now, let’s get to the actual dishes and how to make them!

1. Kaszinótojás francia salátával (Egg mayonnaise with creamy/French salad)

egg mayonnaise salad
Egg mayonnaise with creamy salad

The egg is actually called casino egg in Hungary, and the creamy salad has many more names in other countries. Here is how you can make both the eggs and the salad. You can find the original recipe here by Hungarian Tidbits.

Ingredients (for 6-8 servings):

For the egg:

  • 8 large eggs, hard-boiled

For the salad:

  • 2 medium potatoes diced into ½ inch squares
  • 3 medium carrots diced into ½ inch squares
  • a good handful/1 cup of frozen peas
  • 1-2 apples diced into ½ inch squares
  • 2-3 pickled gherkins diced into ½ inch squares
  • ½ white onion (finely chopped or grated)
  • fresh parsley for decoration

For the dressing:

  • 500 ml (2 cups) sour cream
  • 250 ml (1 cup) mayonnaise
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp French mustard
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the egg yolk filling:

  • hard-boiled egg yolks
  • 1 tsp grated onion
  • 2 tbsp from the mayonnaise dressing you are using for the salad
  • 1 tsp French mustard or English mustard (needs a bit less as it is stronger)
  • salt and pepper

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the hard-boiled eggs. Place the eggs in cold water and cover them. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. You can forget about them for a few hours as they need to become completely cold.
  2. Cook the potatoes and carrots for 2-3 minutes. Add the frozen peas and cook for another 3 minutes, until everything is well-cooked but not falling apart. Strain, then rinse with cold water and put aside to cool.
  3. Chop the apple and gherkins, combine them with the now cold potatoes, carrots, and peas.
  4. For the dressing: mix the sour cream, mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Try it frequently until it tastes the way you like it.
  5. Combine the chopped vegetables, apples, and gherkin with ¾ of the salad dressing you just prepared. Retain some so you can cover the eggs with it.
  6. Carefully cut the eggs in half and place the yolks in a bowl. Now mash them with a fork, add some salt, pepper, 2 tbsp of the dressing, and 1 tbsp finely grated onion. Add a bit more mustard if you like.
  7. Fill the boiled egg whites with the egg yolk mixture. Place them on top of the salad upside down and cover the egg halves with the rest of the cream.
  8. Add some freshly chopped parsley as decoration if you like.
  9. Put them into the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

2. Tormakrémes sonkatekercs (Ham rolls with cream cheese and horseradish)

ham roll with cream cheese and horseradish
Ham rolls with cream cheese and horseradish

This light serving is the perfect appetiser before any dish. However, it is also a dish on its own (or with francia saláta!) in Hungary for New Year’s Eve. Here is how to make it (the original recipe belongs to Poomy Thomas from Allrecipes):

Ingredients:

  • 3 packages (8 ounces) of cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tbsp prepared horseradish
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped onions
  • 1 container (8 ounces) sour cream
  • 2 pounds cooked ham, thinly sliced

Instructions:

Take a medium bowl and mix the cream cheese, sour cream, horseradish, and onions in it. Spread this mixture onto the slices of ham. Tightly roll up the slices, and put toothpicks in them to secure them. You are done!

3. Sajtroló (Puff pastry rolls with cheese filling)

puff pastry rolls with cheese filling
Puff pastry rolls with cheese filling. Source: image still from Sajtos roló videó recept

One of my personal favourite New Year’s Eve “snacks”. Not too healthy (just like most snacks), but extremely delicious. Also, they can be made pretty easily. Check out how (original recipe by EatSmarter!).

Ingredients:

  • 400 grams (frozen) puff pastry dough
  • 500 grams cream cheese
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 300 grams (grated) cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • freshly ground pepper
  • salt

Instructions:

  1. Defrost the frozen puff pastry.
  2. Mix the cream cheese and egg yolks until you get a smooth and creamy mixture. Fold in half of the cheese. Season it with salt and pepper.
  3. Roll out the puff pastry into two rectangles, each about 10 x 80 cm (approximately 4 x 30 inches). Cut one rectangle into strips, each about 3 x 10 cm (approximately 1 x 4 inches).
  4. Brush the strips with a beaten egg and place them evenly on top of the remaining sheet of puff pastry. Now carefully press them into place.
  5. Spread the filling on top and roll them up into a cylinder.
  6. Cut it into about 6 rolls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Brush them with the remaining egg and bake them in a preheated oven at 200°C (approximately 400°F). After about 25 minutes (when they are golden brown), take them out of the oven.
  8. Dip their ends in the remaining cheese and let them cool.
  9. Arrange aesthetically on a plate. Enjoy!

4. Lentil soup

lentil soup
Lentil soup

As mentioned above, Hungarians can be pretty superstitious. This especially shows on New Year’s Eve/on the first day of the year. On January 1st, many of us eat lentil soup or stew because the small pieces of lentils symbolise money and wealth. Many Hungarians believe that if you eat lentils on January 1st, you will attract wealth during the year. Let’s not take risks: make some lentil soup this coming January! The original recipe is by Bob Cody at Allrecipes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups dry lentils
  • 8 cups water
  • 1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a big soup pot, heat some oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook and stir until the onion is tender.
  3. Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil, and cook them for 2 minutes.
  4. Add the lentils, stir, and add water and tomatoes. Bring them to a boil.
  5. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for at least an hour.
  6. When it is ready to serve, stir in the spinach, and cook until it wilts.
  7. Stir in some vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some more vinegar if desired.
  8. Enjoy!
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3 vegan recipes for the perfect meat-free Hungarian Christmas dinner

Christmas is just around the corner, and the celebration cannot be complete without a traditional Christmas dinner shared with the family.

If you want to try some traditional Hungarian dishes during the Holidays, check out OUR ARTICLE featuring a classic three-course Christmas dinner menu. Although meat is fundamental to Hungarian cuisine, eating plant-based does not mean that you have to miss out on these delicious seasonal dishes. In this article, we want to show you some examples of the great selection of traditional yet vegetarian- and vegan-friendly Christmas recipes.

Vegan “fish soup”

Vegan fish soup-food
Photo: video still from “Vegán halászlé. Vigyázat, NAGYON finom!”

Ingredients

2 medium onions

1 head of garlic

smoked paprika

sweet paprika

ground caraway

salt-free food seasoning (e.g. with carrot, parsnip, onions, celery, parsley leaves)

2 eggplants

nutritional yeast flakes

cooked teff (a tiny grass seed with a mild, nutty flavour)

1 Nori sheet (dried edible seaweed)

coconut oil

  1. Tear the Nori sheet into a few pieces, then soak it for approximately 5 minutes to retain a little crunch, or 10 minutes if you want it to be more tender.
  2. Cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the seeds. Peel one eggplant and dice it, then cut the other eggplant into strips. Sprinkle some salt on the eggplant strips, let them sit until beads of moisture start to form on the surface. Fry them in some coconut oil.
  3. Dice the onions and the garlic. Pour some coconut oil into a saucepan, add some salt, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, ground caraway, and salt-free food seasoning. Sauté the onions until translucent.
  4. Add the diced eggplants, some nutritional yeast flakes, and continue to sauté for a few minutes.
  5. Pour the water and the Nori sheet pieces into the saucepan and cook until the eggplants become tender. Use a hand blender to purée the mixture, then add the cooked teff and the fried eggplant strips.

Read also: What is szaloncukor and why do Hungarians spend so much on it?

Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes

Stuffed cabbage with tofu and mushrooms

Stuffed cabbage-Christmas-food
Photo: video still from “Vega töltött káposzta Németh Ádámtól | Mindmegette.hu”

Hungarian stuffed cabbage is traditionally made with minced meat, but there are numerous plant-based stuffing alternatives, such as mushroom, eggplant, zucchini, seitan or tofu. You can also use a mixture of the above ingredients to add more flavour and texture to your dish.

Ingredients

1 medium head sauerkraut

500 g chopped sauerkraut

500 g firm smoked tofu

150 g mushrooms

80 g rice

2 eggs

2 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion

2 tbsp vegan sour cream

1 tbsp flour

oil

salt

ground pepper

smoked paprika

sweet paprika

a few bay leaves

  1. Drain the tofu and pat it dry with paper towels, crumble, and set aside. Dice the onion and the mushrooms, then mince the garlic.
  2. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet to medium heat, then add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Add the onion and continue to sauté for a few minutes. Add the minced garlic, the tofu, some salt, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and ground pepper.
  3. Wash the rice and add it to the onion-tofu-mushroom mixture. Let the stuffing cool a bit, then add the eggs.
  4. Wash the sauerkraut leaves and the chopped sauerkraut. Take a leaf, trim the vein, put some stuffing in the middle of the cabbage leaf, roll the cabbage leaf around the filling, then, using your thumb on either side of the roll, gently tuck the ends of the cabbage. Repeat this with each leaf.
  5. Place some chopped sauerkraut at the bottom of a large pot and add a few bay leaves. Place some stuffed cabbages on top, then add some chopped sauerkraut. Repeat this layering process, cover the stuffed cabbages with the last layer of chopped sauerkraut, and add enough water to cover. Cook for approximately 60 minutes.
  6. Mix the vegan sour cream with the flour, then add some of the water in which the stuffed cabbage was cooked to warm up the roux a bit. Pour the roux into the pot, then bring it to a boil. Serve with vegan sour cream.

Vegan bejgli

Vegan bejgli-Christmas-food
Photo: video still from “Gluténmentes vegán bejgli készítése (kelesztés nélkül, tojásmentes, tejmentes)”

Plant-based or not, no Hungarian Christmas lunch and dinner can be complete without some poppy seed and walnut bejgli.

Ingredients

For the dough:

600 g fine flour

250 ml plant-based milk alternative of your choice (of course, no alternative will have the sweetness, protein, fibre, and fat as milk, but almond, oat, soy or cashew milk are probably the best options for baking)

150 g coconut butter

40–50 g yeast

100 g sugar

1 packet vanilla sugar

salt

For the fillings:

300 g chopped walnuts

300 g ground poppy seeds

150 g sugar

half a packet of vanilla sugar

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp orange zest

180 ml plant-based milk alternative

  1. Warm up the plant-based milk alternative, then dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the lukewarm milk.
  2. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar, the vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, and mix the dry ingredients. Add the yeast and the coconut fat. Knead the dough thoroughly, then leave to rest for approximately one and a half hours in a warm place.
  3. Let’s prepare the fillings. Get two bowls, mix the chopped walnuts with the orange zest, half of the sugar, half of the vanilla sugar, and half of the plant-based milk. Then mix the ground poppy seeds with the lemon zest and the other half of the sugar, vanilla sugar, and the milk. You can also add raisins to the fillings.
  4. When the dough has risen, divide it into 2 pieces, and roll them into a rectangular shape. Spread the filling on the dough, fold in the edges on the shorter sides of the rectangle, and roll it up carefully. Leave them for another 15 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180°C, put the rolls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush the tops of the rolls with some milk, and bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown.
bejgli
Read alsoCheck out the “Bejgli” and “Szaloncukor” of the year

Classic Hungarian menu for this year’s Christmas Eve! – RECIPES

Bejgli Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes

Christmas is coming soon. Therefore, the time has come to create a festive atmosphere at home and prepare a special dinner for this year’s Christmas Eve. We came up with a classic Hungarian Christmas menu with which you can impress your loved ones and provide an unforgettable culinary experience on this special occasion. Enjoy!

Hungarian fish soup

In Hungary, fish soup is one of the classic starters of the Christmas menu. The preparation might be a bit time-consuming (approx. 150 minutes); however, its divine taste is definitely worth the effort.

Ingredients

  • 2 kg carp
  • 1 kg catfish
  • 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
  • 2 large onions
  • 1 pepper (large)
  • 1 large tomato
  • 2 teaspoons of spicy paprika
  • 8 fish soup cubes
  • 4 l water
  • salt

Preparation

Clean and fillet the fish. Dice the meat. Keep the head and the tail, leaving a little meat on them. Dice the onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Sauté the onion in a little oil until translucent. Add the diced peppers and tomatoes – or a little hot paprika to taste – and continue to sauté for a few minutes. Then add the fish head and tail and add enough water to cover them. Cook the fish stock over medium heat until just simmering, about 40-45 minutes. Remove the meat from the cooked fish pieces, and then strain the vegetables and a little stock. Make sure not to leave any fishbone in the sauce. Pour the stock into the saucepan and add the filleted fish pieces. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook the fish for about 30 minutes until tender. In the meantime, flavour the fish dumplings and add hot pepper. As Nosalty reports, the classic Hungarian fish soup is served hot, with thick slices of fresh white bread and green hot peppers.

Read also: These are the best places to find the iconic Hungarian fish soup

Christmas Stuffed Cabbage

A favourite end-of-year festive dish that can only be made in large portions to feed all the hungry mouths of the family is the famous stuffed cabbage.

Stuffed cabbage
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

  • For the filling: 100 g rice, 1 kg minced pork leg, 1 head of red onion, 3 cloves of garlic, salt, ground black pepper, red pepper
  • For the cabbage: 1 head of sauerkraut, sautéed sauerkraut oil, 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, red pepper

Preparation

Wash the rice, add the minced meat, chopped onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper, and knead gently. Wash the cabbage, then roll the filling up in the drained leaves. Cut the remaining cabbage leaves into pieces and place them at the bottom of the casserole, together with the washed smoked ribs. Place the stuffed cabbages on top and add enough water to cover. Cover with 2-3 larger cabbage leaves and bring to a boil. Cook for about 70-80 minutes (time depends on the meat), according to Mindmegette. When the stuffed cabbage is cooked, prepare the roux. Heat a little oil and fry the flour in it, then remove from heat and add red pepper to give it a nice colour, along with two tablespoons of sour cream. Add enough of the cabbage juice to make it about the same temperature, pour it over the cabbage, and bring to a boil. Serve with sour cream and fresh bread.

Christmas bejgli

Whichever flavour you prefer, one thing is for sure: there is no Hungarian Christmas without bejgli.

bejgli cookta
Photo: www.facebook.com/Cookta

Ingredients

  • For the dough: 200 ml milk, 50 g icing sugar, 20 g yeast, 500 g flour, 250 g butter or margarine, 3 egg yolks, 1 pinch of salt, 1 lemon
  • For the filling: 250 g chopped walnuts, 250 g ground poppy seed, 200 g sugar, 200 ml milk, 100 g raisins, 1 pinch of vanilla sugar, 1 lemon, 250 g butter, 250 g margarine

Preparation

To make the bejgli dough, dissolve the icing sugar in lukewarm milk and then dissolve the yeast in it. Sift the flour into a bowl and melt the butter. Add the milk with the yeast and 2 egg yolks to the flour, then add the butter, salt, and grated lemon zest. Mix the dough well: you should get a relatively stiff, elastic dough. Leave to rest in a warm place while you prepare the fillings. Following Mindmegette‘s advice, put the chopped walnuts and poppy seed in a separate bowl and mix with 100-100 g sugar and 100-100 ml milk. The vanilla sugar is also divided in two and mixed into the fillings. You can also mix in raisins and grated lemon zest to taste. Divide the dough into 2 and roll it into rectangles. Spread the filling over the entire surface of the dough to a thickness of about 1 cm and roll up carefully. Place the two rolls in the pan, making sure they are still rising when baked. Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining egg yolk, to which you can add 1 spoonful of milk for a brighter colour. Stab them with a meat fork and bake them in a 200°C oven for about 50 minutes until golden brown.

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Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes

Bejgli Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes

It is that time of the year again! For many of us, the holidays are synonymous with an endless food parade. It is no different in Hungary either where baking Christmas munchies is a beloved tradition. It is not only fun but also brings the family together. Since many of you requested earlier, now we have gathered 5 local recipes for you. These yummy Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes are easy to make, you do not need to hold a black belt in the kitchen. Your friends and family will absolutely love them!

Linzer 

There are no holidays without these sweet buttery cookies that are made of light shortbread and fruit jam. To make them look even more festive, you can use Christmas cookie cutters. The combination of the soft dough and the creamy apricot or plum jam will literally melt in your mouth. Just be patient and wait until they cool down after baking!

Ingredients:

30 dkg all-purpose flour 

20 dkg unsalted margarine 

1 teaspoon baking powder 

10 dkg icing sugar 

2 tablespoons vanilla sugar 

1 large egg yolk 

zest of one lemon

1 egg for glazing 

jam of your choice 

pinch of salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit

  2. To make the dough: Beat the margarine, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.

  3. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour and the salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Do not over-beat.

  4. Let the dough rest for an hour in the fridge
  5. To assemble: Remove the dough from the fridge, and let it soften for a couple of minutes, until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold, but should not feel rock-hard. On a floured surface, roll one disc of dough out about 4 millimetres. Using a Christmas cookie cutter, cut out different shapes. Use a smaller round cookie cutter to cut windows in half the cookies, if desired. Mix the eggwhites and the yolk and then apply a glaze on top with a brush. the Transfer rounds to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather the scrap dough, roll, and repeat. 
  6. Bake the cookies on 180 degrees celsius / 356 Fahrenheit for 8 minutes.
  7. Once they cooled down, dust the window cookies with powdered sugar. Spread a dollop of jam on the other cookies and gently place the window cookies on top to form cute little cookie sandwiches. Enjoy!
    Christmas linzer Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes
    Source: canva.com

    Read more: 3 traditional Hungarian desserts you need to try with a twist

Hókifli 

My grandma’s hókifli (snowy crescent) was famous in her village. Once you tried them, you just could not get them out of your mind. They came back to you even in your dreams with that irresistible wintery walnut-vanilla flavour. In my family, everyone likes to participate in the cookie making, both adults and children. Baking hókifli can be a fun holiday program that brings together you and your loved ones. 

Ingredients:

[one_second] 33 dkg all-purpose flour 

13.5 dkg icing sugar

2 packets of vanilla sugar[/one_second]

[one_second] 25 dkg unsalted butter or margarine

12 dkg grounded walnut or almond

pinch of salt[/one_second]

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius / 347 Fahrenheit
  2. To make the dough: In a mixing bowl, add the grounded walnut, the icing sugar, the vanilla sugar, the pinch of salt, and the all-purpose flower. Beat in the room-temperature margarine or butter. 
  3. Knead the dough until it becomes completely smooth without any margarine crumbs. 
  4. Wrap the ready dough in a transparent foil and place it in the fridge for an hour. It is better if you flatten the dough out a little so it will cool down faster.
  5. To assemble: Once you haven taken out the dough from the fridge, form little balls that weigh approximately 20 grams each. 
  6. With hands, curve each cookie dough portion into a crescent moon shape.
  7. Place them on a baking sheet in a trail and off they go to the oven.
  8. Bake the cookies for 12-15 minutes. 
  9. Once they are done, remove them from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes, or until only slightly warm to touch before coating them with icing sugar or vanilla sugar (depends on your preference) to get their signature snowy look.
    Snowy crescent Hokifli Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes
    Source:canva.com

Zserbó

Zserbó is a real classic when it comes to Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes! It cannot be missed from the Hungarian homes during the festive season. What is the secret of a good zserbó? The more filling you put between the layers, the happier you make everyone in your family. You also should not be thrifty with the chocolate sauce you drizzle on top. 

Ingredients:

[one_second]50 dkg all-purpose flour

25dkg margarine

10 dkg icing sugar

2dkg vanilla sugar

1 large egg yolk[/one_second]

[one_second] 1 packet og baking powder

2.5 dkg yeast

pinch of salt

1.5 dl sourcream or milk

[/one_second]

 

For the filling:

45 dkg grounded walnut

zest of 2 lemons

60dkg peach or apricot jam

For the chocolate cover: 

20 dkg dark chocolate

2 tbsp. cooking oil

0.3 dl milk or sour cream

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 356 Fahrenheit
  2. To make the dough: Take a smaller pan and warm up the milk or the sour cream until it becomes lukewarm. It is easier to dissolve the yeast in it. Also mix the egg yolk in it. 
  3. Mix the flour with the margarine and than add the baking powder, salt, vanilla sugar, icing sugar, and finally the milk and yeast mixture. It will be a bit crumbly, but do not worry! 
  4. Knead the dough and divide it into 4 balls. 
  5. Cover them up and let them rest in room temperature for 40-45 minutes. 
  6. To assemble: Butter and flour your baking tin. On a floured surface roll out one part of the dough to the size of the baking tin, then lay it in.
  7. Brush the dough with the jam and sprinkle a good amount of grounded walnuts and some lemon zest on top. Roll out another portion and place it on top. Repeat the previous procedure with the filling. 
  8. Once you placed the last layer on top, transfer the cake into the oven and bake it for 25-30 minutes. Let it cool down before the last touch. 
  9. For the chocolate cover: Melt the dark chocolate over steam, and then stir in the the oil and the milk. Cover your zserbó with the chocolate sauce and place it in the fridge for a while. The chocolate cover will give the cake a glassy elegant look. Once the cover has cooled, cut the cake into rectangles and serve. 
Zserbo Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes
Source: canva.com

Read more: Hungarian cottage cheese dumpling recipe has become world-famous

Bejgli

If you want to bake the perfect beigli this winter, look no further! There are many legends circulating about the origin of this tasty pastry. Ever since it appeared in Hungary in the 19th century, there has been no Christmas without beigli. You can prepare it with walnut, poppyseed (the two classic flavours), chestnut, orange-marzipan, or even with nutella. If you like to experiment, you can have a lots of fun creating unique versions of this classic treat. 

Ingredients:

[one_second]55 dkg all-purpose flour 

15 dkg butter 

8 dkg icing sugar 

10 dkg pig or duck fat[/one_second]

[one_second] 1 dl milk

2 large egg yolks

8 g fresh yeast

pinch of salt

[/one_second]

For the filling:

[one_second] 40 dkg grounded walnut or poppyseed

27 dkg icing sugar 

2 packets of vanilla sugar

2.5 dl milk[/one_second] 

[one_second]zest of a lemon 

60 g raisins

2 sp cinnamon

[/one_second]

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 392 Fahrenheit
  2. To make the dough: combine the flour, butter, fat, icing sugar, and pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade and process well.
  3. We mix the yeast, milk, and the egg yolks in a separate bowl. 
  4. Marry the two mixtures in one bowl and knead until it becomes homogeneous. If the dough feels too wet, add a little more flour; if it’s too dry, add milk a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be moist and easy to work with.
  5. Divide the dough into 25 dkg portions, adjust them into flattened rectangle forms and transfer them in the fridge. Let them rest for an hour there.
  6. To make the filling: Heat the milk and the sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Add the walnuts or the poppyseed and stir to combine. Remove the saucepan from the heat; stir in the lemon zest and the raisins, and let the filling cool.
  7. To assemble: Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll the portions out and adjust them into rectangle forms on a slightly floured baking pan. 
  8. Spread the filling evenly on the dough. Roll the dough up to form a log, and press to seal. Place the dough, seam-side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
  9. Stick the rolled-up dough with a toothpick a couple of times and than glaze it with the egg yolk. Let it rest until the yolk dries and then repeat the procedure. This technique will give a marble-like cover to the beigli. 
  10. Once the second layer dried as well, transfer the cake into the oven. 
  11. Bake it for 15 minutes on 200 degrees Celsius / 392 Fahrenheit, and then reduce the heat to 190 degrees Celsius / 374 Fahrenheit for another 15 minutes. Voilà, you just got your very first Hungarian beigli.  
    Beigli Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes
    Source: canva.com
    Beigli Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes
    Source: canva.com

Tepertős pogácsa

Tepertős pogácsa (pork crackling biscuits) is guaranteed to become everyone’s favourite snack on Christmas day for its unique savoury taste. Crackling is a by-product that is made after the pig slaughter. It is actually the skin and fat of the animal which is baked until it gets a nice crispy texture. As you bite into your first freshly baked pogácsa, it will virtually fly you to rural Hungary. Locals often become nostalgic when they get to taste this beloved salty treat as it brings back happy memories from their childhood. 

Ingredients:

[one_second]50 dkg all-purpose flour

25 dkg crackling 

2 dkg yeast 

2.5 dl milk

1 sp grounded pepper[/one_second]

[one_second]1 sp sugar 

2.5 dkg salt 

10 dkg sour cream 

1 egg for glazing

[/one_second]

 

Instructions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 185 degrees Celsius / 365 Fahrenheit.
  2. To make the dough: Warm up the milk in a saucepan until it becomes luke warm. Stir in the yeast and the sugar to dissolve. We let it rest for 15-20 minutes. 
  3. We combine the crackling with the grounded pepper in a mixer. Once it is done, add all the ingredients in the bowl of the mixer and beat them on low speed for a couple of minutes. 
  4. Cover the dough and let it rest on room temperature for an hour. 
  5. Roll dough 2 cm thick on a lightly floured surface. Make a shallow cross-hatched pattern with the point of a sharp knife over the top of the dough. You can sprinkle some of the remaining cracklings on top. Cut out 0.5 cm rounds with a cutter.
  6. Arrange circles in rows on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about a centimetre apart. Brush the biscuits with egg yoll. Let the dough rest for 30-40 minutes. 
  7. Finally, bake them for 12 minutes on 185 degrees Celsius / 365 Fahrenheit. Enjoy! 
    Tepertos pogacsa Hungarian Christmas cookie recipes
    Source: canva.com
Budapest Restaurants Open on Christmas
Read alsoTOP 5 Budapest restaurants open on Christmas Day – PHOTOS

3 traditional Hungarian desserts you need to try with a twist – Recipes

Dobos Cake, cafe, Gerbeaud, Hungary, Hungarikum

Dobos cake, Gundel pancake, Somló dumplings, and Eszterházy cake are only a few examples of the wide variety of delicious and iconic Hungarian desserts. In this article, however, we wanted to put a tasty twist on tradition. So, instead of the classic and well-known recipes, we have collected 1 street food and 2 dessert recipes that offer the traditional flavour but in a slightly different form.

Chimney cake muffin

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♬ eredeti hang – Válik Csilla

Ingredients (the recipe uses a 250 ml (8.5 oz) mug to measure the ingredients)

  • 3 mugs of fine cake or pastry flour
  • 1 mug of granulated sugar
  • 1 packet of baking powder
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ mug of oil
  • 1 mug of milk
  • cinnamon
  • a pinch of salt
  • peanut butter or Nutella
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  2. Pour the ingredients into a bowl and mix them with a hand mixer.
  3. Line a muffin tray with muffin cups, fill them so they are half full and add a coffeespoonful of peanut butter or nutella in the middle. Pour some more muffin batter on top until the cups are two-thirds full.
  4. Bake for 15−20 minutes, until risen. The muffins are ready when they are firm to the touch, and if you insert a toothpick in the middle, it comes out clean. Leave the muffins in the tin to cool for a few minutes.
  5. Mix some sugar and cinnamon in a plate.
  6. Smear some melted butter on the top of the muffins and roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Somló dumpling cake

Ingredients

for the sponge cake:

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp fine cake flour

for the walnut sponge cake:

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp fine cake flour
  • 30 g walnuts

for the cocoa sponge cake:

  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp fine cake flour
  • 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

for the vanilla cream:

  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 220 g granulated sugar
  • 700 ml milk
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 120 g of fine cake flour

for the rum syrup:

  • 250 ml water
  • 150 g granulated sugar
  • lemon zest of 1 lemon
  • 100 g raisins
  • 150 ml rum

for the chocolate syrup:

  • 150 ml water
  • 150 g chocolate
  • 100 g granulated sugar

for assembly and serving:

  • a handful of walnuts (chopped or ground)
  • 200 ml whipping cream
  • 30 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line the base of three cake tins with baking parchment.
  2. Make the sponge cakes. Separate the eggs, beat the egg whites until stiff with a hand mixer, then gradually add and mix the sugar and the egg yolks. Add the flour (and the walnuts for the walnut sponge cake and the cocoa for the cocoa sponge cake) and mix gently. Pour each mixture into the cake tins and bake for 10−12 minutes.
  3. Make the vanilla cream. Bring the milk to a boil and then add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the egg yolk with the sugar and the flour, then gradually add the milk. Finally, cook over steam for 4−5 minutes until it becomes a thick cream.
  4. Make the rum syrup. Bring the water and the sugar to a boil, then add the lemon zest and boil it for a few more minutes. Remove from the heat, add the raisins and, if the syrup has cooled, add the rum.
  5. Make the chocolate syrup. Combine the water, the sugar, and the chocolate in a saucepan over low heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens. Let the syrup cool.
  6. Assemble the cake. Place the cocoa sponge cake at the bottom of the cake tin, pour a little rum syrup over it, sprinkle it with the chopped or ground walnuts, then spread some of the vanilla cream on top of it. Repeat these steps with the walnut sponge cake and the regular sponge cake, but do not sprinkle the last layer with walnut. Cover the side of the cake with the rest of the vanilla cream. Finally, sprinkle the top of the cake with a little cocoa powder and refrigerate overnight.
  7. Serve the cake with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
sport
Read also10 delicious retro Hungarian candies you need to try

Dobos cake in a glass

Hungarian dishes Dobos cake
Source: canva.com

Ingredients

for the cream:

  • 200 ml whipping cream
  • 200 g granulated sugar
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar
  • 50 g unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 50 g dark chocolate
  • 250 g butter

for the layers:

  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 12 ladyfingers
  1. Bring the whipping cream, the vanilla sugar, and the granulated sugar to a boil.
  2. Break the dark chocolate into pieces. Melt the chocolate and the butter together. Pour the chocolate-butter mixture into the whipping cream.
  3. Let the cream cool (you can put it in the fridge for 2−3 hours).
  4. Pour the cream into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until it becomes frothy and foamy.
  5. Caramelise the sugar and dip the ladyfingers in the caramel. Pour the remaining caramel into a baking pan lined with parchment paper, let it harden, then break it into small pieces.
  6. Start layering the ladyfingers and the cream in a glass (finish with the cream as the top layer). Sprinkle some caramel pieces on the top.
Hungarian dishes Eszterhazy cake
Read alsoTOP 5 Hungarian dishes named after famous people

Delicious Hungarian retro candies – DIY recipes

Dunakavics Danube Rocks Candy

In one of our recent articles, we collected 10 delicious Hungarian retro candies that brought joy to generations of Hungarians. However, we know that not all of you can get them. Some of them need refrigeration, or you can only find these things in specialised stores at a premium price. Today, we collected recipes for some of these delicacies so you can try them anywhere you live.

Dunakavics – Danube rocks

Dunakavics are roasted peanuts coated in coloured sugar, very similar to peanut M&Ms; however, these are authentic Hungarian products.

Ingredients:

  • 100 g peanuts
  • 140 g granulated sugar
  • 70 ml water
  • food colouring of your choice
  • another bowl of water with a heat-resistant brush

Instructions:

Pour the water and sugar into a pot and wait for the sugar to dissolve on high heat. Once it is dissolved, turn down the heat a bit and cook until the water almost fully evaporates. If the sugar crystalised onto the side of the pot, use a heat-resistant brush and a bit of water to wet the sides of the pot. Be careful not to burn the sugar or turn it into caramel. It needs about 10 minutes to be ready, so it is best to wet the sides of the pot every 2-3 minutes.

You can check the consistency of the sugar syrup by dropping a bit into a bowl of water. It is ready when the syrup forms a hard droplet once it hits the water.

While the syrup is heating, prepare bowls for as many colours as you would like. Put some food colouring into the bowls, and when the syrup is ready, mix it thoroughly with the colouring. Once this is done, add the peanuts, divided equally. Stir the peanuts with the syrup until it starts to cool down and the peanuts start to separate. Finally, put them onto a non-stick tray and let them fully cool. Enjoy!

hungarian_sausages_kolbász_hurka
Read alsoThe TOP10 weirdest Hungarian dishes that shock foreigners – PHOTOS

Pilóta keksz – Pilot cookies

These cookies are similar to Oreos, but one of the sides is a vanilla-flavoured cookie, while the other is cocoa-flavoured. You can find the Hungarian original recipe HERE.

Ingredients:

Vanilla cookies:

  • 200 g flour
  • 125 g margarine
  • 70 g powdered sugar
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • yolk of a large egg
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Chocolate cookies:

  • 200 g flour
  • 125 g margarine
  • 70 g powdered sugar
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar
  • a pinch of salt
  • yolk of a large egg
  • 1.5 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Cream filling:

  • 100 g dark chocolate
  • 150 g margarine
  • 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
  • 100 ml whipping cream
  • 2 teaspoons of rum essence

Instructions:

Make the cream first as it needs to cool down. Put the ingredients into a bowl and melt them over steam until they become homogenous. Put the bowl in the fridge.

For the cookies, first, mix the flour with the margarine. Then, add the other ingredients to the bowl and knead a homogenous dough. Let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour or so. Preheat your oven to 180 °C and bake the cookies in the oven for about 12 minutes. Let the baked cookies cool down. Spread some of the filling onto the cookies and assemble the two sides. Enjoy!

Sport szelet – Sports bar

It is an iconic Hungarian rum-flavoured chocolate bar coated in dark chocolate.

Ingredients for the bar:

  • 500 g plain biscuits
  • 250 g butter
  • 200 ml milk
  • 200 g brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp dark cocoa powder
  • 20 ml rum essence
  • 1 stick of vanilla

Ingredients for the glaze:

  • 150 g dark chocolate
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil

Instructions:

Grind the biscuits, then add the cocoa powder and the pulverised vanilla. Heat and stir the butter, brown sugar, and milk until the sugar is melted. Add this mixture to the ground biscuits, along with the rum essence. Work these thoroughly together. Spread it in a lined tin and let it set in a cool place for about 1-2 hours. Now prepare the chocolate glaze. Melt the chocolate (in a microwave or on the stove) and add a little oil. Spread it on top of the biscuity mixture once it has fully cooled down.

Be sure to wait until the chocolate glaze has set well. Now, the only thing left to do is slice it and enjoy!

Dallas restaurant Budapest
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Konyakmeggy – Cognac sour cherry

Ingredients:

  • 2 bars of dark chocolate (you can also make yours from milk or white chocolate)
  • a little oil
  • pitted cherries
  • cherry liquor

You will also need:

  • a flexible silicone mould
  • a spatula or something to spread the chocolate with
  • a jar to soak the cherries in alcohol

Instructions:

Two days prior to making this candy, soak the cherries in liquor (you may be able to find them ready from the store).

Melt the chocolate bars with a little oil and brush the sides and bottom of the silicone mould with the melted chocolate. The thicker you coat the walls, the more likely they will stay intact when you push them out of the mould. Put it in the freezer for 10 minutes. If the walls are not thick enough or if there are some holes, touch them up and put them in the freezer for another 10 minutes.

Put the cherries you soaked in liqueur for two days into the mould. The original recipe uses a bit of thick sugar glaze (water and sugar) to top the cherries. If you want to add this, you will need to wait at least two days once the bonbons are done. If you are patient, due to the alcohol and liquid content of the cherry, the sugar glaze will turn into a runny, alcoholic filling around the cherry.

Whether you added a bit of sugar glaze or not, the final step is the same. Remelt (or melt some more if you used it up for the walls) the remaining chocolate and close the mould with another, thick layer of chocolate. Put the candies in the freezer or the fridge and wait until the chocolate fully sets. Once it is ready, you can push them out of the mould.

Balaton szelet – Balaton bar

Ingredients:

  • 100 ml cream
  • 130 g (soft) butter
  • 50 g powdered milk
  • 200 g milk chocolate
  • dark chocolate for the glaze
  • 80 g powdered sugar
  • a few wafer sheets

Instructions:

Pour the cream into a bowl over steam, add the milk chocolate pieces to the cream, and melt it. While it is melting, whisk the butter, the powdered milk, and the powdered sugar together.

Let the melted chocolate cool down a bit so that it does not melt the butter mixture. Mix the butter and the melted chocolate together with a hand mixer. You will need five wafer sheets for one bar. Spread the mixture on a wafer and place the next one on top of it. Continue until you coated the fifth wafer sheet. Melt some dark chocolate for the glaze and pour it onto your bars, spreading it evenly with a silicone spatula.

If that is done, let your Balaton bars cool in the fridge for at least one hour before eating. Enjoy!

sport
Read also10 delicious retro Hungarian candies you need to try

Hungarian cottage cheese dumpling recipe has become world-famous

Hungarian cottage cheese dumplings-food-recipe

The Hungarian cottage cheese dumpling (túrógombóc) is among those traditional specialties that we highly recommend you to try, either at one of the local restaurants or at home. Although it is a rather easy-to-make dessert, it is quite difficult to find the perfect recipe and master the secrets of the perfect cottage cheese dumplings. A few weeks ago, Michelin Guide’s Instagram page posted a recipe variant for this delicious dessert.

The original idea of the cottage cheese dumplings came to Hungary with Austrian influence. According to the early cookbooks, this dish started to become more popular in the second half of the 19th century. As far as the recipe and the preparation are concerned, there have been certain changes throughout the past few centuries.

Dumpling history

The oldest Hungarian recipe was found in 1864 by Sándor Csíki, titled Tasks of a Hungarian Housewife in Public Life, House and Kitchen, Handbook and Guide for Women, writes Telex. According to this recipe,

the dumplings are salty, buttery, thickened with breadcrumbs, and are sprinkled with cheese.

This recipe is more reminiscent of the Italian ricotta gnocchi.

Aunt Rézi’s recipes are probably the first ones that resemble the most to the current version. These two cottage cheese dumpling recipes were published in her 1876 Szeged cookbook, although one of them cannot be prepared because it does not specify the amount of cottage cheese needed for the dish. The other recipe calls for a lot of flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs, so cottage cheese is not really a dominant ingredient in this version.

Ágnes Zilahy’s recipe was published 16 years later. These dumplings still had a thick hard consistency compared to the current versions. According to this recipe, water needs to be added to the cottage cheese along with eggs and flour. Also, none of the above-mentioned recipes contain sugar.

Flavours of Hungary: the cult of sweet chestnut

How well do you know Hungarian cuisine? – QUIZ

In the 1920s, Ferencné Móra was the first to loosen the dumplings’ consistency by using less dry ingredients and whipping the egg white into a foam. Later, as its texture became even softer, it became increasingly difficult to perfectly prepare cottage cheese dumplings.

The proportions of the current recipes are usually the following:

half a kilo of cottage cheese, 3−5 eggs, 70−250 grams of semolina/breadcrumbs/flour, butter (there are recipes that do not require butter). One important step of the preparation is to leave the mixture to rest in the fridge for 1−2 hours after mixing the ingredients.

Here is a video to show you how to prepare this classic Hungarian dessert:

The Michelin version

Unfortunately, the recipe that was posted on the Michelin Guide’s Instagram page has been optimised and simplified during the English translation process, thus it lacks certain steps and tricks. First, this recipe calls for 300 grams of sugar. However, it is not clear how much of it you should add to the dough and into the cooking water. It also has to be noted that the dumplings are usually cooked in lightly salted water and only a spoonful of sugar is put in the dough, or none at all.

Nonetheless, Endre Kollár, the chef of St. Andrea Restaurant, says that it’s not a problem if the recipe is not totally accurate.

The aim is rather to give more insight into how to prepare this Hungarian dessert instead of focusing on following the perfect recipe.

If you are interested in this version, click on the Instagram post below:

 

TOP 3 Hungarian cheese
Read alsoThe history behind the TOP 3 Hungarian cheese

Weird Hungarian dishes for every day of the week – recipes

food pacal tripe stew

As I was thinking about how to amaze our readers, I remembered we have an old cookbook from 1991. I immediately opened it and checked out what the pages held. Then, I came across some recipes I had never even heard of. I have never seen anyone prepare these dishes or eat them, and if I am honest, I do not think I would try them, either. But it is fun to see what old, unknown, forgotten or strange dishes various nations have. So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the world of weird Hungarian recipes.

Bread soup

Take a piece of bread and slice it up. Cut red onions into small pieces. Put a little bit of fat into a pot, roast the onions, add the bread and roast it as well. Pour soup or water on it, and add some roux. Add salt, pepper, and sausages. Add one egg per serving. When serving, you can add some sour cream.

Wine soup

Get a bottle of tasty wine and boil it with a little bit of lemon peel. For a serving for one person, add two yolks, a little bit of sugar and stir in some cold wine. Then, add the mix to the pot with the hot wine.

read also: 3+1 Hungarian recipes from the 17th century – From the first Hungarian cookbook

Pacal

Cut szalonna to stripes and roast it. Take it out of the pot, then put onions into it and roast them until they are golden colored. Add paprika, then add some water. Add green paprika, then tomato. Steam the ingredients. Meanwhile clean the pacal (a part of the stomac) , cut it in pieces. Add this to the other ingredients, add smashed garlic, ground cumin, salt, then add water until the ingredients are almost underwater. Steam it until the food is ready.

food
Facebook/ Pacal Párbaj

Bone marrow crepes

Make crepes. Then, wash and smash the cattle’s bone marrow. Roast red onions in fat, add parsley. Then, add salt, pepper and marrow. Mix it, steam it, add some sour cream to it, then fill the crepes with the mixture. Take the crepes, fold in the two ends, coat the crepes with egg and breadcrumbs, and finally bake them in fat.

food
Facebook/ Diófa Vendéglő Szeged

Oxtail (sour)

Wash the tail, cut it off, put it in boiling water. Add salt, pepper, vinegar, onion, bay leaves and cook it. Later on, add brown roux, and when it is all well-cooked, filter it. Add the tails to the filtered liquid/sauce, then add sour cream. Serve it with macaroni.

Goose blood

Roast onions in fat, add goose blood, salt, and pepper. When it is ready, you can either mix it with rice or serve them separately on plates.

read also: How well do you know Hungarian cuisine? – QUIZ

Boar

Marinate the meat for a few days. Then, add red wine to the marinade and cook the meat in it. Serve the meat cold, with horseradish or rosehip jam.

By the way, I also found a pigeon recipe. Needless to say, it was rather chaotic. Not to mention that pigeons are frequent passers-by on squares, and we must protect them instead of getting ideas like putting them on the dinner table.

food
Facebook/ Nádas Csárda
TOP 3 Hungarian cheese
Read alsoThe history behind the TOP 3 Hungarian cheese

Flavours of Hungary: the cult of sweet chestnut

In Hungary, several beliefs, folk feasts, and customs are connected to sweet chestnuts. It is present not only in our culture but also in gastronomy; for example, sweet chestnut puree (“gesztenyepüré”) is one of the most beloved Hungarian autumn desserts.

According to Márton Takács and Ákos Malatinszky, the word “gesztenye” [gɛstɛɲɛ] probably came to the Hungarian language through Slavic mediation, around 1200. Interestingly, this word refers to both the tree itself and the sweet chestnut fruit.

History

The sweet chestnut is native to central-southern Europe (the northern Iberian Peninsula, the South of France, central-northern Italy, and the southern Balkan Peninsula). The Romans planted chestnut trees across Europe to harvest their edible fruits. They usually roasted the chestnut or ground it into flour. According to the belief, Roman soldiers ate porridge made from sweet chestnuts before going to battle.

In Hungary, the cultivation of this species has quite a long history, going back to the 13th century. This is indicated by the fact that

different variations of the word “gesztenye” appear in the name of numerous Hungarian settlements, such as Geszt, Gesztely, Geszteréd, Gesztes, Kesztölc, and Keszthely.

Folk customs and beliefs

According to legends, sweet chestnut became more popular in the Kingdom of Hungary in the 15th century, after Queen Beatrix, the wife of King Matthias, brought sweet chestnut recipes with her from Italy. The favourite dish of the king was capon stuffed with chestnuts. Sweet chestnut was considered a noble fruit in Transylvania, and the city council often gifted chestnuts to the lords and noblemen.

According to the ethnographic records, chestnuts were traditionally roasted in Hungarian villages on All Saints’ Day and gifted to the men who tolled the bells in memory of the dead.

In order to revive the forgotten folk customs, more and more Hungarian settlements started to organise chestnut festivals. The two most famous chestnut festivals are held in Iharosberény and Velem.

Hungarian handmade delicacy wins prestigious gastronomic award

Chestnut puree

Chestnut puree-dessert-food
Photo: video still from Gesztenyepüré I Édesség, desszert receptek I Blondi konyhája

“Gesztenyepüré” [gɛstɛɲɛpyreː] is a beloved Hungarian dessert. You can buy pre-made chestnut puree in most supermarkets in Hungary all year round. However, it is a typical autumn dessert since chestnuts are typically harvested mid-September through November, and as with most dishes, homemade is the best.

This nourishing dessert presumably has an Italian origin and was inspired by the iconic Montebianco.

Ingredients

1 kg sweet chestnut

400 ml water

300 ml milk

1 vanilla bean

50 g sugar

100 ml water

50 g melted butter

150 ml whipping cream

50 ml rum

whipped cream (for serving)

  1. Wash the chestnuts and make an X-shaped cut on the round side of each chestnut. Do not cut too deep into the flesh of the chestnuts. Put the chestnuts on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil and pour water into the tray.
  2. Preheat the oven to 120 °C and roast for 40−45 minutes until the shells open up and curl back.
  3. Pull and snap off the dark shells of the chestnuts while they are still warm, making sure to also take off the skin between the shell and the inside.
  4. Pour the milk into a large saucepan, add the chestnuts, the vanilla seeds, and the pod. Cook them on low heat for approximately 45 minutes until chestnuts get completely soft.
  5. Dissolve the sugar in 100 ml water over low heat.
  6. Drain the chestnuts and put them into a food processor. Add the sugar syrup, the whipping cream, the melted butter, and the rum and mix until well combined.
  7. Transfer the paste into a clean bowl and put it into the fridge for at least 6 hours.
  8. Use a potato ricer or a grater with large holes to make chestnut puree strands.
  9. Serve with whipped cream.

You can also use sweet chestnut as bejgli filling to add a twist to the traditional Hungarian pastry.

bejgli
Read alsoBoulevard of Christmas desserts: an unconventional bejgli map of Budapest

3+1 Hungarian recipes from the 17th century – From the first Hungarian cookbook

főzelék, Hungary, gastronomy, food

The history of Hungary is quite long and eventful, just as Hungarian cuisine is rich and tasty. This time, you can read about both, as in this article, you will find Hungarian recipes from the oldest cookbook written in Hungarian. Enjoy!

The first-ever Hungarian cookbook was published back in 1695 in the printing house of Miklós Misztótfalusi Kis in Kolozsvár. The book is titled Szakáts mesterségnek könyvetskéje, which roughly translates to The booklet of the cook’s craft.

From the first and second edition of this book, there are only three known copies: one in the National Széchényi Library in Budapest, another in Kolozsvár, and the third in Szeged. But thanks to Nosalty, you can read 4 recipes from the first-ever Hungarian cookbook.

As these are quite old recipes and might not work the way it was intended, where it was possible, we also tried to include more modern variations of the recipes under the ones from the 17th century. Here they are.

Sörleves – Beer soup

Beer Soup Sörleves
Illustration only
Photo: Nosalty.hu

Boil some beer in a pot. Crack one to two eggs into a bowl and add cold beer, then beat it. When you are done, add the boiling beer into the bowl with the cold eggs and beer. Salt it to taste and serve it with croutons. You can fry the croutons in butter to make them taste better, and you can also substitute the eggs with sour cream, and if the beer is too bitter, tone it down with water.

THIS recipe takes the dish in a sweeter direction.

Weirdest Hungarian dishes
The weirdest Hungarian dishes – vol. 2

Töltött tojás – Deviled eggs

Deviled Eggs Töltött Tojás
Illustration only
Photo: Unsplash / Tahirah Walker

This is quite unusual compared to the modern deviled eggs.

Break a small hole into both ends of a chicken or goose egg (but be careful, you will need the shell) and blow out the contents into a pan. Cook it. After it is ready, add parsley, honey, and pepper. Using a knife, chop up the egg as best you can and fill the eggshells with the egg and roast over the grill. Serve it and enjoy!

Find a more modern casino egg recipe HERE.

Boros aludttej – Curdled milk with wine

Crack 3-4 eggs into sour cream, add honey and wine and mix them well. Put it on the stove and get it to boil while mixing so that it does not thicken. Cut deep cuts into a bun so that the butter can penetrate into the inside and toast the bun in butter. Put the bun and 1-2 slices of bread into a bowl and pour the mixture on top.

Kenyér-torta – Bread cake

Bread Cake Kenyér-torta
Illustration only
Photo: Unsplash / Joanna Lopez

Cut a loaf of bread into small cubes. Crack 5-6 eggs into a bowl and whisk them. Pour the eggs over the bread cubes and mix them in well, and then fry it all in a large pan. Fry one side and then flip it, until both sides are golden brown. When ready, cut it into larger pieces.

Add some honey to the wine and sour cream and mix them thoroughly. Add in raisins, figs, and halved almonds. Heat up the pieces of bread you previously prepared, add some saffron and ginger. Put it into a bowl and pour the liquid mixture on the bread. If you want, instead of the wine, you can also pour sweet milk on the prepared bread cake and add pepper, saffron, and ginger. Cook it until the moisture is absorbed by the bread. Enjoy.

NYT Cooking has a take on the sweeter variety. Find the recipe HERE.

aspic-kocsonya-food-holiday
Read alsoThe strangest and most nostalgic Hungarian dishes

Savoury Hungarian Autumn delicacies you need to try – It is meatlovers’ heaven

St. Martin's Day Szent Márton Nap Liba Geese Étel Food

Since you seemed to like our previous article about Hungarian autumn desserts, we have created another one for you in which you can try out meaty Hungarian delicacies of the autumn season.

Hunting has a long tradition in Hungary, and so does game meat in Hungarian gastronomy. Even though nowadays, you can get game meat every day of the year, the hunting season for many games starts during the autumn. According to the National Hungarian Hunting Chamber, the hunting season for fallow and red deer starts in September and October, so if you would like to get the freshest ingredient, this is the perfect time.

Hungarian red wine venison stew

stew
Only for illustration
Photo: GLOBS Magazine

Ingredients

  • 2 kg venison leg (round) or venison goulash (leg, neck, shoulder) meat cubed
  • 2 onions
  • 1 whole paprika
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 whole garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3-5 juniper berries
  • 2 tablespoons of condensed tomatoes
  • 3 litres of good-quality red wine
  • 1 tablespoon of game spice mix or spices of your liking
  • 1 tablespoon paprika powder (sweet)
  • 2 tablespoons of lard
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • freshly cut parsley for decoration

Instructions

Cut the onions into small cubes and sear them in the lard until they turn translucent. Cube the tomatoes and the paprika and add them in. Once everything in the base has steamed until soft, add in the condensed tomatoes, the paprika powder, and the venison.

When the meat released its juices, add in the remaining spices, cut the garlic in half, and add it in, as well as the 0.3 litres of quality wine. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours. Add salt and pepper and decorate with a little parsley before serving. You can eat it with pasta, traditional Hungarian nokedli (dumpling) or with fresh bread. (Find the original recipe HERE.)

Hungarian Autumn desserts from 100 years ago – How did they taste?

Another animal that has its hunting season during the autumn in Hungary is the pheasant. It can be cooked on its own or used for a rich Hungarian húsleves (chicken soup). Today, we will give you the recipe for roasted pheasant.

Roasted whole pheasant

Roasted Whole Pheasant Fácán
Illustration only
Photo: Unsplash /
Amanda Lim

Ingredients

  • 1 whole pheasant
  • 15 kg bacon
  • 150 millilitres of white wine
  • 3 tablespoons of cream
  • 50 grammes of butter
  • 150 millilitres of broth
  • Carrots and onions to taste
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Rub the pheasant’s skin and inside with salt, pepper, and marjoram. If you have fresh marjoram, put it into the cavity. Cut small holes into the breasts and leg and put small pieces of bacon in there. Fold the wings under the back.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and use a heat-resistant cooking pot. Put the remaining bacon and the cut carrots and onions in the pot and lay the pheasant over it. Melt the butter and pour it onto the pheasant and pour some of the broth and white wine into the pot, under the pheasant, then put the whole pot into the oven.

You need to pay attention as it cooks and add more broth and wine if it cooks away. Baste the pheasant with its own juices, and approximately 10 minutes before finishing (it takes about 50-60 minutes to cook), take out the bacon pieces in the breast and legs to let the skin crisp.

Take out the pheasant and the vegetables and pour the juices into a pot or pan. Add some broth to it and boil it. Use a strainer to get the larger pieces out, then add some cream or butter and boil it again. When serving, pour some of this sauce on the pheasant. (Find the original recipe HERE.)

4 delicious sweet and savoury plum recipes for the autumn season – PHOTOS

One of the major holidays during Autumn in Hungary is Saint Martin’s day. On 11 November, we celebrate Saint Martin, which you can read more about HERE, but that is not all. In most restaurants around Hungary, they serve special goose dishes. And one of the most popular dishes is roasted goose leg on steamed cabbage. If you cannot visit Hungary for the holiday, we have you covered, you can try the following recipe out in your home:

Roasted goose leg with steamed cabbage

St. Martin's Day Szent Márton Nap Liba Geese Étel Food
Photo: facebook.com/martonnap/

Ingredients

  • 4 goose legs
  • 1 kg red cabbage
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 apples
  • 100 millilitres of balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 100 grams of golden raisins
  • 50 grams of butter
  • a pinch of ground caraway
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

Shred the cabbage thinly, slice the red onion, and grate the apples. Melt the butter in a large pot and add in the shredded cabbage, the onion, and the grated apples. Braise for 4-5 minutes, then add in the sugar, the balsamic vinegar and the golden raisins. Add salt and pepper, season with caraway, and simmer until soft.

Salt the goose legs generously, and let them sit with the salt for 30 minutes. Then, place them in a cooking pot, cover it with aluminium foil, and bake for an hour at 220°C. Take off the foil and crisp the skin. Serve with the cabbage. (Find the original recipe HERE.)

Creamy pumpkin soup-recipe-food
Read alsoDelicious Hungarian soup ideas for gloomy autumn days

Hungarian Autumn desserts from 100 years ago – How did they taste?

Hungarian cuisine is known in several parts of the world, but usually, it is our savoury dishes that get the attention. Still, there are actually a lot of desserts and sweet things in Hungarian cuisine.

Although gulyás and paprika are very well known around the globe, Hungarians also like to eat sweet things, and we have many different main courses that are sweet, such as máglyarakás (bonfire stack) and palacsinta (pancakes). But Hungarians also love their desserts as well.

Csalad has collected some of the Hungarian dessert recipes found in the Magyar Háziasszonyok Közlönye, which roughly translates to Hungarian Housewives’ Gazette from 1903. It contained tips and tricks on how to solve household problems, as well as recipes.

Hungarian Housewives' Gazette
A magyar háziasszonyok közlönye (Hungarian Housewives’ Gazette) Photo: muzeumantikvarium.hu

Peel 12 luscious apples, cut them into fours and take out the pit with the seeds. Cook the quarters in wine with vanilla and sugar to taste until they soften. If they are soft, take them out and put the quarters into a large bowl and add 0.5-litre tejföl (sour cream), 1 tablespoon of wheat starch and the same amount of powdered sugar. Beat them until it becomes foamy. Add 5 egg yolks and the hard foam of the eggs. Mix them and bake until light yellow. It is delicious and can be eaten cold as well.

Cukrozott Ringlotta – Candied (green)gage

  • Cukrozott Ringlotta Candied Greegage 2
  • Cukrozott Ringlotta Candied Greegage
Candied plum and apricot (illustration) Photo: Pixabay / LeoNeoBoy

Cook a thick syrup using 0.5 kg sugar and 0.25 litres of water. Put some not yet fully ripened (green)gages into the syrup and cook them for 15 minutes. Be careful not to split their peels. Take the (green)gages out and drain them, then sprinkle powdered sugar on them until it covers them and they become white.

Put them into a tepid oven and dehydrate them. While in the oven, you need to turn the fruits over several times and sprinkle them with sugar. This delicacy will stay fresh in silk paper for a long time.

4 delicious sweet and savoury plum recipes for the autumn season – PHOTOS

Recipe of the week: poppyseed lütyü, a unique dessert from the Great Hungarian Plain

Szilvásgombóc – Plum dunmplings

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Cook 4 large potatoes, add 1 egg and some flour and knead it until it becomes a pasta-like consistency. Roll the dough to 1-2 millimetres or a bit thicker if you like it that way, and cut it into squares that would fit your plums. The best if it is ripe enough that the flesh easily comes off the pit. You can use it whole or deseed the plums.

Put the plums into the squares and form the dough around the plum and roll it into ball-like shapes. Toast fine breadcrumbs in a bit of butter until it becomes golden brown. Cook the dough balls filled with plum in water, and when they are ready, take them out and roll them into the toasted breadcrumbs. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and serve with a side of sour cream.

It can also be a dessert and a main dish. You can also substitute the plums with something else. Other typical fillings include plum or apricot jam, but you can basically use anything you like.

Töltött diótorta – Filled walnut cake

Töltött Diótorta Filled Walnut Cake
Töltött Diótorta – Filled Walnut Cake Photo: mindmegette.hu

 

Stir 12 egg yolks with 30 dkg powdered sugar for half an hour. Add half a lemon’s  worth of grated peel, add jut a knife’s point of sieved cloves, 30 dkg of finely ground walnut, 2 dkg breadcrumbs (from crescents), 1 tablespoon of rum and the hard foam of the twelve eggs. Mix it well.

Grease two identical cake tins and add in the mixture, then bake on low heat. When it is cooled off, spread walnut cream on one of the cakes and put the other cake on top. Decorate the middle with fruits cooked in sugar and the edge with halved walnuts.

For the walnut cream:

Mix 10 dkg of finely ground walnut with 1 tablespoon of cream well. Beat hard foam from 0.1 litres of milk, then mix it together with the walnuts and 10 dkg of (preferably homemade) vanilla sugar. Spread the walnut cream on the cake once the cake cooled off enough. It is perfect for holidays.

Read alsoDobos, Esterházy, Rákóczi – This is how the most famous Hungarian cakes were created

Mézes pirulák – Honey pills/balls

Mézes Pirulák Honey pills balls
Mézes Pirulák – Honey pills/balls (illustration) Photo: nosalty.hu

 

Put a medium bowl of ground walnut, a little honey, the finely chopped peels of 3 entire oranges and 2 whole lemons into a pot. Add 1 lemon’s juice, 1 tablespoon of rum and 2 coffee spoons (around one teaspoon total) of crushed cinnamon (powder would be fine). Constantly stirring, cook the mixture for 15 minutes.

Wait until the mixture cools off and form peanut-sized pills/balls from the paste, then roll them into grated chocolate.

4 delicious sweet and savoury plum recipes for the autumn season – PHOTOS

Hungarian-food-recipe-plum-dumplings

Plums are in season from early summer all the way into October; nonetheless, these sweet, juicy stone fruits always remind us that Autumn is coming and it is time for making jams, fruity pies, cakes and plum dumplings. Make the most of the autumn season with these delicious plum recipes.

Hungarian creamy plum soup with whipped cream

Fruit soups are incredibly popular in Hungary and are made from a wide variety of fruits such as apple, cherry, strawberry or raspberry.

Hungarian-food-recipe-plum-soup
Video still from Mindmegette

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg plums
  • 3 dl water
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 1tsp ground cloves
  • roughly 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1tbsp honey
  • 1 unflavoured yoghurt
  1. Wash the plums, then cut them in half and remove the pit.
  2. Add the fruit, the water, the cinnamon, the vanilla bean, the cloves and the grated lemon zest to a pot and bring it to a boil.
  3. When the plums are cooked, remove the soup from the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Transfer it to a blender and blend until smooth. Add the honey and the yoghurt to the mixture.
  4. Serve when cold with some whipped cream on top.

You can find more special Hungarian fruit soup recipes HERE.

Quick duck stew with spicy plums

This dish offers the perfect balance of savoury and sweet.

Ingredients:

  • 400 g skinless duck breasts
  • 250 g plums
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 dl red wine
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • cloves
  • rosemary
  • cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp plum jam
  1. Wash the plums, remove the pit and cut them into cubes. Cut the meat into approximately 6 to 8 cm long strips, then heat the butter in a pan and brown the duck breats.
  2. Add the wine and bring it to a boil. Simmer until the meat is half done and add the plums and the plum jam.
  3. Season with salt, pepper, cloves, rosemary and cinnamon, then braise until soft. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Hungarian plum pie with poppy seed

Hungarian-food-recipe-plum-pie-with-poppy seed
Video still from Mindmegette

Hungarian food from Toronto to Laos – check it out!

Survey reveals lecsó as the most popular Hungarian dish!

Ingredients:

  • 300 g flour
  • 25 g fresh yeast
  • 50 g powdered sugar
  • 150 ml milk
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 50 g butter
  • salt

Topping:

  • 600 g plums
  • 5 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 40 g ground poppy seeds
  • 1 tsp powdered sugar
  1. Mix 1 teaspoon powdered sugar with lukewarm milk and crumble the yeast into the milk. Let it sit for approximately 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
  2. While the yeast is sitting, weigh the flour into a large bowl, then add the powdered sugar and a little salt. After this, add the egg yolk and the activated yeast mixture to the bowl and start kneading the ingredients into a dough. Add the butter and continue kneading. Grease the edge of the bowl and the top of the dough with a bit of oil, then cover it with a kitchen towel and let it sit for approximately 40 minutes.
  3. Let’s prepare the topping. Wash the plums, remove the pit and cut them into four pieces. Add the plums, the sugar and the cinnamon to a pot, dilute it with a bit of water and bring it to a boil. Cook until the plums become soft, but they do not fall apart entirely.
  4. Preheat the oven for 170 °C. Sprinkle some flour onto your pastry board and put the dough on it. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and roll out the dough to the size of the baking pan. Lay the dough on the pan and pour the plum mixture on the dough. Mix the poppy seed with the powdered sugar and sprinkle the dough with this mixture. Put it in a pre-heated oven for 30−40 minutes.
  5. When serving, sprinkle some powdered sugar.

Hungarian plum dumplings (‘szilvásgombóc’)

Plum dumplings are undoubtedly among the most beloved Hungarian desserts. This unmissable dish can be served as a dessert or a main dish. If you want to learn how to make this traditional dessert, just as our grandmothers have taught us, read our previous article HERE and watch the video HERE.

hungarian plum dumplings

Featured image: Video still from Mindmegette

These are Hungary’s best lángos places – with bonus special recipe

Lángos Closeup

If you have heard anything about Hungary, you probably know that Hungarians love everything food-related, and surely you have also heard about some of the most famous Hungarian dishes, like goulash, chimney cake, and the coveted beach food, lángos. These special dishes have conquered the entire world, and in some places, they even inspired adventurous cooks to make their own creations. In this article, you will see some of the best places in Hungary to try the famous lángos, and at the end, you will also get an unusual lángos recipe you can try out at home.

Csodahelyek has created quite a detailed list and map of lángos places in Hungary that are worth visiting. Such places include:

  • Maci Lángosozó, Pécs
  • Álomlángos, Szentendre
  • Rév büfé, Révfülöp
  • Csongrádi Körös-torok: Pici bácsi lángosa
  • Dunaharaszti, Dezső bácsi – Lángos Palacsinta Kávé Üdítő
  • Rohlicsek Lángosos, Eger
  • Zsámbéki Lángossütő
  • Mátraházi parkoló – lángos és palacsinta büfé
Filled Lángos Töltött Maci Lángosozó Pécs
Special filled lángos from Maci Lángosozó Photo: facebook.com/MaciLangosozo

I would personally highlight Lángos Ház (House of lángos) in Bánfalva, near Sopron, in the northwestern part of Hungary. You get an authentic family business with kind people and delicious food. You can try many different toppings as well as a unique type of lángos, which – to my knowledge – is characteristic of Sopron and its surrounding regions.

Lángos Ház Sajtos Tejfölös Bacon Lilahagyma
Lángos with sour cream, cheese, red onion, and bacon from Lángos Ház
Photo: facebook.com/langos.haz.sopron

Interestingly, in this list, there are no lángos places from around Lake Balaton, even though it is a beloved beach food of Hungarians. Do not worry, if you visit the Hungarian Sea, in the article linked above, you can find out which three are the best lángos places to eat at when on vacation around Lake Balaton.

For more places to visit around your current location, be sure to check out Csodahelyek’s map:

 

According to Csodahelyek, lángos might have become part of the Hungarian cuisine under the Turkish invasion of the country from the second half of the 16th century up until the end of the 17th. Some even say that it originated in Roman times, but one thing is sure: since then, it has become one of the staples of street food in Hungary and in many places around the world. The most common toppings are garlic, either as a clove rubbed on or as a thin sauce brushed on it, with cheese, sour cream, or all of these combined. For some more interesting topping ideas, check out THIS article.

Lángos Making
Photo: facebook.com/LangosEsPalacsintaFonyod/

Now for the recipe. Usually, lángos requires you to have some yeast. You can see the more traditional recipe HERE. This recipe by Femina, however, uses baking powder as a leavening agent. You do not have to leave it for the dough to rise; it is much faster than traditional recipes. Also, due to the pandemic restrictions and panic shopping last year, yeast was unavailable in many places around Hungary.

Ingredients:

  • 400 g flour
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 200 ml water
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions:

Sieve the flour using a fine sieve and then mix it together with the baking powder and salt. Add in the oil and the sour cream. Slowly add in the water in small portions and mix the dough well. You can do it by hand or use a stand mixer. Make sure that the dough is not too runny and soft. Then, with oily fingers, tear some smaller pieces out of the dough. The recipe is for about 12 pieces, depending on what size you want them to be.

Pour plenty of oil into a frying pan and heat it up. After it has been heated, form the dough pieces into plate-like shapes; you can do thinner lángos if you like it crispy or have it thicker. Put them in the oil – depending on the size of your pan, probably one by one – and fry both sides of the lángos until they are golden brown. After taking it out, put them over some paper towels to dry them of the excess oil, and they are ready to be served with your favourite toppings.

Read alsoLángos, goulash, and stuffed cabbage like you have never tasted before − PHOTOS

Sweeten your days with the best Hungarian pancake recipes!

pancakes

Pancake is one of the most popular desserts in Hungarian cuisine that can sweeten our days with a wide range of flavours. If you would like to experience a bit of a ‘dolce vita’, do not miss these three unique pancake recipes: the traditional, the Gundel and the layered tiramisu pancakes. Can you guess which sweet surprise awaits you at the end of the article?! 

Classic pancake (40 pieces)
pancake

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 400 g of flour
  • 1 liter of milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar
  • 1 lemon grated peel

Preparation:

Mix the eggs with the sugar and salt, then add the flour and half of the milk until lump-free. Then, add the other half of the milk, drain the peel of the lemon and mix thoroughly. Set aside for 30-60 minutes, then fry them in an oiled pan.

Gundel pancake (12 pancakes)
Gundel pancake
Photo: Pixabay

Walnut filling:

  • 20 dkg ground walnuts
  • 2 dl hot milk
  • 2 packs of vanilla sugar
  • 1 handful of raisins
  • 1 tablespoon candied orange cubes
  • 1 tablespoon rum

Chocolate sauce

  • 20 dkg of sugar
  • 80 g of dark chocolate
  • 2 dl of water
  • 5 cl rum

Preparation: As Hellovidék reports, for the filling, we boil the milk with the sugar, oranges, raisins, and then boil the ground walnuts with it. After it has cooled, we fill the pancakes that we tuck into half and then into quarters. For the chocolate sauce, we boil the water with the sugar, add the dark chocolate cubes and the rum at the end. If we cannot consume alcohol, the rum should be boiled with the water for 3-5 minutes. The chocolate sauce is poured on the top of the pancake as the last step. 

Layered pancake tiramisu
tiramisu pancake
Photo: Pixabay

Pancake dough

  • 5 dl milk (2.8%)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons of milk chocolate
  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 200g flour

Filling

  • 1 dl rum or 2 teaspoons rum aroma
  • 400 g of mascarpone
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 150 g powdered sugar
  • 150ml whipped cream + 1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preparation:

We mix the eggs, sugar, salt, cocoa, flour, milk for the pancake dough and set aside for 30 minutes. For the cream, we mix the mascarpone with the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and the rum; and whip the cream with one tablespoon powdered sugar. These will be used to layer the pancakes, the top of which is sprinkled with blue cocoa powder after a thin layer of cream.

Read also: The great Hungarian pancake guide

+1 sweet surprise: Strudel filled with pancakes (Tapolca specialty)

Ingredients:

  • Pancake base dough (for 12 pieces)
  • 2 packs of strudel
  • 1 dl of oil for filling

Cottage cheese filling

  • 100 g of lumpy cottage cheese
  • half lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons sour cream
  • 1 tabespoon powdered sugar
  • raisins

Poppy seed filling

  • 20 dkg ground poppy seeds
  • 2 dl hot milk
  • 2 packs of vanilla sugar
  • 1 handful of raisins

Walnut filling

  • 20 dkg ground walnuts
  • 2 dl hot milk
  • 2 packs of vanilla sugar
  • 1 handful of raisins
  • 1 tablespoon rum

Preparation:

For the fillings, mix the ingredients. Fry the pancakes, fill them with the prepared sauces and roll them up. Grease the strudel sheets with oil, put 3 pancakes in the middle of the strudel and roll it up. Grease the top with oil and fry the strudel at 190 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy your meal! 😉

Read alsoBudapest’s best waffles and pancakes

The Representative pastry: a recipe filled with nostalgia

pastry-cream-vanilla-food-recipe

It is gradually starting to feel like spring. The weather, while still remaining quite unpredictable, is warming up day by day. At this time of year, people would typically abandon their homes and start to socialise immensely, shaking off their seasonal slumber.

Unfortunately, that is not possible in the pandemic’s current state, but it can not be simply skipped: it is time to start warming up our souls. And since it is not happening naturally this year, we must do it ourselves. This recipe is an attempt at that since many people have fond memories of this forever-favourite dessert.

It is not really possible to know the origin of the name, but there are multiple theories. Some people speculate that Parliament representatives snuck out of their seats to the buffet for a pastry break, and these bite-sized desserts were their favourite. Others say the recipe itself was based on the work of a particular representative who developed it. Despite these uncertainties, it is known that the recipe was of French origin (the dough being basically a choux pastry, similarly to Éclaire) and came to Hungary through Austrian influence during the golden days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Today it is an old classic, one of all Hungarian grandmother’s basic recipes and a great reminder of family gatherings in these increasingly spring-like but still lonesome days. This classic and relatively simple recipe is our attempt to bring a little brightness and possibly some good memories into the monotony of everyday life in a pandemic.

Here are the ingredients you need for this lovely, cream-filled bite of nostalgia (makes around 8-10 pastries):

For the dough:

100 g water

100 g lard (or butter)

100 g All purpose flour

7 g salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

3 eggs

For the vanilla cream filling:

500 ml whole milk

45 g cornstarch

75 g granulated sugar

7 eggyolks

vanilla extract

4 eggwhites

85 g granulated sugar

300 ml whipping cream (for serving)

Instructions:

Boil the water with salt, sugar and lard. Traditionally lard is used because it was more flavourful and widely available, but it can be substituted for butter. Add flour while continuously stirring, and keep the dough on the heat to cook it, or as the Hungarian expression goes: burn it (not literally, of course). The paste should change colour slightly. After the mixture is cooked, take it off the heat and put it in a cold bowl. Quickly mix in the eggs one by one, stirring very carefully, making sure not to scramble them. It should have a very thick, sour cream-like texture that keeps its shape after being piped out of a piping bag.

Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Wet the baking sheet slightly so that the baking paper sticks and the cooking environment can be slightly more humid. Pipe walnut-sized dough balls onto the paper, keeping some distance in between for them to puff up.

Place the sheet into the now hot oven, and do not open before they are ready. They can collapse if you do. The result should be around tennis ball sized. Once they are nice and golden brown, they are ready. Open the oven door slightly and let them rest like that.

Meanwhile, heat the milk with some vanilla. Mix in the sugar and the starch with the egg yolks until smooth. Once the milk is steamy, temper the eggs by diluting them with some of the hot milk. This way, we can even out the temperature differences and make sure that we won’t scramble the eggs.

Once the milk starts to boil, add in the eggs while stirring carefully. Heat the mixture again until it thickens and no longer tastes starchy. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites up with the 85 grammes of sugar until stiff peaks form. Once our cooked vanilla cream is ready, take it off the heat and incorporate the egg whites in thirds very carefully. Whip the cream for the filling as well.

Cut the tops off the cooled pastries and spoon or pipe in the vanilla cream filling first, then the whipped cream. Place the tops back on, and they are ready to eat! If you prefer them soft, wait a couple of hours before eating. Enjoy!

Lamb recipe from a world-renowned Hungarian writer for Easter

Dragomán György recipe

György Dragomán, one of the most prominent figures of the contemporary Hungarian literary scene, managed to combine his passion for cooking and literature in his recently published work, The Cookbook (Főzőskönyv). His original lamb shoulder recipe is guaranteed to bring the family together at the table, and it is perfect if you wish to enjoy authentic Hungarian flavours with a twist.

The name of György Dragomán may sound familiar to many. The József Attila-prized author frequently appears at international book fairs and festivals; what is more, his acclaimed novel, The White King, was adapted into a movie in 2016 (you can watch the trailer and read more about the movie here). The recollections of his early childhood from the era of the Ceaușescu regime in Transylvania continue to inspire his writing, just like they did his latest success, The Bone Fire. The English translation of The Bone Fire was published earlier this year, on the occasion of whic

Dragomán György writer
Photo: Screenshot from video by Magvető, Facebook

h Dragomán gave an interview to the New York Times (available here).

In The Cookbook, Dragomán attaches heart-warming and sometimes heart-wrenching anecdotes and short stories to the recipes he experimented with or learnt from others.

“Writing about cooking is almost as good as cooking. Reading about cooking is almost as good as eating.”

 

For him, eating lamb is a delightful trip down memory lane. He cannot help but reminisce about the deep love his grandmother and father had for lamb chop and recalls the first time he prepared lamb, a true rite of passage for him. Even though we may be forced to spend the holidays far from our loved ones, flavours and memories will bring us together.

“This is the real celebration, the celebration of life and resurrection.”

Here is what you need if you also wish to indulge in the remembrances of youth or simply try this wonderful recipe without the emotional burden:

  • 1 or 2 lamb shoulders
  • salt and pepper
  • butter or fat
  • 1 medium-sized red onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 100 ml white wine
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 bulb of garlic
  • ¼ lemon
  • tarragon
  • lovage
  • rosemary
  • 1 can of peeled tomatoes (4-5 whole tomatoes)

After removing the fell (the thin membrane) from the lamb shoulder, rub the meat with salt and pepper. Fry all sides of the lamb in hot fat or butter until a browned crust is formed. Place the quartered onion, carrot, and garlic in a baking pan and lay the lamb shoulder on top. Pour the white wine and olive oil on the meat. Season it with tarragon, lovage, and rosemary. Put the unpeeled cloves of garlic and the lemon next to the meat. On the top, place the tomatoes and cover the pan with 2 or 3 layers of tin foil so that it is sealed hermetically. Turn the heat of the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas 2 and roast the meat for 4 and a half hours. Then remove the tin foil and the tomatoes and use the grill function of your oven to roast the meat for a further 5 minutes. You will be able to remove the bones with ease once the dish is done.

Photo: Dragomán György Facebook

“Rejoice!” to quote Dragomán, and jó étvágyat!

Easter brioche
Read alsoPlus-size Hungarian Easter brioche – RECIPE

Plus-size Hungarian Easter brioche – RECIPE

Easter brioche

Easter is a very important holiday and celebration for Christians. Hungary, being a Christian country, takes it very seriously, with a bunch of entertaining customs and traditions.

I will not entertain you with our odd and special Easter traditions as we have already done so. If you are interested, check out the following article:

I will tell you, however, some interesting things about the Easter brioche of Hungarians. Its form and size vary from region to region; some prefer it to be round while others prepare the traditional braided form.

In many areas, the brioche prepared for this special day was only consumed after the Sunday morning mass.

People put all the food that they were not allowed to eat during the fast in a basket: ham, eggs, horseradish (the best in Europe, if you do not believe me, find it out for yourself here), and a bottle of wine.

Everything you will need for a huge brioche enough for a big family: 

  • 500 g flour
  • 60 g sugar
  • 10 g vanilla sugar (this is optional, but vanilla enhances all the flavours, so it is also very much advised)
  • 250 ml milk
  • 50 g butter
  • 15 g yeast
  • a pinch of salt
  • a tsp of lemon zest
  • 1 egg + 1 more that goes on top of the brioche right before baking

Start with putting the yeast in about 100 ml of warm milk and let chemistry work its magic. Meanwhile, in a very big bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, and butter.

braided brioche
flour, sugar, butter, salt 

Then crumble everything together with your fingers. Add the vanilla sugar and the egg, the lemon zest and maybe a bit of vanilla essence to make the flavour pop even more.

Easter brioche
egg, lemon zest, vanilla essence and vanilla sugar

When the yeast has already risen quite nicely, add it to the dough and get ready for kneading.

Easter brioche
risen yeast

It is going to be tough on your arms and wrists, but it will be totally worth it. After kneading for about 15-20 minutes, form a nice ball by tucking the sides under and place it back to the big bowl we previously greased a bit (with butter or oil), sprinkle the top with some flour, cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth, and leave it to rest somewhere relatively warm.

Easter brioche

After about 30 minutes, take the risen dough out and knead it through again for about 10 minutes. Add some more flour if you feel like the dough needs it. Then you have to repeat the previous step again to let the dough rest for an additional 60 minutes.

Easter brioche
risen dough

You can skip the second kneading and resting if you have less time or patience, but your brioche will be much lighter and softer if you do so.
Once it is almost ready to braid, preheat the oven to 170 °C.
We are through the hardest part, all you need to do is separate the dough into 3 or 4 equal balls, roll them into long and thin snakes and braid them together like you would do your hair.
Braiding 4 strands can be quite tricky, but do not worry, I had difficulties as well, so I searched for a YouTube tutorial you can find just below.

After you managed to braid your beautiful brioche, there are only two small steps left. Place it onto a baking tin, glaze your brioche with a beaten egg, and place it in the oven.

Easter brioche
braided and egg-washed brioche

Bake it for about 35-40 minutes, but be sure to check it every 10 minutes as the baking time may vary by the type of oven you have, and we definitely do not want it to burn.

Easter brioche
plus-size braided brioche

The outcome will be a neutral-flavoured brioche, despite the sugar we added to it, so you can decide what you would like to eat it with – be it the traditional Easter breakfast with ham and casino eggs, or if you prefer a sweeter taste, with honey or fresh jam.

Jó étvágyat!

easter in hollókő
Read alsoA practical guide to the Easter holidays in Hungary during Covid-19