Top 10 weirdest Hungarian dishes

It is usual for Hungarians to consume the most typical Hungarian dishes every day, but it should be noted that these dishes might seem weird for people in other parts of the world. Hell, even Hungarian people might be appalled by meals like blood cake with onion or pig feet stew.

Here is the subjective list for the weirdest Hungarian meals, collected by HelloVidék.

The Hungarian cuisine is remarkably diverse, unique and has characteristic flavours despite the same ingredients being used in practically all Hungarian dishes.

Read alsoSimple But Great: A taste of Hungarian Cuisine

The Hungarian culinary art was influenced by the culture of its surrounding countries as well as the natural gifts of Hungary. Naturally, onion and paprika cannot be left out from favourite ingredients, but pork and lard have a strong tradition in Hungary too. The traditions of pork can be traced back to the times when Turkish soldiers took all domestic animals except for pigs because their religion forbade them consuming it. The most popular Hungarian dishes are stew, goulash soup, stuffed cabbage, chicken paprikash, potato paprikash, bean soup, fisherman’s soup and cottage cheese noodles.

However, there are those Hungarian dishes that most foreigners are baffled by – and many Hungarians too.

For example, dishes made with poppy seed are natural for Hungarians but are frowned upon elsewhere since many see the primary ingredient of opium in them. But soups and sweet noodles like cottage cheese, jam and walnut noodles are also strange for foreigners.

Tripe stew

Consuming tripe is very divisive even among Hungarians. Although it is consumed in many parts of the world, tripe stew often hurts many. There are two kinds of people: those who love it and those who hate it. There is no in-between!

Rooster testicle stew

While on the subject of stew, rooster testicle stew is worth a mention. Many swear by it while most wrinkle their noses at this characteristically Hungarian dish.

Pig feet stew

Perhaps the weirdest of all is pig feet stew. Who eats pig feet? Many people ask that question while others cannot wait for a big bowl of hot pig feet stew to be served now and again.

Onion blood cake

The hit of pig slaughterings, the onion blood cake is very divisive. The fresh blood of a pig fried with onions resembles the taste and texture of liver, but many are horrified at the sound of it. Of course, those who do not like liver either are exponentially disgusted.

Lung stew

Lung stew is a dish made with the heart and lungs of a pig. There is no doubt that Hungarians like tripe since they use it in so many of their meals. But Czechs and Austrians consider this as their own dish, so Hungarians are not alone with their great tripe-mania.

Marrow on toast

Many are wary of it but those who had a bite of it, praise it. This iconic dish is mainly made of bone marrow and brain matter but could include kidney marrow and spinal marrow as well – Hungarians know no boundaries in the culinary arts.

Aspic

In fact, dishes containing aspic animal fragments are made in several European countries, so it is not an exclusively Hungarian dish. However, Hungarians feel like it’s theirs so much, they even dedicated a festival to it!

Read alsoRecipe of the week: Hungarian ‘kocsonya’ or aspic

 Brawn

Brawn is a creation of the culinary arts made with pig meat, skin, gelling agent from cartilage and spices, often stuffed into a pig’s stomach, pressed and sometimes smoked. Brawn most likely has German or Austrian roots, and immigrated Swabs might have brought the recipe to Hungary.

Noodles in milk

It is time to mention weird desserts since Hungarian gastronomy is in no short supply of those. Noodles in milk or milk soup is also the kind of food that is unexplainable.  Who invented it? When? Why? These questions might never be answered.

Bread dipped in water with sugar

A unique dessert from the childhood of many Hungarians is bread dipped in water and sprinkled with sugar. The concept is inexplicable, but it is only the tip of the iceberg of weird Hungarian dishes.

Source: hellovidek.hu