TOP5 Hungarian delicacies that you should taste this summer! – PHOTOS
Are you an ex-pat living in Hungary? Or an enthusiastic foodie who would like to try some Hungarian specialties? We have rounded up the top 5 must-try Hungarian delicacies and refreshers you should not miss when you visit Hungary.
Lángos
The popular Hungarian street food is an ideal choice for a hearty summer lunch. Its dough is basically the same as pizza dough, mostly round-shaped. However, it is fried in oil. Its external parts are crispy while the inner parts are softer. Lángos is suggested to be consumed fresh and hot. Its flavouring can vary from the classic savoury, to sour cream and sour cream and cheese. Many people add even more topping to their lángos, including grated cheese, sour cream, bacon, onion and parsley.
If all this sounds good to you, this year you should definitely try some lángos when you are visiting Lake Balaton.
Chimney cake ice cream (Kürtőskalács fagyi)
If you would like to enhance the pleasure of munching on a chimney cake – listed as a Hungaricum in 2015 – you should try its ’sugar bomb’ version with a few scoops of ice cream. It is a traditional handmade product that went through years of innovation and rebranding and became a new craze in Budapest in 2016. The ice cream is placed in a perfectly sized and cone-shaped mini chimney cake offered in a wide range of flavours, including walnut, cinnamon, vanilla, coconut, cocoa etc. The result is a fantastic dessert that you can lick and bite at the same time. The top of the ice cream is crowned with toppings that come in different flavours. Additionally, at the bottom, there are additional sweet surprises for people with a sweet tooth.
Read also: 3 traditional Hungarian desserts you need to try with a twist – Recipes
Spritzer (Fröccs)
Take a fine Hungarian wine, add some soda to taste, and you get a delicious summer fizz. Spritzer is a very popular refreshment in Hungary as well; it is the go-to drink for many after a busy summer day. There are dozens of different types of spritzers, distinguished by the proportion of wine and carbonated water or the type of other liquids added. According to Wikipédia,
we can choose among 10 types of spritzers in Hungary with the following proportions:
- Short spritzer (Kisfröccs) – 1dl of wine and 1dl of carbonated soda water;
- Full spritzer (Nagyfröccs) – 2dl of wine and 1dl of carbonated soda water;
- Long step (Hosszúlépés) – 1dl of wine and 2dl of carbonated soda water;
- Concierge (Házmester) – 3dl of wine and 2dl of carbonated soda water;
- Landlord spritzer (Háziúr) – 4dl of wine and 1dl of carbonated soda water;
- Vice concierge (Viceházmester) – 2dl of wine and 3dl of carbonated soda water;
- Sport spritzer (Sportfröccs) – 1dl of wine and 4dl of carbonated soda water;
- Újhazy spritzer (Újházy fröccs) – 2dl of wine and a special pickle juice;
- Teddy bear spritzer (Macifröccs) – red wine, soda and raspberry syrup;
- Krudy spritzer (Krúdy-fröccs) – 9dl of wine and 1dl of carbonated soda water.
Fruit soup (Gyümölcsleves)
On a hot summer day, the best way to cool down is to try this refreshing fruit soup. The vitamin-packed starter can consist of redcurrants, blackberries, sour cherries, apple, pear or other seasonal fruits. This fast and easy dish may include cream or whole milk, and it is often flavoured with aromatic spices such as cloves and cinnamon. As Wikipédia informs us, the fruit soup is often thickened with crème fraîche and flour mixture. It is served cold, but some gourmets prefer consuming it hot. In the summer season, it is prepared with seasonal fruits. However, we can try its winter version as well flavoured with oranges, clementines, or any other fruits available, let it be fresh or frozen.
Túró Ice
The ice cream version of the Hungarian curd snack is a popular summer dessert in Hungary. Similarly to Túró Rudi, the so-called Túró Ice, is also available in many different flavours – filled with apricot, strawberry or raspberry jam while some versions are induced with coconut or vanilla aroma. If you would to make this refreshing dessert at home, check out its recipe HERE! 😉
Fruit soup originated (and is still widely consumed) in Scandinavia. It is not Hungarian. Yet another example of ‘cultural appropriation’, Hungarians claiming that dishes are Hungarian when they are not.