Things to Eat & Drink in Budapest

 

Another great way to get a better understanding of a nation is through its cuisine. Being geographically close, certain dishes have become popular throughout the Balkans, so in my country we also make goulash and chicken paprikash which are traditional Hungarian dishes, and we found out that we have in common several types of bread and sweets.

 

Hungarian cuisine has deep roots into Hungarian history. The importance of livestock and the nomadic lifestyle of the Hungarian people is reflected in the prominent use of meat in their dishes. In the period of the Renaissance spices and vegetables such as garlic, onion, ginger, saffron and nutmeg enter their cuisine. During the Ottoman rule, certain Turkish dishes are added, while during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, their cuisine is enriched with dishes and cooking methods borrowed from the Austrian one. In a word, Hungarian cuisine is a synthesis of ancient Asiatic components, mixed with German, Italian and Slavic elements. As such, it is a divine experience for every palate.

 

 

Goulash, the most popular comfort food, is attractively served in a bun and it contains chunks of beef, potatoes, and vegetables, plus plenty of paprika and spices.

Chicken paprikash, is chicken in a creamy paprika sauce and pasta.
Below you can see pork and chicken Hungarian fast food, as we were told, served in a bread  that resembles a tortilla. Hubs had the pork one, I opted for the chicken and they were mouth watering tasty! Note that one serving includes both pieces which is quite enough/even more than enough.

 

 

 

It is funny that they press it with an old-fashioned iron before serving it!

 

Langos, deep-fried flat bread with varieties of delicious toppings.

 

 

They have many delectable sweets and cakes, so you won't be disappointed whatever you choose. There was a spring festival taking place at the main square and in front of a sweets selling shop we saw a miles long line waiting to buy what Hungarians call a Kürtőskalács (also called a chimney cake - see the images above), and they come in two sizes, big and small. We couldn't wait for the big one which was actually sold there and bought such (small) cakes elsewhere where they filled them with ice cream and various toppings. Don't buy such - they were extremely expensive - 4 times more than 1 big one.

 

Hungary has a variety of alcoholic beverages that are made exclusively in the country. For a small country, they sure love their alcohol with plenty of wines, beers, liqueurs and brandies that are unique to the country.

Their national pride is Palinka which is a fruit brandy and they have many good varieties of wines. We tried Dreher beer and Lovassy wine.