Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pörkölt (stew)
Paul Poplis / GETTY IMAGES ©
FISH
Freshwater fish, such as the indigenous
fogas
(great pike-perch) and the younger, smaller
and more prized
süllő
from Lake Balaton, and
ponty
(carp) from the nation's rivers and
streams, is plentiful.
VEGETABLE DISHES
Fresh salad is often called
vitamin saláta
here; everything else is
savanyúság
(sours) that
can be anything from mildly sour-sweet cucumbers to pickled peppers to very acidic
sauerkraut. All go very well with heavy meat dishes.
The traditional way of preparing
zöldség
(vegetables) is in
főzelék,
Hungary's unique
'twice-cooked' vegetable dish: peas, green beans, lentils, marrow or cabbage are fried or
boiled and then mixed into a roux with milk. This dish is sometimes topped with a few
slices of meat and enjoyed at lunch.
PATISSERIES & CAKE SHOPS
Hungarians love sweets, and desserts taken at
ebéd
(lunch) or
vacsora
(dinner or supper) in-
clude
Somlói galuska
(sponge cake with chocolate and whipped cream) and
Gundel palac-
sinta
(flambéed pancake with chocolate and nuts).
How to Eat Like a Local
WHEN TO EAT
For the most part Hungarians are not big eaters of
reggeli
(breakfast), preferring a cup of tea
or coffee with a plain bread roll at the kitchen table or on the way to work.
Ebéd
(lunch),
eaten at around 1pm, is traditionally the main meal in the countryside and can consist of two
or even three courses, but this is no longer the case for working people in the cities and
towns.
Vacsora
(dinner or supper) is less substantial when eaten at home: often just sliced
meats, cheese and some pickled vegetables.
WHERE TO EAT
An
étterem
is a restaurant with a large selection of dishes, sometimes including international
options. A
vendéglő (
or
kisvendéglő
) is smaller and is supposed to serve inexpensive region-
al dishes or 'home cooking', but the name is now 'cute' enough for a lot of large places to use
it. An
étkezde
or
kifõzde
is something like a diner, smaller and cheaper than a
kisvendéglő
and often with seating at a counter. The overused term
csárda
originally signified a country
inn with a rustic atmosphere, Gypsy music and hearty local dishes; now any place that puts
