Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HUNGARIAN CUISINE
For foreigners, the archetypal Magyar dish is still goulash - historically the basis of much
Hungarian cooking
. The ancient Magyars relished cauldrons of this
gulyás
(pronounced
“gou-yash”), a soup made of potatoes and whatever meat was available, which was later
flavoured with paprika and beefed up into a variety of stews, modified over the centuries
by the various foreign influences which helped diversify the country's cuisine. Hungary's
Slav visitors probably introduced native cooks to yogurt and sour cream - vital ingredients
in many dishes - while the influence of the Turks, Austrians and Germans is apparent in a
variety of sticky pastries and strudels, as well as in recipes featuring sauerkraut or dump-
lings. There's a lot of fish, too - fish soup (
halászlé
) is one of the national dishes, a marvel-
lously spicy
bouillabaisse
in the right hands - but it's worth remembering that landlocked
Hungary's fish, such as the very bony carp and the more palatable catfish, all come from
lakes and rivers - anything else will be imported. For more information, see the glossary
of
food and drink terms
.
Traditionally, Hungarians take their main meal at
lunchtime
. While some restaurants of-
fer a bargain set menu (
napi menű
) - some places call them business lunches - the major-
ity of places are strictly à la carte. The menu (
étlap
) usually kicks off with
cold and hot
starters
(
hideg
and
meleg előételek
),
soups
(
levesek
) and then the
maincourses
(
főételek
)
- sometimes divided into meat (
hús
) and fish (
hal
). These are followed by vegetables
(
zöldségek
), salads (
saláták
) and sometimes pasta (
tészták
). Finally, there are the desserts
(
édességek
or
desszertek
). Bread is provided automatically, on the grounds that “a meal
without bread is no meal”.
Drinks
are under the heading
italok
- or may be on a separate
drinks or wine menu (
itallap
or
borlap
). If you don't want a full meal, you might just order
a filling soup, such as a fish or bean soup like
Jókai bableves
.
ESSENTIALS
Pricesandpayment
While Budapest is not the bargain gastronomic destination it once was,
you can still eat out handsomely here without breaking the bank. Generally speaking, a two-
course meal in most half-decent restaurants will set you back anywhere between 3000Ft and
4000Ft(€10-14)ahead,whilediningattheverytopendwillcostsomewhereintheregionof
5000-7000Ft (€18-23). A number of the smarter restaurants also offer tasting menus, which,
if you have the time and inclination, are a great way to sample a range of varied dishes;
however, they usually go from 7000Ft (€23). Credit and debit cards are now widely accepted
(
CaféKör
beingoneexception)thoughnotnecessarilyincheaperplaces,socheckinadvance
if this is how you wish to pay.
