Since this was a story about bribing hungry guards with food to escape from Hungary during the height of the Revolution, it only makes sense to include a chapter about Hungarian food, drink, and spices. For the six escapees, food was their most valuable commodity. They were too poor to offer anything else, leaving their homeland with only the clothes on their back.
Food was obviously important in my life, especially since I can vividly remember the farewell dinner with my parents of Makos Teszta, poppy seed noodles in a sweet sauce. Plus, I wasn’t quite four-years old at the time, just at the point where long-term memory develops, so I’m lucky to recall anything at all.
I also recount the long flight to the U.S. for the reunion with my parents. A pre-arranged representative took me to and from the airport. Grandmother packed me a satchel-full of bread, cheese, and salami for the journey, knowing that I would need to spend the night alone in Amsterdam at a youth boarding facility and had never ridden on a plane.
Only Hungarian food had ever crossed my lips apart from the Hershey’s candy kisses my parents would regularly send to our Budapest apartment with their letters, photos and some clothes, so I was leery about anything out of the ordinary that was served at the hostel or on the plane. You could also tell that someone had gone through everything that was sent. All that candy resulted in my first cavities, hopefully it put a few holes in the teeth of those Communist inspectors as they “tested” it for improprieties. Plus, everything I attempted to digest on the way back to The States was lost through motion sickness on the plane ride or during the miserable car ride from J.F.K. to Phoenixville.
I slowly made my way through customs, after spotting my anxious parents from afar on the other side of the terminal. They had to patiently wait before our tearful reunion. They were with the familiar faces of Bela and Emmi, who had gotten them to the airport to meet me. It had been four long years since our farewell dinner in Budapest just prior to the escape. We had a lot to catch up on, as I continued to clutch my satchel of bread, salami, and cheese. Once I finally got over my sickness, they filled me with familiar Hungarian dishes.
Along these lines, I offer these tidbits about Hungarian food that I found on Wikipedia: “There is no doubt that pálinka is one of the beverages you will be first offered when arriving to Hungary. It’s like Windex to the Greeks in the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Spray it on to cure anything. Hungarian grandmothers swear by the power of pálinka. Have a headache? Pálinka. Feeling nervous? Pálinka. Feeling sleepy or uninspired? Pálinka. This beverage is a traditional fruit brandy with Hungarian origins made from fruits such as apricot, plum and apple. As the saying goes: “Pálinka in small amounts is a medicine, in large amounts a remedy.”
“Paprika is Hungary’s most popular spice and a symbol of its cuisine. Hungarians consume more than 1.10 lbs. (500 g) of paprika each year and there are more than 40 varieties grown in Hungary.”
“Among the different varieties of paprika, the spice is often divided into three categories—hot paprika, sweet paprika, and smoked paprika. Due to the favorable climate and geographical conditions, Hungarian paprika has a bright red color and a distinctive rich flavor that allowed Hungary to became one of the leading producers in the world. Kalocsa and Szeged in southern Hungary are the hearts of production.”
Finally, according to several internet articles and cookbooks, these are apparently the most popular Hungarian dishes – worthy of any bribe. Makos Teszta was not one of the suggested favorites, but one of the most memorable for me.
Goulash (Gulyás) …
Fisherman’s Soup (Halászlé) …
Chicken Paprikash (Csirke Paprikás) …
Meat Pancakes (Hortobagyi Palacsinta) …
Stuffed Cabbage Leaves (Töltött Káposzta) …
Meat Stew (Pörkölt) …
Sour Cherry Soup (Meggyleves)
Jókai Bean Soup (Jókai Bableves)
Deep-Fried Flat Bread (Lángos)
Pasta With Cottage Cheese (Túrós Csusza)
Hungarian Trifle (Somlói Galuska)
Pork Bone Soup (Orjaleves)
Pork Rice Pilaf (Bácskai Rizses Hús)
Dobosh Cake (Dobos Torta)
Ratatouille (Lechó)
Sour Cherry Strudel (Meggyes Rétes)
Sauerkraut Soup (Korhelyleves)
Hungarian Tripe Stew (Pacal Pörkölt)
Summer Squash Stew (Tökfozelék)
Chimney Cake (Kurtos Kalacs)
Spinach Stew (Spenótfozelék)
Ratatouille has become even more popular because of the Walt Disney animated movie and Disney World ride. It’s a colorful, vegetable stew, simmered in olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Most recipes call for eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes, and, of course, Hungarian hot smoked sausage. I like to serve it over nokedli (Hungarian egg noodles). Originally it came from the Provence region of France, so the Disney characters are portrayed with a French accent. In Hungary it’s known as lecsó.
Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily centered around meats, seasonal vegetables, fresh bread, dairy products, cheeses, and fruits. My grandmother was a very good cook who believed in buying fresh foods. We would go to the village market together and often come home carrying these Hungarian staples that she would transform into delicious meals. Even breakfast would typically consist of fresh bread, minced meat products like kolbász or szalámi, mixed with vegetables or jam.
Salad courses don’t exist in Hungary. Our meals were accompanied by a small plate of seasoned vegetables, usually shredded cabbage, cucumbers, beets, or tomatoes. Sometimes they were pickled (savanyúság).
What dishes might you want to stay away from? Visitors consider these to be disgusting concoctions:
Pacalpörkölt – Tripe stew
Szalontüdő/Savanyú tüdő – Sour lungs
Hagymás vér – Blood with onions
Kocsonya – Aspic
Édes tészták – Sweet pastas
When it’s cold outside and you need to “escape,” here’s my mom’s family recipe. She was a “pinch of that, touch of this, smidge of the other, and a smooch of love” kind of chef. My father, on the other hand, was very critical of mom’s cooking. He had a very evolved sense of smell, and tended to be very picky, especially when we would go to a restaurant. Although he rarely cooked himself, he spent an inordinate amount of time trying to teach his caregiver Inna how to cook things his way. A good example was that he thought there should be no vegetables added to Fish Soup. This is why we called him “The Master Chef.”
Manci’s Goulash Recipe
2 lbs. Fresh Ham (or pork) cut in cubes
1 or 2 medium onions diced
2 to 4 medium peppers sliced
Cook onions and in oil while cutting meat
Place ham cubes in pot and cover with water
Add enough paprika until water is red
Cook for 20 minutes
While cooking add:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
3 squeezes of Hungarian Goulash Paste
½ tsp Caraway Seeds
2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste
Add the following vegetables:
Carrots
Celery
Parsnips
NO Parsley
Cook until vegetables and meat are done
Add diced potatoes
Add Chipetka (flour, egg, water, salt)
Cook only ½ bag of small noodles and keep separate like Chicken Soup.
When sitting down at the table to eat, say your prayers and jó étvágyat.“Enjoy your meal!” Hungarians always politely say this to each other before they start devouring their meal. As far as something to wash it down, Hungarians belong to the group of consumers characterized by high alcoholic beverage consumption and is still one of the leading liver cirrhosis mortality countries in Europe and in the world. The drinking age is 18, so they get an earlier start than most Americans. The Hungarian word for “cheers” is a mouthful, “egészségedre,” but be careful how you use it. Toasting with a beer, for example, is frowned on since back in the 1848 revolution, the Austrians victoriously celebrated with a clink of the beer glass. Drinking and eating in Hungary is full of tradition, so know the rules and pace yourself.
When is the best time to eat and drink in Hungary? There are four major holidays: Carnival Season lasts the month of February to mark the end of winter; Revolution Day is March 15 known as “Hungarian spring;” August 20 is St. Stephen’s Day in honor of Hungary’s first king; October 23 commemorates the people’s uprising against Soviet repression back in 1956. “Eat, Drink, and be Merry!”
I’ll bet you’re Hungry. Now, more about Hungary.
To Be Continued…..
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