Welcome to Hungry Hungarian
Welcome to my blog, Hungry Hungarian. If you're looking for a taste of eastern Europe, you're in the right place. Hungarian food is really...| www.hungryhungarian.com
Guests wait for the evening to commence. Photo courtesy Gundel| Hungry Hungarian
I love many Jewish dishes and baked goods, especially Hamantaschen. Maybe it's because my mom used to work at a Jewish bakery that I love them so much. Whenever I would visit her at work, she would always let me have a Hamantaschen to try. I especially adore the ones filled with apricot preserves, but the ones filled with prune lekvar or poppy seeds are more traditional. At the time I didn't know the meaning behind the triangular treats. It was much later that I learned they were made for the...| Hungry Hungarian
As a Hungarian-American kid, I always wondered why we never celebrated Halloween in my household. Only as an adult did I come to realize that it's purely an American holiday. But I always wondered if Hungarian kids get the chance to dress up and be whomever they wish to be for one day. The answer is Carnival (the European equivalent of Mardi Gras). I never got dressed up for the holiday, but in Hungary my little nephews always did for Farsang, which is what it's called in Hungarian. But never...| Hungry Hungarian
Little siblings of the traditional Austrian-Hungarian Linzertorte, Linzer cookies are very much a favorite in my family. These tender pastries are perfect for any holiday table. Make them round like wreaths for Christmas or for Valentine's Day make them in the shape of hearts.| Hungry Hungarian
This new year I'm going along with my resolution to get good luck, which involves eating a number of different good luck foods. Lentils, beans, greens and round cakes are all on the menu. Ring cakes are a classic dessert for celebrating the new year, especially in Europe. The ring shape is believed to bring luck, wealth, and prosperity. There are many cakes that fit that mold, like Bundts and Kugelhopfs.| Hungry Hungarian
In many countries it's tradition to eat good-luck foods in the first few days of the new year or sometimes in the last few seconds of the old one. People in Spain stuff their mouths with grapes as the clock counts down the last twelve seconds. In the United States, Southerners eat collards and black-eyed peas because they symbolize money. My Hungarian heritage is not without its new year's food superstitions. To celebrate, we eat pork and lentil soup. Supposedly because pigs root forward, the...| Hungry Hungarian
I've always wanted to make a yule log or what the French call a Bûche de Noël. A few years ago I took the risk and made a really successful one. Now I've made it a family tradition to bake a yule log or roulade almost every December. But actually roulades (fatörzs) have been a tradition in my family for quite some time. My great Aunt Piroska, who was actually my dad's aunt, used to make roulades every time we visited Hungary. I clearly remember eating a slice of her famous roulade on my 15...| Hungry Hungarian
Some of the best pastries and sweets come from eastern Europe and I'm not just saying that because my family is Hungarian. Though I am biased. The Linzertorte is one of the most famous treats in Austria and Hungary. It's basically a lattice-topped tart made of pastry crust that is filled with jam, either apricot, raspberry, or plum. Linzer cookies are the miniature version. These little round sandwiched cookies have such a festive look. Cut them out with a fluted cookie cutter and they take o...| Hungry Hungarian
Warm yourself from head to toe with a hot drink on a blustery day. Mulled wine does that and more. Popularized in Germany and Scandinavia, mulled wine has been a holiday favorite for hundreds of years. Christmas markets in cities and towns all over Europe swell with shoppers who turn to mulled wine when they want to warm up their chilly fingers and toes. It really does have the effect of rosying cheeks and making spirits bright.| Hungry Hungarian
Christmas is not complete without gingerbread, be it houses, cookies, cake, or any dessert flavored with those warm spices of ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The dense spicy cake traces its roots to 11th century Europe. There are so many versions from eastern Europe all the way to Scandinavia, but I'm focusing on the cookie. In Germany there is Lebkuchen and Pfeffernüsse. In Hungary, gingerbread cookies are called Puszedli. They look just like Lebkuchen, but are smaller. The town of Tor...| Hungry Hungarian
Homemade doughnuts and fritters are, in my opinion, the absolute best. They far surpass any "donut" shop doughnuts. When I'm in the mood for doughnuts but don't have the patience to wait for dough to rise, I like to make fritters. They fulfill my craving as fast as I can fry them. Their crispy fried exterior and fluffy interior are what make them a favorite sweet treat for many people. A batch of fritters is very easy to put together and they are great for any occasion. But they make a specia...| Hungry Hungarian
Most American households have biscuits or rolls with dinner, but my family never really had that as a custom. Of course we did have bread available for those who wanted it, but I was never really a bread-with-my-meal person. I do, however, love the Hungarian tradition of eating pogácsa, which are like a cross between biscuits and savory scones. In Hungary, pogácsa are enjoyed as an appetizer or paired with beer or a glass of wine. I highly recommend pairing them with cocktails, like the d...| Hungry Hungarian
When it's incredibly hot outside, like it has been this summer, standing by a hot stove is not something anyone wants to do. Grilling outside is another option, but when it's too hot to even do that, what do you do? You make a no-cook recipe, like a chilled soup. The cooling effects of a cold soup are perfect on days where you need a refreshing respite from the sweltering heat. And there's no better way to achieve that than with cold soups, something you'll find a lot of in Hungarian cooking.| Hungry Hungarian
Most people know dill as an ingredient in their favorite pickles. But dill can be used much more interestingly than that. Believed to have originated in eastern Europe and western Asia, dill even dates back to ancient Egyptian times. The very fragrant and earthy herb is still used in many cuisines throughout Europe and Asia. It's often found in vegetable side dishes and in sauces for seafood. It's probably most well known in the Scandinavian cured salmon dish, gravlax. In Hungary it's even ma...| Hungry Hungarian
Deep red, bright red, or blotchy white, all cherries, no matter the color, are among my favorite fruits. Eating them fresh is a pleasure, but cooking with them is even better. Sour cherries, tart in taste but full in flavor, are particularly the best to use in cooking or baking. Hungarians especially love cherries in soups or pastries, as side dishes, or made into syrups and liqueurs. Sour cherries come in two varieties, the dark morello, which is more common in Europe, and the bright amarell...| Hungry Hungarian
During summer, I take every opportunity to make ice cream or sorbet. (If you look in my freezer, you'll find a reserved space for the ice cream maker container.) There really is no better time to make frozen treats than on the hottest summer days. And who wants to bake anyway? (Though I still bake summer pies and cakes.) Sorbets are my favorite because they're easy to make and full of fruit flavor. And you can pretty much make sorbet out of any fruit. There's no custard to cook as with ice cr...| Hungry Hungarian
For me there is nothing more refreshing on a hot day than a bowl of cold sour cherry soup. Sour cherries are revered in Hungary, where they are made into pies, strudels, tarts, and soups. Since sour cherries are in season right now, I picked up a quart last week at the farmers' market specifically to make this soup. Cold soups, mostly savory, are enjoyed throughout Europe in the summertime. Sour cherry soup is technically a sweet soup, but because of its tartness it works well as a first cour...| Hungry Hungarian
Sour cherries are revered for their tart taste, aroma, and flavor. They're a special fruit with lots of versatility in both sweet and savory recipes. In Hungary, sour cherries are king in early summer. They're too tart to enjoy fresh, though some people do eat them that way. Sour cherries are fantastic in recipes: tarts, pies, cakes, compotes, brandied cherries—these are some popular preparations. Here in the States sour cherries are pretty rare and hard to find, and their season is short, ...| Hungry Hungarian
Welcome to my blog, Hungry Hungarian. If you're looking for a taste of eastern Europe, you're in the right place. Hungarian food is really...| www.hungryhungarian.com
The essential Hungarian comfort foods are soups and stews, and the single most famous one is called Goulash or Gulyás in Hungarian. Many c...| www.hungryhungarian.com
