Food and Wine
The Hungarians are hospitable people, always ready to offer guests delicious food and excellent wines. In the 1996 Chef's Olympics, Hungary's team won the silver medal overall, as well as numerous other honors. Hungary's chefs are rigorously trained through an apprenticeship process dating back to the medieval guild system. Hungarian wines have earned a reputation for high quality, garnering first prizes in a number of international competitions.
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The country's unique cuisine has influences from the Central Asian Magyar founders of the nation, Turks, Germans, French, Austrians, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbians, and Croatians. The simple agrarian and shepherd lifestyles of the Hungarian Plain and mountains have also helped shape the country's unique dishes.
While many popular restaurants in Budapest have adapted their cooking to today's lighter style of eating, traditional Hungarian cuisine is for those with hearty appetites.
Sauces rich in sour cream, delicacies such as goose liver and an emphasis on meats, including game such as boar and venison, are often on the menu. Fish - especially Lake Balaton Pike, eel stew or a thick and sometimes peppery fish soup - is also quite popular. Other traditional favorites include veal paprika stew and roast chicken with cottage cheese noodles. Fabulous desserts, served with strong espresso, include strudels, tortes and the legendary Gundel pancakes with chocolate rum sauce.
Wine connoisseurs are familiar with the most famous of Hungary's wines - the sweet white Tokaji Aszú and strong red Bull's Blood (Egri Bikavér). Hungary boasts 20 wine-producing districts which make a wide range of wines,including Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Gris, Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay, sparkling, rosé and other unique Hungarian varieties. Favorable natural conditions make our country a prime location for the production of smaller quantities of premium wines.
You can also visit the vineyards and wineries in almost all regions of the country. The most beautiful landscapes are to be found where the best wine is produced. Visit the Somló wine region, guarded by a dead volcano and the ruins of a castle. The vineyards of the Eger and Mátraalja regions stretch along the romantic foothills of the Mátra and Bükk mountains. The Eger red wines - such as the renowned Egri Bikavér (Bull's Blood) - are characterized by attractive color and pleasant tannin content. During the several years of aging in large wooden casks in the cellars, these wines become fullbodied wines rich in aroma.
Tokaj vineyards rise from a landscape where the Bodrog and Tisza rivers meet. Since the middle of the 16th century, thank to the Aszú wines, Tokaj-Hegyalja has been famous the world over for the quality of its wines. "Winum regnum rex vinorum" - "The wine of kings, the king of wines" - exclaimed Louis XIV when first tasting Tokay Aszú, which became popular wine specialty of royal, papal and aristocratic tables through the centuries.
At any time of the year you can wander from wine cellar to vineyard, tasting different vintages and learning about the production of Tokaji. Only four white grape varieties are permitted: Furmint, Hárslevelű (original Hungarian varieties) Muscat Lunel and Oremus, from which seven wine types are produced: Aszú, Szamorodni (dry or sweet), "Fordítás", Aszúesszencia, Natúresszencia (Nectar) and champagne. In October you can help in the actual making of the wine - a very enjoyable excursion.
On the sand of the Great Hungarian Plain (Alföld) lighter wines ripen faster. These white and rosé wines are for everyday consumption but provide a gastronomical delight for feasts. Grapes and wine have always formed an integral part of life in the Balaton Region, intertwined with a variety of activities, including work, celebration and mourning. Lake Balaton, the largest shallow lake in Europe was born 10-12 thousand years ago and the area surrounding the Lake is ideally suited for growing grapes. Seven famous wine regions have been formed around the Lake. On the North, the combination of basalt volcano peaks and the water surface of the Lake make the area the most spectacular site of Hungary. Fine wines are produced here from the best grapes: Italian and Rhine Riesling, Pinot Gris, Tramini, Pinot Blanc, Kéknyelű - Blue Stalk, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Kékfrankos - Blue Francs, Zweigelt and Merlot.
The wine trail associations help orient and inform travelers and professionals and provide a uniform set of criteria for wine tasting and sales. Tourists can enjoy the wide variety of festivals and cultural events. When you plan your trip to Hungary, do not omit wine tasting from your program, while you enjoy the Hungarian landscapes and gastronomy.
Paprika:
Traditions reign supreme in Kalocsa, at the edge of the Puszta near the Danube. This agrarian town is the paprika capital of Hungary, a fact you'll easily discern from the red paprika drying in strings on the eaves of traditional wooden houses, many of which are also graced with flower-ornamented wall paintings.
At the Paprika Museum, you can learn about harvesting methods and buy bags of the signature Hungarian spice for a fraction of what it costs in North America. Kalocsa is also renowned for its embroidery, characterized by intricate floral patterns whose colors traditionally indicate the age of the wearer. You can peruse a vast selection of embroidery at the Kalocsa Folklore House, as well as outdoors at the Juci Néni Csárda, where there is also a daily folk dancing show - which like Kalocsa itself is full of delights.
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