Hungarian cooking is a hearty, down to earth, unpretentious cuisine.
There are few other ethnic gastronomies that are so varied, creative and savory as Hungarian cooking.
The most typical ingredients of Hungarian cooking are paprika, onions, black pepper, green peppers, tomatoes, sour cream, goose fat and noodles.
Freshwater fish are a very popular food in Hungary based largely on cooking traditions. Ancient Hungarian cooking used several types of grains, like millet, oat and later wheat.
The main feature that is important to traditional cooking is the use of paprika, which is made from dried sweet red peppers. Paprika has been the single most important ingredient in Hungarian cooking for more than two centuries.
The traditional cooking oil that gives the food its distinctive taste is lard and Hungarians love to use bacon, bread crumbs, butter, caraway seeds, cooking fat, onions, sausage, sour cream and tomatoes.
Hungarians are passionate about their soups, desserts and stuffed pancakes.
Eating out in Hungary is cheap and the food is filling. In places like Budapest, you're likely to have English on the menu, but not in the provinces. Pork is the most popular meat that is used, followed by beef and poultry. You might expect to find the typical goulash on the menu, but it's actually known by another name in Hungary, Pörkölt.
Lunch is the main meal of the day, with several courses served.
Main Meals:- Pork chop, Wiener schnitzel, Stuffed peppers/cabbage, Breaded, fried rump steak, Chicken paprika, Pörkölt (meat stew)
Desserts:- Strudel, cakes, pancakes, dobos torta (sponge cake layered with chocolate paste and glazed with caramel and nuts) or ice cream
When eating out you're also likely to find Thai, Indian and Chinese restaurants, but the reputedly best ( and most expensive) restaurant to eat out in is the Gundel in Budapest.
