Typical Hungarian Foods

Common Hungarian Fare

Paprika Chicken is a popular and traditional dish, usually made of dark and white meat chicken pieces cooked in the skin along with a paprika sauce.  I never really enjoyed this because I don't like slimy skin on chicken, and the times I ordered it, the sauce was pretty mediocre.

Goulash is what we commonly think of when we think of Hungarian fare, but our American version of goulash is more like a stew while true Hungarian goulash can be a pretty thin soup. I enjoyed it when I ordered it at the "For Sale Cafe" close to the Central Market where it is served in a large tureen for two people along with crusty bread.  But I thought it was plain when I had it other times.

Breaded Meats
Hungarians enjoy breaded fillets of turkey and chicken, and they prepare these well.  They are especially good if served with some sauce or juicy salad to keep them from tasting too dry. If you are unsure how the meat you are ordering is prepared, ask. Sometimes even the English translation on the menu will fail to explain if a meat is breaded or not.

Breaded Meats with Additional Ingredients
Some Hungarian dishes are very creative with breaded meats.  One of my favorites at the Siesta Restaurant on Villany, near Moritz Z. ter is a skewer of turkey chunks, mushrooms and apples, all breaded and deep fried.  Most Hungarian restaurants will serve a breaded turkey fillet stuffed with apricot preserves which is really quite good despite the unusual combination.  They also have breaded meats with more typical stuffing like cheese and/or ham.

Cucumber or Greek Salads
Although American ice berg lettuce and other salad greens are now available in most grocery stores and more Hungarians are using these for salads, it's still not a normal menu item. The most common type of salad available is cucumber--thinly sliced cucumbers marinated in a sweet vinegar or vinegar and sour cream dressing. This is good and you should try it at least once. Greek Salads are also popular, but be warned that in some restaurants they will be made with pepper and cucumber chunks and feta cheese, no salad greens. Other things called salads, especially "mixed" salads are often just grated cabbage, carrots and cucumbers with a little vinegar dressing, not very tasty, in my opinion.

Salad Dressings
Typically, because the salad menu is limited, there is no choice in dressings if you order a salad. Usually they use a sweet vinegar based dressing or a yogurt based dressing thinner than our Ranch. Salad dressings tend to be sweeter in Hungary than in the U.S.--with less vinegar taste. I recall the first time I prepared a pasta salad for my land lady with a vinegar based dressing (I always brought Good Seasons Italian mixes from the States). She is an excellent cook and she thought she was helping me out by telling me that my dressing had too much vinegar in it.