Hungary is a small country – 9.6 million – located due east of Austria.  From 1945 until 1989, it was part of the USSR.  The Hungarians were always rebellious and some of us can still remember seeing Soviet tanks rolling into Budapest in 1956.  When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, the country, then extremely poor, blossomed.  GDP per capita has increased over five-fold[1] and Budapest is now one of the most popular tourist spots on the planet.

Budapest at Night

For a small country, Hungary has produced some real talent – Frans Liszt, Harry Houdini and Joseph Pulitzer, to name a few.  And don’t forget Goldie Hawn, Drew Barrymore and Zsa Zsa Gabor.[2]

On the culinary front, just remember one thing – Paprika.  The Hungarians use this spice everywhere, and most notably in their national dish, Hungarian Goulash.  The red peppers to make Paprika originally came from the New World through Spain.  From the beginning, the Spanish always roasted the peppers over oak fires and we still find that “Smoked Paprika” on the shelves today. 

The peppers were introduced into Hungary in the 1500’s where they found a perfect climate with a long, cool growing season.  The Hungarians quickly discovered a way to preserve the peppers as paprika and incorporate it into their stews.  Hungary is now renowned as the best producer of red peppers and paprika. 

  Hungarian Red Peppers

Hungarian Paprika, which is recognized as the best and most flavorful, is made from a variety of red peppers, some mild and some hot.  The peppers are roasted, the skin is removed, and they are oven dried and then crushed.  Although there are 17 varieties in Hungary itself, only two types are generally sold in the U.S.; Sweet and Half-Sharp (a euphemism for “really hot”).  The Sweet variety is really quite mild and can generally be found in good supermarkets.  Both varieties can be found at Penzeys.com, that wonderful Wisconsin purveyor of spices. 

Paprika takes center stage in Hungarian Goulash, the national dish.  This is a soupy stew with meat, onions, tomato sauce and paprika as the prime ingredients.  There are endless variations with carrots, peas and potatoes often added to the mix.  It is a perfect winter dish that can be served with rice, pasta, egg noodles or just eaten as a soup.

The recipe below is less complicated than many and closer to the original recipes of 500 years ago.  It is also easy and quick to make. Most self-respecting Hungarian cooks would add a teaspoon of hot paprika, but this gives some noticeable heat, so we have labeled it as optional.

Time required:  30-45 minutes prep and 2 hrs. cooking in the oven.

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of olive oil
• 4 yellow onions – sliced as thinly as possible (Use a mandolin if available.)
• 4 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
• ¼ cup of Hungarian Sweet Paprika
• 1 tsp. Hungarian Half-Sharp Paprika – optional (available at Penzey’s Spices)
• 3 lbs. of stew meat – cut into ½” squares (Talk to your butcher and have him give you some good stuff.)
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• ½ tsp. of caraway seed
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 14oz. can of peeled tomatoes
• 1 cup of beef or chicken broth
• 8 oz. sour cream

Procedure:

1. Put the olive oil, onions, garlic and paprika in a 5-qt. pot or sauté pan and cook over medium high heat, stirring to completely coat the onions, until the onions soften, about 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the meat, salt and pepper and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the meat is browned.
3. Add the caraway seed, Bay leaf, tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil.
4. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours until meat is tender.
5. While the goulash is cooking, prepare rice, egg noodles or a shaped pasta like penne or farfalle to serve with the goulash. 
6. Add a dollop of sour cream when serving.

When you get ready to enjoy this great dish, either alone or with friends, ask your local wine merchant if they have any Tokaji wines from Hungary, which are generally available.  Tokaj is their “Napa Valley”.  Then, go to YouTube and choose Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 as background music.  Enjoy!

[1] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD?locations=HU

2] https://theculturetrip.com/europe/hungary/articles/12-famous-people-you-didnt-know-were-hungarian/

Categories: Classic Eastern European Dishes, Classic Recipes by Type, Classic Stews

Tags: Classic Stews, Hungarian cuisine