Wine and Food of Formula 1: 12th Race – Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary

UPDATED 8/1/10 RESULTS OF RACE BELOW (for complete results and recap click this link to the following page Race Stats and Opinion Page)

This is the twelfth in the series of articles to help provide a taste of the world of Formula One for those new to it and for those that have been fans all their lives.  It is about the racing venue’s region, in this case Budapest, Hungary. I write an overview of travel info, a bit of history, culture, and its wine and food to wet your appetite to travel to the regions of the world covered. Perhaps you will take a liking to Formula One racing, pick up some knowledge of the area’s wine and food, and hopefully learn something new. All articles are in the same order so that those of you that have an interest in some of the topics, but not all, can refer to the sections that interest you most: (1) recap and stats of prior race, (2) opinion and news on upcoming race, (3) overview of history, culture, economy, and travel information of racing venue’s region, (4) the wine of the region where the race is held, (5) the food of the region the race is held. There will also be links to other websites of interest and video playlists.

What I mainly write about is wine and food and as this article is an overview and opinion of several topics around the Formula One racing circuit, I will come back with more extensive articles on wine and food regions of the world over time.

What is included in here is more than enough to get you started!

Recap and Thoughts of Last Race: German Grand Prix, Hockenheim, Germany (link to prior German Grand Prix article) 

1st  Place –Fernando Alonso for Ferrari. 

2^nd Place – Felipe Massa (Brazil) for Ferrari. 

 3^rd Place – Sebastian Vettel (Germany) for Red Bull Renault.

I find it a disgusting part of the sport when there are two drivers running neck to neck for position and the team interferes. What I mean by this is that throughout the race Massa was leading Alonso, his Ferrari teammate for first. Alonso is a two time driver’s champion and is leading in points over Massa this season. It is also Alonso’s first season with Ferrari and Massa was the so called number one driver for the team going into this season. Massa, driving for Ferrari, suffered from what many thought would be career ending head injuries last season in a crash in last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix. He fought back and came back to driving for Ferrari for this season.

For this race Massa was driving very well and was not going to let his teammate by without a fight as he wanted a win for himself. However, any points he would gain winning this race would only take from Alonso’s points in his quest for another championship. At this point, as far as the Constructor’s Championship points, Ferrari would still have the same points with either driver taking 1-2. So what happened to make me a bit angry? Alonso was basically applying pressure on the team to have Massa let him pass for a win as he was going faster, but Massa bettered Alonso in driving strategy and he could not pass him. My question would be, if Alonso was doing such a great job, why could he not get by his teammate?

So what did the team do?? They radioed Massa in a cryptic message saying that Alonso had faster speeds than he did, this is hidden messaging to mean — let your teammate, Alonso, pass even though you are winning the race. Massa did not reply to his team and kept racing – in the lead. As both drivers work for the team, the team comes first (sometimes). Massa decided to give the favorite son, Alonso, a pass and take one for the team, but he also made it darn clear that he was doing so voluntarily as to not let it appear that Alonso passed him by with better driving. Alonso went on to win the race, only his second of the season so far with Massa coming in second.

I want to say from a fan’s perspective, when the outcome for the team will remain the same — teams should just butt out of the driver’s racing their race and not favor one driver over the other. In my opinion, they owe Massa big time for this. There was a penalty imposed upon Ferrari after the race by the Stewards for $100,000 for the way the team handled this affair and a hearing is yet to be scheduled with the regulating body the FIA, some think though it will be in September and is regarding the rule governing Team Orders.

At the start the Ferraris quickly sandwiched in Sebastian Vettel, in his Red Bull Renault, who started in pole position. From there it was Massa and Alonso in first and second. For most of the race, except for pit stop transitions, it was Massa leading the race, followed by Alonso, and Vettel for third and that is how it probably would have ended if it were not for Ferrari’s decision. Instead, it was Alonso, Massa, Vettel to finish in that order. Vettel, a German and lives near Hockenheim, made his native Germans happy nonetheless with a podium finish. There were a few other teammates fighting one another for position as well. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button for most of the race fought for fourth spot with Hamilton winning that battle and Button coming in fifth (Mark Webber pretty much was on his own for 6^th where he finished), then there were the two teammates for Mercedes GP and for the home crowd, Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg battling for 7^th or 8th. However, it was Robert Kubica (Poland) for France’s Renault that finished 7^th. Schumacher was leading Rosberg earlier in the race, but that changed towards the end of the race with Rosberg finishing 8^th and Schumacher 9^th. Vitaly Petrov (Russia), also for Renault, finished 10^th.

The crowd was lighter than in prior years, as I mentioned earlier, their economy like ours is hurting and their unemployment statistics are very high. The officials at Hockenheimring said that it could have been worse if it were not for Michael Schumacher’s return to racing. They claimed his return added at least another 15,000 or more sales and the concessions apparently did very well with Schumi’s caps and other memorabilia. 

For latest championship standings please follow this link Championship Standings, for the latest points to date for all drivers and constructors. Presently, McLaren Mercedes still leads the pack with 300 points for the World Constructor’s Championship and Lewis Hamilton of the McLaren team, and a prior World Driver’s Champion, still leads the World Driver’s Championship with 157 points.

Below please find a playlist of a few videos found on YouTube: the Course Simulator with Red Bull Renault Driver Mark Webber and a video by YouTuber Juihi2, called the “Thrill of F1”.

Hungarian Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary

The Race

The Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix will be held at the Hungaroring race track outside of Budapest, Hungary. The race will be over 70 laps with 17 turns. The track does not offer much passing room and is also very hard on the cars and drivers as it is a dry and dusty track. The lap record is still held by Michael Schumacher back in 2004 while he was with Ferrari. The track opened and the first race was in 1986 attracting over 200,000 spectators in a socialist country of which they took a gamble and it paid off.

As far as World Driver’s Championship points after eleven races, there are only 14 points separating Lewis Hamilton (2008 World Driver’s Champion) in first with his teammate, Jenson Button (2009 World Driver’s Champion), in second. There are only 21 points between Hamilton in first with both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, both tied for third. Fernando Alonso (two-time World Driver’s Champion 2005 and 2006) has 34 points to be in first place. As each race carries with it 25 points for a win, 18 points for a 2^nd place finish, 15 points for a 3^rd, 12 points for a 4^th place, and so on down the scale, there can still be changes in position with this race. Finishing in the top 4-5 in Hungary can secure a margin that will be more difficult to catch with every race after this one. Because of this, the Hungarian GP should be very competitive and challenging for the drivers. As mentioned prior, this course makes passing difficult and track conditions can also cause problems for the cars. Knowing this, the true race could actually be in qualifying for the starting grid, as many teams can end up were they started. The front of the pack will have a bit more of a chance to change position depending on how they start the race or should there be any “problems” during the race.

This will also be a difficult race emotionally for Felipe Massa driving for Ferrari. As mentioned in the recap, Massa suffered what many thought would be career ending injury when a loose spring on the track flew into his car fracturing his scull and injuring his eye durng qualifications. He is a trouper though, so if anything it will probably make him want to win even more.

NOTES AND RUMORS:

1. Monaco will be back on the F1 circuit another ten years. Hmmm, now that is a real surprise, you think?
2. People were asking if Austin, Texas had the financial backing that it needed to make the grade for the F1 races beginning in 2012. Well I think that has now been answered. One the wealthiest men in America, at least per past issues of Forbes magazine, came out as the key investor. It is none other than Texas native Red McCombs, a former owner of NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, and NBA’s Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. He has owned or been part owner of over 400 businesses in his lifetime, including a co-founder of Clear Channel. Austin, Texas will be on the F1 circuit for ten years. The last F1 race held in the United States was in 2007 in Indianapolis.

TUNE-IN:

Friday, July 30, 2010 – Practice. Practice runs are mainly to fine tune the cars and drivers by testing the track, crew, and the cars. If in the United States, this will be on live on Speed Channel at 8:00 am ET/5:00 am PT. 

Saturday, July 31, 2010 – Qualifying. This will determine the starting grid for the race and will determine pole position (inside 1st row) in the final round. The starting grid this year will have twelve rows of two cars each. There are three qualifying rounds. The first round eliminates seven drivers/teams from moving forward to the next round. The second qualifying round will do the same, taking out the bottom seven drivers/teams, leaving the fastest ten. The third and final qualifying round will take the final ten drivers/teams and will determine the first five row of the starting grid. It is a little more complicated than just fastest lap speed and there are situations where it is possible that a driver with a faster lap could end up in the back seven rows. In the United States, this will be live on Speed Channel at 8:00 am ET/5:00 am PT.

STARTING GRID For 1st Five Rows Only:

1st Row: Sebastian Vettel (Germany), Pole Position, racing for Red Bull Racing Renault; and Mark Webber (Australia) for Red Bull Renault

Note: Red Bull Renault’s drivers have now won pole position for 11 of the 12 races so far this season. This will mark Vettel’s 7^th pole position for the season.

2nd Row: Fernando Alonso (Spain) racing for Ferrari; and Felipe Massa (Brazil) for Ferrari 

 3rd Row: and Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) racing for McLaren Mercedes; and Nico Rosberg (Germany) racing for Mercedes GP

4th Row: Vitaly Petrov (Russia) racing for Renault; and Robert Kubica racing for Renault

5th Row:  Pedro de La Rosa racing for Sauber-Ferrari; and Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) racing for Williams-Cosworth

Sunday, August 1, 2010 – RACE DAY. In the United States will be aired live on Speed Channel networks at 7:30 am ET/4:30 am PT.

Please note that in a few prior articles I have called Speed Channel, Sports Channel. I have revised the articles where that occurred. Hopefully, you will now be able to find the broadcast! 

Updated 8/1/2010 1:00 p.m. – Race Results:

1^st  Place – Mark Webber for Red Bull Renault. With this 4^th win of the season, he has the most wins of any driver.

2^nd Place – Fernando Alonso (Spain) for Ferrari

3^rd Place – Sebastian Vettel (Germany) for Red Bull Renault

This was a very interesting race. Pit lane mishaps, penalties, mechanical failures, and drivers making some dangerous moves. Will have a partial recap of the race in “Race Stats and Opinion for F1 Season” page below.

Red Bull Renault now leads in the FIA World Constructor’s Championship with 312 points, followed by McLaren Mercedes with 304 points then in 3^rd place is Scuderia Ferrari with 238 points. Mark Webber leads with 161 points for the FIA World Driver’s Championship, Lewis Hamilton in 2^nd with 157 points, and in 3^rd is Sebastian Vettel with 151 points.

Full results, stats, and recap of race on “Race Stats and Opinion for F1 2010 Season” page (see below for direct link where it says “updated”). For most current Championship points, please go to “2010 Formula 1 World Championship Standings” (see below for direct link where it says “updated”). 

You should go to the special page I set up called Formula 1: Intro, Wine, and Food for more detailed information on F1, race schedule, Race Stats and Opinion for F1 2010 Season (updated 8/1/10),  2010 Formula 1 World Championship Standings (updated 8/1/10), links to all teams, drivers, racing circuits, and organizations that have websites to further your knowledge and enjoyment of the sport. You will also find a real-time television schedule of air time for the races on Sports Channel. This page will supplement the individual articles that I write and will also serve as an archive when the racing season ends and for the series of articles.

NEXT UP: Belgium Grand Prix on August 29, 2010 (race day). Although there could be one or two supplemental articles to the “Wine and Food of Formula 1” series during the four week break to the next race, the actual article on the 13^th race in Belgium will be published on or before August 28, 2010. 

A Brief Background on History, Culture, Customs

Hungary 

Chain Bridge Budapest

Among the first to come to this land were the nomad Huns and soon after had one the most powerful empires in history under Attila the Hun of whom many Hungarians still view as a hero and the father of their country, although many historians and scholars with debate that. It declared its independence becoming a Christian kingdom in 1000 A.D. In the 1940s Hungary formed an alliance with Nazi Germany mainly because of their hatred, at the time, for the Soviet Union. It also declared war on the United States and Great Britain in 1941 under the alliance with Nazi Germany. However, they still fell under communist rule following WWII. A brave revolt began in 1956 as anti communist forces demanded the withdrawal of Soviet troops and Hungary announced they were withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact. This led to a major military intervention by the Soviets. In the late 1960s, Hungary formed a new liberal economy and form of government called Goulash Communism. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, communism began to fall apart in Hungary and the Soviets eventually withdrew their troops in 1991 after Hungary officially withdraws from the Warsaw Pact. It began when Hungary held its first elections where various political parties were allowed to run in 1990. Soon thereafter they implemented a free market economy and joined NATO in 1999, followed by the EU in 2004.

Its conventional name is the Republic of Hungary and is a landlocked country that is northwest of Romania in Central Europe. It shares its borders with Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and the Ukraine. Its natural resources are: arable land, coal, natural gas, bauxite, and fertile soil. Its population is an estimated 9.8 million people with a median age of 39.7 years of age. Hungarian (Magyar) is the national language and over 51% of the population is Roman Catholic, 15% Calvinist and various other faiths.  Its capital is the city of Budapest and its form of government is a parliamentary democracy with 19 counties and 23 urban counties

Hungary’s GDP (purchasing power parity – PPP) is over 185 billion, with the private sector now accounting for over 80% of that. However, its economy is suffering tremendously as it had an inability to pay its short term debt that was brought on by the global economic crisis that began in 2008. It received from the International Monetary Fund over $25 billion in assistance. Its economy is still in decline as of this writing and concerns still exist.

Hungary is filled with history and blends the old with the new. It depends heavily on tourism and is very accommodating to visitors in their country. As the race is just outside of Budapest, the rest of the article pertains mainly to this city.

Budapest 

Brief History. It is estimated that the Celts settled in what is now known as Budapest between the 3^rd and 4^th centuries before the Romans came. When the Romans came they built a settlement in what would become Obuda along the River Danube and was divided into two sides of the river, collectively known as Pest. The name Buda was not used until years later when Hungry was invaded and destroyed by the Mongols in the 1240s. King Bela built the first Royal Palace on the side of the river facing Pest and called the area Buda. It would later become the royal seat under Sigismund of Luxembourg. The Palace grew in size and power under King Matthias from the mid 1400s to late 1440s. The German speaking Pest became very prosperous as a whole and was almost equal in financial prosperity and stature as the royal seat of Buda.   

 When the Turks (Ottomans) invaded and ruled Hungary, Buda was nearly destroyed as was Pest and Obuda (Old Buda). Around 1718, Hungary was freed from the Turks and became part of the Austrian House of Habsburg. After Hungary tried to fight for their independence from Austria and failed, what would become Budapest became the hub of a dual monarchy and capital giving birth, if you will, to Austria-Hungary. In the late 1800s a legislative unification occurred that merged the towns of Buda, Pest, and Obuda (old Buda) incorporating into the new city, and capital of Hungary, called Budapest. This was after the Chain Bridge over the River Danube was built linking what were the three independent cities.

After WWI, Austria-Hungary collapsed and Hungary declared itself independent from Austria; however, they lost a great deal of territory and its population doing so under the treaty. As mentioned prior, Hungary aligned itself with Nazi Germany during WWII. Budapest was nearly destroyed by air raids by the American and the British and their constant battles with the Soviets taking out major bridges and infrastructure and more than 35,000 civilians lost their lives. There are also estimates that over 35% (an estimated 600,000 people) of Hungary’s Jewish population perished in genocide. Today there are a few Jewish memorials to these lost lives, including a Holocaust Memorial Museum which is one of the few in the world to be state funded, and one that is called the Shoes on the Danube Promenade. This is for the Jews that fell into the river dead after be shot mainly by the Arrow Cross fascist militia in Budapest during WWII. There are shoes on the bank of this section of the River Danube, on the Pest side, that reflects the shoes left behind by all the souls that perished in these massacres at the edge of the beautiful River Danube. Even after all of this history Budapest, and most of Hungary, has one of the highest populations of Jews in Europe.

Budapest Fashion Week

Budapest of today. Budapest is the capital of Hungary and is an independent city that has 23 districts, all with their own local government. There are 6 districts in Buda (Obuda is part of Buda now), 16 districts in Pest, and 1 district on Csepel Island that is between Buda and Pest. Each area has its own history and distinct character. Budapest has nearly 2 million residents. There is a lot to do in Budapest and has something for all, visitors and residents alike. Budapest also has a bath culture similar to Turkey, thanks to the Turks and Romans of years past. Many of these thermal springs and bath houses still exist like one of the oldest, the Rudas Bath. There are waterways for boating and waterside dining, sports, music, theater, parks, museums, shopping,  historical landmarks, festivals, and much more. It also has a booming fashion industry and hosts a Fashion Week that is always well attended.

Pest. Is on the left bank of the Danube and is where the seat of government and Parliament is. It is a flat area that has most of the city’s nightlife, restaurants, shopping, businesses, metros, entertainment, and sports. Most of Budapest’s population works there, but is a less desirable place to live than Buda.

Buda. Guess if it were the U.S., this would be called the suburbs. It is on the right bank of the Danube. It also has a German history in that many that lived there prior to the unification were Germans and this culture is still reflected there today. It took awhile for this part of the new Budapest to adapt to the Hungarian language. The Germans were more conservative and thought that Pest was a rather vulgar city and fought against the unification of Buda and Pest, they lost that battle obviously. While Pest is flat, Buda has many hills and beautiful landscapes. It is also the heavily prized area to live as its standard of living is higher than in Pest. It is now filled with co-ops, villas, homes, luxury apartments, many on the water’s edge and in the hillside. It has several historical landmarks, castles and palaces such a Buda Palace. It also has its share of hotels, fine dining and cafes. There are districts in Buda that are better than others, just like most places.

Budapest Dining. As usual I like to provide you with a few dining options just to get you in the feasting mood by providing links to some of the restaurants in the regions where the races are held. I tend not to make recommendations or render an opinion in these articles instead I just want to provide some guidance. Budapest is said to have over 1,000 restaurants from lower cost family restaurants to fine dining and everything in between, some even with entertainment such as gypsy musicians that serenade you and your loved one while dining. Please note that a few friends on a recent trip found many restaurants guilty of overcharging. Of course there are always a few bad eggs, but this is not the first time I have heard this over the last year especially. If planning a trip there, just make sure you know what you ordered and keep in mind the menu prices. These are more than likely honest mistakes as many restaurants are upgrading their operations and becoming more automated and this could be the culprit until these things are ironed out. Luckily, most restaurants in Budapest usually have staff that speaks English so you should have no problem in communication. However, as you venture off from Budapest you will need to brush up on Hungarian or bring that nifty little pocket translator (or smart phone app) with you everywhere you go. Also, be advised that in some restaurants that do not cater to tourists, and even some that do, cash is king and do not accept credit cards. Check prior if you need to leave your plastic at the hotel. Many do take Traveler’s Cheques.

Just a few restaurants I think you would enjoy follow. Please keep in mind that these were randomly picked by Buda or Pest from over 50 restaurants I already know about or would like to go to myself. This was done not to show favoritism for one over another, those selected below were luck of the draw!

Tabani Terasz (in Buda)

Alabardos Restaurant (in Buda)

Café Pierrot (in Buda)

Csalogany 26 (in Buda)

Mo Restaurant (in Pest)

Onyx Restaurant (in Pest)

Koleves (in Pest)

Noir et L’or Restaurant (in Pest)

Bock Bistro (in Downtown Pest in the Corinthia Hotel Budapest). I could not find a workable website, perhaps later. This is a rather unique restaurant that I added even though it was not among my “random” picks mentioned above. There has been talk that it could receive a Michelin star rating and is a known “wine” restaurant, having an extensive selection of wines to choose from. Named after Jozsef Bock a well known and beloved wine maker from the Villany region and his wines are also sold in the Bistro’s wine shop.

The Wine

As usual, I do plan to come back and do more extensive articles on the wine and food of the world at a later time. Because these articles are about travel and the food and wine around the Formula One racing circuit regions, I am zeroing in only on the areas surrounding the race. This way you will have an extensive primer on these particular regions. As this race is just outside of Budapest, the wine region covered will be the closest to this area.

When most think of Hungarian wine they think of sweet and not very good wines. However, the Hungarian wine industry is doing all that it can to shake the past and move forward to the future. In the early days before communism hit Hungary, the wine industry was quite different. It did have sweeter wines but also started to refine their wines and had a very optimistic future. When the communists took over they implemented and ordered mass produced wines that the government controlled. Well, we all know what happens when the government gets involved in private enterprise, it usually fails big time. It destroyed what advances the wine industry made and pulled it backward not forward. As Hungary implemented the free market back in the mid 90s, the wine industry came along way in a very short period of time. They are branching out into world class wines that should erase its past reputation. They now offer award winning wines and a few of their wines won blind tastings over well known wineries from other countries.

In Budapest they have a bit of a wine culture. You will find many wine bars, tasting facilities, wine shops, wine festivals, and most restaurants have a large selection of wines to choose from. One place of interest is the Faust Wine Cellar at the Buda Castle in the Budapest Castle District. You can try Hungarian wines from all regions and even taste Hungary’s fruit brandies called Palinka.

There are 22 designated wine regions (sometimes referred to as districts) in six Hungarian regions:

1. BALATON: Badacsony, Balatonboglar, Balatonfelvidek, Balatonfured-Csopak, Nagy-Somlo, and Zala

2. NORTH HUNGARY: Bukkalja, Eger, Matra

3. NORTH-TRANSDANUBIA: Aszar-Neszmely (near the Slovakia border), Etyek-Buda, Pannonhalma, Mor, Sopron 

4. THE DANUBE WINE REGION: Csongrad, Hajos-Baja, and Kunsag

5. THE PANNONIAN WINE REGION: Pecs, Szekszqrd, Tolna, Villany  

6. TOKAJ: Tokaj-Hegyalja

All of these regions have unique character that I hope to come back to at a later time as there is definitely a story to tell and some tasting to do!

The wine region/district closest to Budapest, where the race is held, is Etyek-Buda in the North-Transdanubia area.

Etyek-Buda. This is definitely a white wine region. This area is near Lake Balaton and about 19 miles from the western edge of Budapest and does include Buda. It has low rainfall and a lot of sun. It is also known for its sparkling wines mainly from Budafok among other areas and is home to Torley that is well known for its sparkling wines. It is a relatively new designated wine region since 1990, but it is rich in history and tradition going back a couple of centuries. This area shows its deep German and Austrian roots with small quaint cottages and villages. It is also a diverse landscape with lakes, hills, flat lands, and with Buda a bit of city living as well.

Chardonnay is the leading white wine grape grown in this region. Zold Veltelini (Gruner Veltliner) is the 2^nd most produced and is an Austrian white wine grape planted when it was Austria-Hungary. Very little is grown outside this region but is compared to a Chardonnay and can be used in the sparkling wines produced in this region. This wine has actually beaten several chardonnays from well known California and French wineries in blind tastings.  Other wine grapes produced are Rajnai Rizling (Riesling), Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Blanc are other wine grapes produced in this region. Szurkebarat goes back to the Romans and is an offshoot of Pinot Gris although I would not compare it to that as it is much more full bodied and has a well rounded taste at least for my own palate. Olaszrizling is another Austrian white wine grape and goes by quite a few different names depending on country and locale, even in Hungary. Some other names for this grape: Welschriesling (this tends to be used in Austria), Olasz Rizling, and Olasz Riesling. It is like a Rhine Riesling in character, it is one of the highest produced grapes in all of Hungary. Rizlingszilvani (Muller-Thurgau) this is a German white wine grape that is a bit like a Riesling as well, but depending on conditions and locale it can be fruity, but lower in acidity. There are a few red wine grapes and will see some Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and a few others. You could even find Rosé.

Some of wineries in this region that had workable websites are below so you can take a look at the types of wines they have. It is certainly not a complete list. You will need Google Translate or other translation tool to convert the website to your language.

Csobor Cellar

Nyakas

Kattra Pinceszet

Torley

Gyorgy-Villa

Haraszthy Vallejo Pinceszet (also has a restaurant)

Szent Korona Pinceszet

Milcsak Vineyard

Hernyak Laci

Lics Pinceszet

The Food

Goulash Pie

As you can see by some of the restaurant menus provided in the links above Hungary really is not a great name for this country, as your hunger will always be satisfied. Budapest is cosmopolitan and like most metropolitan cities of the world, you will find a mix of styles to choose from.

The traditional food of Hungry uses only the freshest ingredients and can often be heavy and flavorful. Expect to see the use of wine used in many dishes, sour cream, onions, garlic, and paprika is the favorite spice in many dishes, as are many other spices. Hungary loves its meat and although there is plenty for Vegans, if you are a meat lover you will love this place! There is a major influence in certain areas from Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Turkey, Poland, and its surrounding border countries. Soup (Levesek) is a favorite as well. Most meals begin with soup and many believe that these are stews – this is a no no! They are just hearty beef soups. Pork is a favorite meat in Hungary as is wild game like venison and boar. Although it is landlocked, there are plenty of fish dishes. Also many dishes are cooked in lard fat, so expect to go home several pounds heavier than you arrived. Lunch, depending on region and culture, is often an important meal of the day and usually consists of three courses. Hungary also has some very tasty breads and cheeses to choose from and like my last article on Germany, there are several sausages used in dishes or to eat as a snack and many pastries and other sweets to choose from.

Some favorite Hungarian dishes are (all will vary by region or chef):

Goulash Soup (Gulyas leves).  Made with onions, paprika, beef cut into cubes, diced potatoes, carrots, celery (or celery root), and a beef stock to form the broth if using cubed beef or even pork. Chicken stock can be used in somewhat rare recipes calling for cubed chicken, veal or pork. I have had this with green peppers added, but most of the time you will find them as a garnish. Some recipes add tomatoes and flour, but some say the traditional goulash should have no tomatoes or flour in it, arguments among chefs are not uncommon though! Many recipes have egg noodles in lieu of potatoes or if inventive enough sometimes a little of both. Some still cook this the traditional way, if they are set up for it, by hanging an iron pot over an open flame.

When the goulash is thickened more (usually by an evaporation process rather than flour) you will see the goulash served on the side or over a bed of noodles, mashed potatoes, or sometimes rice. This is what some call Hungarian Goulash and can be called a stew dish.

There is also a Goulash Pie that is often made with lighter meats like veal, although pork, chicken, and beef have been used. It is served over a puff pastry that can looks like a crepe and often with sour cream on top.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup (Magyaros Gombaleves). Made with a beef or pork stock, the mushrooms fried with onions and then salt, flour, parsley is added with sour cream and sprinkled with paprika on top.

Paprika Chicken (Paprikas Csirke). Made with onions, paprika, chicken that has been fried, green pepper, tomatoes, flour, sour cream and salt, then usually served over a bed of buttered noodles.

Stuffed Cabbage (Toltott kaposzta). This is a traditional dish that was once just for the holidays, but that has changed over the years. It can be stuffed multiple ways, but some that I have had included bacon, rice, onion, sausage, paprika, some sour cream, and a meat. I have had one with similar ingredients but with the addition of bell pepper – that was delicious! There is also a variation of this without rice called Layered Cabbage (often called Transylvanian Cabbage or Erdelyi rakott kaposzta) that uses sauerkraut and eggs.

Pulykamell. Uses assorted fruits or fruit sauces over a roasted turkey breast.

Porkolt. I guess you can say it is “stew type” using a variety of different meats and ingredients.

Csoki torta. Is a layered chocolate cake.

Somloi galuska. Is rum sponge cake with vanilla cream and chocolate syrup.

Although I mentioned only two desserts, there are plenty more that are part of the culture brought to Hungary from the Germans, Austrians, Italians, and French. Like in the article on the Turkey Grand Prix, there are plenty of coffee houses and most all of them have sweet indulgences available to satisfy cravings. However, do not expect most cakes to be as moist as they are elsewhere, they are a bit drier in Hungary.

Below please find a video play list about the region covered and its cuisine, culture, food, and wine I pulled together from YouTube:

Cheers then Enjoy!

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