Hungary's flavors have never been more alive

Hungary's food heritage is rich and diverse, with dishes that have been passed down through generations. Each region has its own specialties, reflecting local traditions and ways of life. From savory stews to sweet treats, Hungary's cuisine brings people together and keeps old customs alive.

Fisherman's soup 

Due to its geographical location, Baja was an outstanding commercial, shipping and fishing centre for centuries on the border of the Great Plain and Transdanubia. It is due to this role that the widely used method of cooking fish soup along the central and southern course of the Danube has become well-known as ‘Baja’.

Thanks to the boom in the cultivation of hot peppers, and the ship mills that provided the high-quality flour needed for the dough, Baja fish soup became an urban, bourgeois, Hungarian cult dish during the 20th century. Every family, every cook has their own method, recipe and procedure. The fish soup prepared in the Baja style is made fresh in a cauldron without base juice (pressed through a strainer) and served with cooked ‘gyufa’ pasta. Its cooking has become a leisure activity for men and has been ritualized.

The making and serving of fisherman’s soup follows the old traditions and customs, which is derived from the old fisherman and miller traditions. Cooking and consuming fish soup is a social event, a purpose or a part of family and friends’ gatherings. It is an integral part of everyday life, closely connected to the way of life, identity and community life.

Cumanian mutton stew

The Cumanian mutton stew prepared according to the Karcag tradition is a characteristic gastronomic specialty of the folk dishes of the peoples of the Great Cumania (Nagykunság) region in east-central Hungary. The area was the largest producer of meat in the central lowlands and mutton was an import part of the cuisine. Despite the large-scale livestock farming of Hungarian gray cattle and horses in the area, sheep were the primary source of meat in the diet of the common folk. Even as late as the 18th century huge flocks of mutton sheep grazed the pastures spreading between cities. Mutton consumption also emanated from the people’s traditions and way of life.

Traditionally mutton was not preserved in any way for the meat of the entire animal was utilized and consumed in its entirety on the occasion of a slaughter. For mutton stew prepared in the Great Cumania region the meat of the entire animal is cooked at once. This gives the dish a characteristic flavour that is different from that of mutton stews in surrounding regions. Although Karcag is a name of a town in the region, the term here denotes an archaic traditional method of stew preparation.

The meat of the entire animal is sautéed without the addition of liquid. To this browned - practically roasted - meat is added the previously singed head, knuckles, hoofs and tail of the animal. Next the whole mixture is cooked together with the tripe, internal organs and other edible viscera. The only other ingredients are diced onions, the finest locally grown paprika powder, hot green pepper and salt. The cooking process is done over an open fire in a cast-iron pot big enough for the meat of the entire animal.

Miller’s wafer

Making miller’s wafers (molnárkalács) is a vibrant local tradition in the town of Borsodnádasd (in north-central Hungary). Development of the sweet wafer derives from the holy Eucharistic wafer in the Roman Catholic liturgy. The miller’s wafer was originally a customary treat during the Lenten season, Easter and Christmas celebrations, in traditional spinning rooms and at weddings. The tradition has been passed on from generation to generation within family units.

The wafers are made with two purpose-designed circular cooking irons. Borsodnádasd became the centre of wafer iron-making following the establishment of the nearby Sheet Metal Plant (1864).  Wafer irons were common utensils in Borsodnádasd kitchens since the establishment of the local Sheet Metal Plant (1864) where the raw materials, machinery and technology for preparing wafer irons was readily available to the rapidly urbanizing inhabitants. Among the hundreds of wafer irons in the households of Borsodnádasd no two are alike. Each has a unique decorative pattern and inscription.

The local history museum also boasts a multitude of wafer irons on display. In the last decade the city municipality together with NGOs and interest groups have recognized the community building effect of the tradition and have organized wafer-making demonstrations and festivals to safeguard and perpetuate their folk heritage. Thanks to the concerted effort of heritage preservation, increasingly greater numbers of young people are becoming active participants and bearers of the tradition.

Plum jam

In the easternmost part of Hungary in the plain of Szatmár-Bereg there is a tradition of the plum jam making which has hundreds of years old history. There are customs and practices which are connected to the unique jam cooking technique from past to present. The pristine plum species, the so-called ’Nemtudom’(’I don’t know’) plum which is naturalized due to the special geographical features, is a treasure for the local people. In early September a jam with characteristic flavour and fragrance is made from the small-grained and very tasty fruit.

The workflow (beat, picking, washing, sorting, ’cibere’ making, compression) takes a lot of time: from morning till the morning of the next day. The work which requires more people and the  long-term jam making preparation method provide great opportunity for the families and relatives to meet as well as other community gatherings to come into being and hereby strengthens the sense of belonging and a sense of local identity.

In accordance with the requirements of today, the custom and the technique is passed on not only in a narrow range. Many programs, festivals and touristic events are based on the presentation of the  plum jam making and the products made from it. The ’Nemtudom’(’I don’t know’) plum is an important fruit for the local people and the special jam made from it is a basis or complement for many healthy dishes and delicious foods.

For more Hungarian intangible cultural heritage, please visit this website.