If you begin your day with the traditional Hungarian breakfast in Budapest, full of sausages, cheeses, hams and so on, you might find yourself too full to try many of the following dishes. But that would be a shame when Hungary and its capital are peppered with traditional foods to try. Here are a few suggestions which might entice you enough to leave a bit of space in your stomach after breakfast.
What are typical Hungarian dishes
Probably the most famous Hungarian dish is Goulash. It’s a thick and rich stew from meat and vegetables seasoned with lots of paprika. Traditionally, it’s made of beef though today you can find many varieties of it (both poultry and game). It is so well known that there is likely to be Goulash in almost every restaurant in Budapest. It is important to say, though, that it’s mostly liked by travelers to Hungary rather than by Hungarians themselves.
A more typical street food dish which can also be found just about anywhere in Budapest is Lángos. Its deep-fried dough (which looks a bit like puffed up pizza dough) is served with many different toppings. Traditionally it is with garlic oil and cheese but today one can find many spins on the formula, including sweet options of jams and chocolate.
Chicken Paprikash is one of the many Hungarian dishes with chicken in it and this one typifies much of the contemporary traditional Hungarian cuisine. It consists of chicken meat which is left simmering in a creamy sauce for over an hour as well as other ingredients typical for Hungary such as paprika, onion, garlic, green pepper, etc. If you have it in a restaurant, it will likely be served with egg dumplings named nokedli on the side.
Hungary average meal cost
| Inexpensive restaurant | 4 € – 7 € per meal |
| Mid-range restaurant | 9 € – 18 € per meal |
| High-end restaurant | 21 € – 45 € per meal |
Hungarian cuisine history
The history of Hungary’s cuisine begins with the culture of the Magyar people. The nomadic lifestyle and the domestication of livestock have been the main origin for the meat-based cuisine, seen in dishes such as Goulash or Fisherman’s soup.
Later, in the 15th century, the king Matthias Corvinus and his wife Beatrice have been influenced by Europe’s Renaissance culture which brought spices such as garlic, ginger, mace, saffron, nutmeg, and onion (of which ginger and saffron are no longer used) to Hungary. Hungarian cuisine has also been influenced by many different central-European people such as the Saxons, Jews, Italians, Poles, Czech and Slovaks and their cuisines.
After that, one of the biggest influences on Hungary’s food was Austria during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many dishes, as well as preparation styles, migrated between the two countries which is why one can find Goulash as a traditional dish even in Austria and why many sweets in Hungary have strong Austro-Germanic origin. Hungarian cuisine is a melting pot of central-European dishes and preparations though its Magyar roots are still visible to this day.
Hungarian dishes to try
One might be hungry to discover Hungary in all its facets and the food is no different. Here are but a few suggestions. First is the aforementioned Fisherman’s soup. It is a paprikash-style spicy soup where the use of the paprika powder gives it its rich red color. There are a few varieties when it comes to Fisherman’s soup, notably according to the Baja, Szeged and the Tisza regions and their traditions.
Another is the Lescó which might be known to some of you as versions of this dish are known all over Europe (for example the French ratatouille). It is essentially a vegetable stew with onions, tomatoes, and yellow peppers and seasoned, again, with the paprika powder. Some places add cut sausages and some a bit of sour cream on top, but overall, this dish tends to be one of the few vegetarian options when it comes to traditional Hungarian cuisine.
Next dish is hard to translate Főzelék which is essentially similar to Lescó in that it is a vegetable stew but this one is usually thickened with flour mixed with sour cream. There are many varieties of Főzelék, such as potato, carrot, bean, lentil and more. There are so many other dishes to try, such as for example the Hungarian dish with cabbage and noodles known as KaposztáS TéSzta, but to name them all here would be impossible. The best way to know them all is to go and discover Hungarian cuisine for yourself.
