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NORTHERN HUNGARY

This area is called Paloc, and extends from the Danube River to the Soviet border. It is as famed for its many local crafts and embroideries as for the wine called hull’s blood or Egri Bikaver. Here in small villages, life has continued with little change almost since medieval times.

Baking foods in ashes, collecting the eggs of wild birds, and even grinding flour continue unchanged. Fish caught locally is still dried, salted, or smoked for use during the winter, and cheeses are dried and smoked in sausage shapes and hung from cottage rafters. The planting and harvesting of both wheat and grapes to make wine are intertwined into many local and colorful festivals which go back to ancient times.

BUDAPEST

The capital of Hungary, Budapest is actually a union of three cities, Buda, Pest, and Obuda, which joined in 1873 to form, among other things, what is, arguably, the pastry and coffeehouse capital of the world. Reputedly the city of “romance, wine and Gypsy music,” Budapest is also the city where the pastry and confection makers happily cater to at least two million connoisseurs. All of Hungary’s great dishes and regional specialties may be tasted here in fine restaurants, coffeehouses (cukraszdas) and stand-up strudel shops where strudels may be sampled crisp and warm in a great variety of sweet fillings: fruit, nuts, noodles with cheese, poppy seeds, and even with savory fillings of cabbage, potato with onion and cheese, and many others.

As mentioned above, it is Budapest that staged a festival to honor a cake – the incomparable dobos torta – and even opened a museum dedicated to the history of catering and the gastronomic arts.

HUNGARIAN GLOSSARY OF FOODS AND FOOD TERMS

Bankoti: name given to the high-gluten content Hungarian wheat.

Barack: apricot brandy.

Csipetke: literally “pinched noodles” made by preparing a stiff dough from eggs, flour, and water then pinching off tiny pieces and dropping them in boiling salted water to cook.

Cukraszda: one name that spells the finest array of delectable cakes, tortes, and pastries, all prepared with fine ingredients readily identified by the sweetly fragrant aroma of creamy cheeses, fresh lemon zest, toasted nuts and poppy seeds, rich chocolate and of course whipped cream. All of this and coffee too.

Disznotor: the country celebration and feasting centering around pig-killing day. Except for breakfast, which is usually spiced wine or brandy and coffee cakes, the menus of the day feature soups, roasts, stews, and sausages all made from fresh pork and pork trimmings. City restaurants attempt a duplication of this by presenting a special Disznotor menu featuring soup made from pork trimmings and a main course of varieties of pork cuts and pork sausages accompanied with pickled vegetables and bread.

Dobos Torta: great arguments ensue when attempts are made to decide who invented this masterpiece. Hungarians will insist emphatically that it was of course a Hungarian. (Don’t argue – just eat it.) It is made by preparing a light round sponge cake, which is split and filled with a rich smooth chocolate filling (five to seven layers are usual). The top layer of the torta is scored into narrow wedges and coated with a hot caramel that hardens almost immediately. These caramel-coated wedges are then arranged in spiral fashion with alternate rosettes of chocolate cream as the finishing touch. Dobos Torta lovers save the caramel wedge for last and daintily eat it from their fingers.

Fatanyeros: Transylvanian specialty of assorted grilled meats served on a wooden platter garnished with pickled vegetables, and potato salad.

Galuska: soft “noodles” prepared by dipping pieces of a soft dough batter into simmering water or broth; they congeal as they hit the heated liquid and swell as they cook.

Gomboc: dumplings.

Gomolya: a fresh cheese made from sheep’s milk.

Gulyas: a stew made with cubed beef or pork and a base of gently simmered onions, lard, and paprika. Only cubed potatoes are added and the final result is a hearty dish with plenty of gravy to enjoy with Galuska or Csipetke. This dish is not finished with sour cream.

Habart Bableves: a sweet and sour soup with fresh green beans, the thin vegetable broth flavored with cream, vinegar, and sugar. Probably of Romanian origin.

Kaposztak: cabbage in any form, even sauerkraut.

Lecso: an all-purpose thick sauce made of simmered onions, tomatoes, and green peppers, usually well flavored with garlic. It may be used to flavor other dishes or soups, eaten cold as an appetizer, or cooked with sausages or meats as a main dish.

Meleg Tesztak: refers to the variety of sweet noodle dishes that are so typically Hungarian. They are always served hot, usually as a dessert but often they follow soup and complete a light but satisfying meal. The dish may be as simple as hot buttered noodles tossed with cinnamon sugar and chopped nuts or poppy seeds, or a more complex mixture involving sieved cottage cheese, nuts, raisins, freshly made noodles in strips or squares all lightly folded with beaten separated eggs then baked. Other versions are filled noodle squares simmered and served with nuts, sour cream, or preserves.

Metelt: noodles. (If this is confusing remember the importance of noodles and dumplings in the Hungarian cuisine – hence the many names.)

Palacsintak: very thin delicate pancakes similar to French crepes, Czechoslovakian Palacinky, and Austrian Palatschinken. The Hungarian version is used in as many ways, for sweet dishes mostly but occasionally filled with vegetables or meat preparations. They may be layered, folded, or rolled and are almost as frequently seen on the menu as the many noodle and dumpling dishes.

Paprikas: may be made from any meat, fish, or vegetable prepared with an onion and paprika base and finished with a generous stirring-in of sour cream.

Porkolt: a stew similar to Gulyas only thicker and with more onions.

Pulsizka: similar to the Romanian Mamaliga. A thick cornmeal porridge used only in certain areas (Transylvania).

Retes: the Hungarian name for all strudels, those crisply delicious rolls of thin pastry enveloping almost any mixture of fruits, nuts, cheese, potato, cabbage, meats. The sweet ones are only at their best with whipped cream close by.

Szilva: plum brandy.

Szekely Gulyas: a Gulyas of mixed meats or pork only, prepared with the usual lard-onion-paprika base, but then layered with sauerkraut. Breaking the Gulyas rule, this dish is finished with sour cream. A Transylvanian specialty.

Tarhonya: a type of egg barley prepared from a stiff flour and egg dough grated into tiny bits resembling rice or barley. These are well dried then prepared by boiling or baking with liquid. One of the oldest Magyar dishes still widely enjoyed.

Tokany: another type of Hungarian stew where the meat is cut into very small cubes or small strips, less strongly flavored with the lard-onion-paprika base and often made with variations such as peppers, mushrooms, and sour cream.

Toltott Kaposzta: meat-and-rice-stuffed cabbage rolls.

Tor: a feast.

Tortak: tortes. Since tor means “feast” … what better way to feast than on Tortak!

Zona: the name given to that mid-morning snack usually composed of a small portion of Gulyas, sometimes scrambled eggs or an omelet, sometimes assorted cold meats with scallions, radishes, and cucumbers.

HUNGARIAN MEALS AND CUSTOMS

The dishes comprising the Hungarian cuisine form the distilled essence of centuries of adaptations based on their native ingredients and the fine recipes from other peoples that have been a part of Hungarian history. What sets these dishes apart and makes them so distinctly Hungarian is more than a matter of lard, paprika, and onions, it is passionate attention and appreciation.

Sauces and salads are of little importance in the Hungarian menu. Soups, main dishes, cooked and pickled vegetables, fine breads and pastries – these are the cornerstones. Probably most important of all is the art of soup-making. Hungarians can make a flavorful and satisfying soup from almost anything: an onion browned in fat, flour browned in fat, milk and noodles, cabbage and sour cream, endless combinations of simple and complex vegetable soups and of course soups made with meats or game. Given so many types of soups, so many satisfying main dishes – tokany, gulyas (goulash), paprikas, and many others – and desserts of incredible delicacy and richness, is it any wonder that appetizers join sauces and salads as being of little importance? In fact, appetizers are only served in aristocratic homes or in restaurants.

Whether Hungarian breakfasts are the peasant meal of brandy, roasted bacon and bread, or the urban meal of coffee with hot milk, rolls and preserves, they are small. Mid-morning snacks are common everywhere: factory workers may have a small howl of gulyas, shepherds may pause for bread and onions, others may take coffee with bread or rolls, similar to a breakfast.

The largest meal of the day is usually served at noon. Invariably it begins with soup, and if it is in a poor home, it may be only soup and bread. The main dish following the soup will likely be of meat with cabbage, potatoes or noodles forming a part of the dishes or a side dish. Dessert is almost as necessary as soup and may be stewed fruits, thin dessert pan-cakes called palacsintak, dumplings served with sweet sauces, fritters or noodle desserts, soufflés, custards or puddings. Traditionally the noon meal is eaten at home with all the family together. Increasingly, however, children are taking this hot meal in school cafeterias, industrial workers in factory restaurants, while those working in the cities often enjoy restaurant or fast-food dining.

The afternoon coffee will he taken with honey cake or coffee cake if it is just for the family. But there will be a choice of fine pastries, cakes, strudel, and tortas if there are guests or if this snack is taken in a coffeehouse.

The evening meal is usually a light supper of leftovers from the noon meal. Sometimes soup and dessert are enough, other times soup with bread or light dishes made from eggs will be served. The evening meal is traditionally eaten between seven and nine o’clock.

HUNGARIAN SPECIAL OCCASIONS

It is estimated that two-thirds of the Hungarian population is Roman Catholic, the remainder Protestant. The large Jewish population that was for so long a part of Hungary was either exterminated under the Nazis or escaped to other lands; few remain. Religious practice was not encouraged under the Communist regime and most religious orders and monasteries are now state properties. However, the Hungarians are not a deeply religious people. Religious occasions are enjoyed more for their festive foods and gathering of friends and family than for prayer or ritual.

The Magyars have always been noted for their colorful costumes, spirited music, and lavish feasting. No matter what the rest of the year may be like, a festival is for merrymaking, eating and drinking, friends and music. This includes religious occasions, weddings, christenings, funerals, name days and saint’s days and many special celebrations associated with the crops and the seasons. Although the agricultural celebrations are usually local events, they represent old traditions and are much cherished.

Probably the most important religious holiday in Hungary is Easter. Husvet literally means “the taking of meat,” and begins on Shrove Tuesday. This date also coincides with the time of much spring planting: vegetables, poppy seeds and the preparation of maize for sowing. Dwellings are cleaned and often painted. In preparation for Lent when no meats or greasy foods may be eaten by the devout, even the dishes and pots used to cook meats and greasy foods are carefully set aside and replaced with others.

The traditional pancakes enjoyed on Shrove Tuesday actually begin the forty days of meatless and greaseless meals. But ingenious Hungarian cooks provide an imaginative supply of breads of all kinds and baked goods, filling noodle and dumpling dishes, meals based on fish or cottage cheese, and many soups and main dishes based on cabbage and/or potatoes. The fare is simple but satisfying. Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent and the abrupt ending of all festivities. Even the customary bright tablecloths are exchanged for somber dark ones. Sour eggs and herring salad are the symbolic foods for Ash Wednesday.

The Easter week after Lent is the time to enjoy new spring vegetables, layered Easter cakes, and painted eggs all culminating in a Good Friday dinner of wine-flavored soup, stuffed eggs, and baked fish. The chiming of bells on Holy Saturday signals the end to Lenten restrictions and the eagerly anticipated Easter Eve feast. This is considered to be the biggest and most important meal of the year. A rich chicken soup is served with dumplings or noodles followed by roasted meat (ham, pork, or lamb) then several pickled vegetables, stuffed cabbage rolls and finally a selection of sweet cakes and black coffee. Easter Sunday is a continuation of the feast with roast lamb and “blessed” ham as the traditional main dish and more cakes and pastries served to all.

April 23 is an annual country festival celebrating the rounding up of the flocks and the hiring of shepherds, all accompanied with feasting and drinking.

A week of celebrations everywhere in Hungary centers around August 20, the birthday of the beloved King Stephen. November 1 is All Saints’ Day and it is also the final day for sowing winter wheat – and more feasting. Mid-October brings the vintage festivals, for wine is the national drink as the Hungarians remind themselves in an old folk song:

The Slovaks all drink brandy

The Germans all drink beer

The Hungarians drink wine only,

The very best, my dear.

Christmas is celebrated quietly with the day preceding it observed as a fast day, that is, no meat is eaten and the Christmas Eve meal is traditionally a simple one based on fish and potatoes and the serving of cakes and tortes made with nuts and poppy seeds.

It was King Matthias and his Italian wife, Queen Beatrice, who introduced turkeys, which have been popular ever since (when available) for the Christmas Day dinner. The turkey is accompanied with roasted potatoes, stuffed cabbage, and desserts of brandied fruits or fruit compotes with wine and more cakes of nuts and poppy seeds. In more modest homes, chicken or goose will be the main course, but everyone enjoys cakes.

Weddings are gala occasions involving not only many days of preparation but often three days of celebration.

Perhaps one of the best examples of local festivities is the Disznotor or pig-killing day celebrated in most rural areas but especially in Transylvania. The day begins with spiced wine or brandy and coffee cakes and then the work begins. By 11:30 a.m. a paprikas has been prepared from pigs’ brains, and pork is roasted with potatoes or layered cabbage. The meal itself will begin with a cabbage or potato soup. Throughout the day pigs are slaughtered and prepared into cuts to be separated as fresh meats and as those to be used for brining, smoking, curing, and sausage-making. Most trimmings go into the latter, but some, such as the snout and ears, are saved for a special soup for the evening meal. The pig soup, freshly prepared sausages, and roasted pork are eaten with bread and wine as well as pickled peppers, cabbage, and cucumbers.

In order that urban dwellers may not miss this type of pork feasting, many restaurants make a feature of Disznotor presenting a special menu of soup made from pigs’ trimmings and a main dish of varied fresh pork sausages and flekken (loin pork slices flour-dipped and crisply fried) served with rice, noodles, and assorted pickled vegetables.

HUNGARIAN DOMESTIC LIFE

Class distinctions were very much a part of Hungarian daily life until shortly after the Second World War. In the homes of aristocrats, lavish meals of many courses, each with intricately prepared dishes, were possible because of the availability of cooks, gardeners, and servants. Finely crafted tableware and luxurious eating began as early as the late 1400s. It was the influence of King Matthias and his Italian wife, Queen Beatrice, that soon made the work of artisans and the arts of gastronomy very much a part of the life of the upper classes. Abundance of good produce, servants, and the appreciation of good foods well prepared were the true beginnings of the excellence of the Hungarian cuisine.

While the nobility wined and dined on what the world came to know as “Hungarian cuisine,” the peasants lived on their monotonous diet (except for festivals) of bacon, bread, and soup. The bacon was often cooked on an open fire, the bread baked in outdoor communal ovens, and the soup slowly simmered in a big kettle called a bogracs. The delightful food specialties of the upper classes – known as “national dishes” – likely were unknown to the rural family because they had neither the time to prepare the more traditional complex foods nor the money for the ingredients. To this day many white outdoor ovens, still used for cooking and baking, may be seen in the countryside.

Class distinctions with their inevitable polarities of luxury and poverty were said to diminish under communism. Huge kitchens with fine facilities and many chefs prepared meals for workers. Individual homes had minimal kitchens as most meals were taken outside the home. Except for special occasions and restaurant fare (especially for tourists) food in Hungary was simplified to pork and poultry dishes, potatoes, cabbage, and quantities of bread. Cattle, pigs, poultry, eggs, and wine were mainly for export.

The Hungarian cuisine is seen at its finest in restaurants, and only occasionally in Hungarian homes when time permits the loving attention that great cookery requires. Hungarian women tend to prepare traditional foods mostly on weekends and of course for festive celebrations.

HUNGARIAN FOODS THAT ARE COMMONLY USED

The staple foods of the nomad Magyars in earliest times included meat from their herds of sheep (lamb, sheep, mutton), game, millet and groats, some fish and Zsendice, a fresh cheese made from sheep’s milk. Foods were cooked mainly over open fires on sticks or in huge kettles. Later, pork, lard, paprika, and sour cream were added to these staples.

As the Magyars settled down, adaptations from other cultures were added to the staple diet: more fruits and vegetables, onions and other seasonings, noodles and dumplings. But the cornerstones of the Hungarian cuisine continue to be pork and lard, onions and paprika and sour cream. Tea and kumis (fermented mare’s milk) were the earliest beverages, and are still used; but coffee and the fine locally produced wines are today’s staples.

FOODS IN HUNGARY

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Fresh milk is seldom used as a beverage, but it is used in many dishes, especially puddings, custards, and milk soups. Variations of Zsendice – a staple so long ago – are still popular in certain areas and fresh curd is the type of cheese most used both as a spread with added seasonings or as an ingredient for fillings in baked goods and dumplings. Fresh sweet cream and sour cream are used liberally whenever possible.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Traditionally fruits and vegetables have been produced in fine quality and great quantity. More recently most have been used for export, leaving those available for local sale often too expensive for large or even adequate consumption. Apples, plums, apricots, peaches, and many types of melons are not only available in season but are also used as preserves and in the production of fine fruit brandies.

Cabbage, potatoes, onions, green pepper, tomatoes, and cucumbers are not only the staple vegetables, they are the most popular, most used, and the basis for many stews, soups, and pickled vegetables. Raw salads with fresh greens are seldom if ever used. When income permits, a much greater variety of vegetables is used, preferably those that are fresh and seasonal. Vegetables are never served simply boiled; they are braised, baked, or boiled then drained and blended with a sauce of onions, paprika and sour cream, buttered crumbs, or prepared as stuffed vegetables, vegetable puddings, vegetable soufflés, or fresh vegetable soups.

Lecso is a well-cooked blend of lard, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers. This basic sauce is of South Slav origin and is used throughout Hungary not only as a basic sauce but also as an appetizer. With added sausages or meats it becomes a main dish. By itself a little may he added to stews and soups or vegetable dishes to enhance flavors.

MEATS AND ALTERNATES

The time of the Khazar Kingdom was the only time in Hungarian history that pork was not the number-one meat. In many areas, especially Transylvania, Disznotor (pig-killing day) is set aside as a feasting holiday and every part of the animal is either used fresh or preserved by smoking, brining, drying, or sausage-making. Cattle, sheep, and pig raising are basic industries and game is widely available, so meat is usually a big part of the diet if income permits.

Hungarians are very fussy about the freshness of their fish and would rather eat locally caught fresh fish than imported varieties. Fish may be prepared as a soup, smoked, or baked whole as a main dish; but fish is not consumed in great quantities. Most fish used in Hungarian dishes originate in the Danube and Tisza Rivers: carp, perch, pike, sturgeon, trout, fogas, silure or catfish, and small amounts of tiny crabs and crayfish, the latter usually used for soups.

All types of offal and variety meats are used efficiently in sausages, stews, soups, and casseroles with vegetables. Goose liver is considered a luxurious treat, comparable to caviar in Russia.

Legumes are not an important part of the Hungarian diet, occasionally only used in soups or a bean casserole called somogyi. Nuts and poppy seeds are an important ingredient in the many fine cakes, tortes, retes, yeast pastries, and breads. Nuts and poppy seeds tossed with buttered noodles are often a side dish to meats, or a snack or dessert.

BREADS AND GRAINS

Bread is much revered in Hungary and seldom is a table set without a display of a variety of breads and rolls made from wheat or rye flours. In fact, bankoti (Hungarian wheat) is considered one of the finest in the world and high in gluten content. In the 1840s the introduction of iron rollers for milling white wheat flour caused the wheat germ to pop out without crushing, thus resulting in the whitest milled flour available anywhere. Breads, cakes, and pastries baked with this new white flour quickly became a status symbol.

Tarhonya, one of the staple foods of the nomadic Magyars and still a favorite accompaniment to meat dishes and a soup garnish, is made from eggs and flour blended to a stiff dough then grated to form tiny pellets. After drying, these tiny pellets or grains may be stored for long periods and cooked as needed. Noodles and dumplings are widely used as well. Cereals in the form of dried breakfast flakes or cooked porridge are not traditionally used.

FATS

Lard is the most widely used fat in Hungary. Butter is also used, especially for baked goods and sometimes to add flavor. Hungary’s margarines and oils are considered of inferior quality and are seldom used.

SWEETS AND SNACKS

The Hungarian sweet tooth prefers cakes and rich pastries over candy. The national preference for temptingly sweet baked goods both as a snack with coffee and as dessert (as well as reward, consolation, and medicine) makes the intake unquestionably high. Sugar is also a major ingredient in the fruit brandies, wines, preserved fruits, and the many cups of coffee enjoyed daily.

SEASONINGS

Paprika, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, and sour cream are the staple seasonings of the Hungarian kitchen. Of course, it is impossible to describe traditional Hungarian cuisine without emphasizing the importance of paprika. Hungary’s paprika is not only considered among the finest in the world, it also ranges in flavor from sweet to very hot. Most Hungarians prefer the mildest. Because of its sugar content, it is always allowed to cook with great care together with the melted lard and gently simmered onions to create the base and rusty-red hue of countless meat, fish, and vegetable dishes. Hungarian cooks would never turn their backs for even a moment on the careful simmering of this lard-onion-paprika combination. A touch too much heat or a little too long cooking and the mixture may well be discolored or taste bitter.

The range of seasoning extends to many herbs such as dill and tarragon, and in some areas black pepper takes precedence over paprika. Poppy seeds, apricot preserves, and nuts often form a part of the flavors or fillings of desserts and pastries, and chocolate and whipped cream are great favorites.

BEVERAGES

Coffee, wine, and brandy are the main beverages consumed in Hungary and by Hungarians everywhere. They are not tea drinkers and seldom is beer consumed.

Breakfast coffee is often served with hot milk. Afternoon coffee with a dollop of whipped cream seems the only fitting accompaniment to the staggering array of pastries offered. But by evening perhaps a little guilt has set in, for the coffee after dinner is usually served black.

Hungary produces many fine wines and is famed for her tokay variety. Wines and fruit brandies are produced everywhere, but Transdanubia and Northern Hungary are famed for their vineyards and it is the area in Northern Hungary called Paloc that produces the red wine called bull’s blood or Egri Bikaver.

FOOD AND CULTURE IN HUNGARY

Hungarians do not take anything lightly, least of all food. The romantic, volatile, and soulful Hungarian uses food the way most other people use psychology, politics, literature, material acquisitions, and even medicine. Food is the prelude to a mood, the buffer for difficult situations, and the solace – even the cure – for adversity. Food elevates the spirit, food promotes confidence, food is a comforting symbol of success and status. But most important of all, in the Hungarian mind, food, love, and music are inextricably interwoven with one’s very existence.

The Hungarian coffeehouse symbolizes the uniquely Hungarian viewpoint. Softly lit and comfortable, well supplied with sumptuously sinful pastries and good coffee, it is here that the Hungarian finds inspiration and sustenance, even on occasion, solace. No Hungarian could survive a day of business without repeated fortifications of smoothly rich pastries and sensuous whipped cream floated gently down on a wave of strong coffee. And how could one sustain oneself in the suspenseful prelude to a love affair, the inner strength required and then the agony at the breakup, without a coffeehouse?

Hungarian restaurants are so much a part of daily life that not even the vicissitudes of wars, the reversals of economics, or the upheavals of politics could empty their tables or close their doors. When all else in life falters, food, love, and music remain steadfast in the life of the Hungarian. It would be unthinkable to make love on an empty stomach, conclude a business deal, or even survive a normal day without fine food and wine to the accompaniment of Gypsy violins. Who but the Gypsy violinists could understand one’s every mood and knowingly accompany it with melodies that can be at once tender and passionate or haunting and sad?

And when on those rare occasions all seems to be moving well in life, the Hungarian can still find a reason for sadness that requires consolation. It seems that no Hungarian ever had a happy childhood. Mournful recollections of that “unhappy childhood” are always considered suitable excuses for further gastronomic indulgence. Just why there seem to be so many unhappy Hungarian childhoods is uncertain. Perhaps mother and father were too preoccupied with love and food? Perhaps a rich little pastry became the substitute for parental love? Perhaps too the unhappy childhood is fabricated. No self-respecting Hungarian could indulge in food and love (with musical accompaniment) without reasons.

Given such vital significance, can the finesse of the Hungarian cuisine ever be underestimated? History is witness to the many influences that resulted in the complex subtleties so much a part of the Hungarian table.

A part of Hungary’s earliest history concerns the Khazar Kingdom which occupied a strategic position between Asia and Byzantium and spread to much of the area that is Hungary today. In 740 C.E., these tribes converted to Judaism. Although many reasons for this dramatic change are given, the most logical seems to be that both Islam and Christianity had political and military underpinnings while Judaism allowed the Khazars to retain neutrality. For a long time they maintained the Jewish laws of Kashruth and no pork was eaten.

Although the Khazars were believed to be of Magyar origin, they were defeated in 896 C.E. by seven other Magyar tribes. Finally driven to a small area near the Bosporus Sea, the Khazar Kingdom came to an end, defeated by the Russians. Many Hungarian towns still bear names believed to be of Khazar origin (Kozar and Kozardie), the language of the Khazar Jews is still spoken in parts of Poland, Lithuania, and Hungary, and the agriculture, handicrafts, commerce, and wine making that they introduced are still very much a part of Hungary.

Hungary’s appeal to conquerors was not only its strategic location in central Europe but also the fertility of the vast Hungarian Plain. Here a mellow climate and a rich land yield orchards and vineyards, grain fields and pastureland – a plentiful reservoir of abundance that probably more than anything else has made the Hungarian a lavish and appreciative cook. It would be difficult to find a farm without pigs, an abundant supply of fruits, vegetables, and grains, and cool pantries without fresh cream, sour cream, and butter.

To this natural abundance, the 150-year Turkish occupation introduced to Hungary not only many tropical fruits and nuts but also coffee and many seasonings, the most important of which was paprika. Today Hungary’s production of quality paprika is highly regarded. The Hungarian uses paprika with the deft understanding of a connoisseur. Although paprika, a favored seasoning, is not used exclusively, it is used widely in Hungarian cookery.

While Hungarians are willing to admit that many things were the result of Turkish influence, it would be more difficult to get them to admit that the beloved Hungarian retes (identical to the Austrian strudel) probably had its origin in the paper-thin crisp Turkish pastries made from phyllo – the most famous of which is baklava. And these Turkish pastries, in turn, originated from Greek influence.

Further influences on Hungarian cuisine, now so deeply embedded that they are difficult to separate, are Slovakian, Serbian, Croatian, Romanian, Russian, Polish, and German. This vast span of influence was mostly due to the fact that Hungary was for almost 200 years more or less under Hapsburg (German) rule and a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until its breakdown after the First World War. Extended uses of sour cream, dumplings, noodles, sauerkraut, and the art of making soup, pastries, and sweet delicacies may well be the only pleasant aspects of this period for it was also one marked with almost continuous inner strife and feudalism.

If nothing else, both the very rich and the very poor in Hungary always shared a love of food. Just as a laden table was essential to the Hungarian aristocracy, so the filled larder was essential to the Hungarian peasant.  Finally to the many influences of colorful and hearty foods that found their way into the Hungarian cuisine came the refining influences of the sophisticated Italian cuisine from Queen Beatrice, and the subtle French culinary arts from Queen Anne. King Matthias of Hungary wed the Italian Queen Beatrice in 1475 and enriched Hungarian aristocratic cuisine with all the delights of the Italian courts – including ice cream and forks. The gentling effects of French and Italian cuisine still evident in Hungarian cookery include wider use of sweet cream instead of sour cream, a preference for butter, especially in bakery, and a general lightening of seasonings, especially the use of garlic.

Where else but in Budapest could so many cukraszdas (coffee and pastry shops) flourish? And where else but the Hungarian capital could the world’s first museum dedicated to catering and gastronomy be opened, or a holiday be declared to celebrate a cake – the dobos torta?

But the history of the Magyars, speaking their Hungarian language of Finno-Ugric origin, is not just one of gastronomy. It is also one of defeats and partitions, of conversions and peasant uprisings. Hungary was defeated by the Turks in 1526 and partitioned into three main areas: the part that is half of today’s Hungary and partly Czechoslovakian and partly Russian, the area west of the Danube; the Great Hungarian Plain, which is today also part of Romania and Yugoslavia; and Transylvania in the Eastern Carpathian Mountains, which is today mostly Romania.

In the early 1700s, fighting between the Turks and the Hapsburgs (Germans) resulted in a tug-of-war with Hungary, forced conversions to Roman Catholicism and even compulsory Germanization. It had been King Stephen who, in 1001 C.E. converted his people to Christianity, so the main objection 700 years later was not to religion, but rather to the enforcement of the German language and customs.

The first Hungarian to emigrate to Canada was Stephen Parmenius De Buda who accompanied Sir Humphrey Gilbert to Newfoundland in 1583. But the first real wave of immigration came after the 1849 Hungarian defeat against the combined strength of the Austrian and Russian armies. October 6, 1849, is still remembered as a day of mourning in Hungary. These first “freedom fighters” were to be followed by many subsequent emigrations of fiercely independent peasant rebels seeking a free life. Most came to Canada via the United States, working as miners, farmers, and industrial workers.

It is interesting that up to 1930, 90 percent of Hungarian emigrants were from the poorer classes of Hungary, especially the rural areas. From 1930 to 1945, the class of Hungarian emigrants changed to include professionals, intellectuals, and members of the aristocracy – mostly Jews or those whom Hitler classified as being Jewish – fleeing from Nazism. Even after 1945, the flow of upper-class emigration continued, culminating in 1956 when the October Revolution was crushed by the Russians, and 175,000 people left the country.

For about forty years, between 1949 and 1989, Hungarian politics, economics, and cultural life were dominated by Communist tenets. The industrialization that began then altered the nature of the Hungarian economy, shifting it from agriculture to industry. Collectivization of agriculture was enforced but most collective farms disbanded with the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Museums and free public libraries, sports clubs, radio and television, and a widespread system of education prevail, but some-how, for many the zest for good living and attention to food and cooking have been reduced to necessities and fast food. This change may also be the result of more women joining the workforce, although men still remain dominant in family life.

Although Hungarian organizations in North America have attempted to unite all Hungarians, they have met with limited success. The reasons burrow deeply into Hungarian culture, where until recently feudalism and class distinctions were a way of life. These differences in manners, customs, and even appearance survived the pressures of the North American way of life. Moreover, the importance of kinship patterns, similar to those in Poland, Germany, and Italy, have had a profound influence on family life. These kinship patterns include primarily one’s obligation towards helping and maintaining the status of the family, which may include relatives, in-laws, godparents plus all their families, rituals of marriage, birth and death and assistance in education or business. To add to this complexity, the once-privileged classes have reconciled themselves only slowly, if at all, to the democratic way of life in North America. Many still cherish dreams of returning to the life they once knew.

The final difficulty in attempting to unite Hungarians is the result of the frequency of changes in the Hungarian borders which at various times included Poles, Serbs, Germans, Romanians, Jews, and Austrians. Although each of these peoples was officially classed as Hungarian when they emigrated because of their having shared for so long in the social and political culture of Hungary, once they reached a new land many reverted to their former identity and united with cultural groups other than Hungarian.

But the Hungarian pattern of life in North America has closely followed that shown by many other ethnic groups. The first generation of immigrants clung together not only in their kinship patterns but also in their manners, appearance, and language. The original intention of many was to work hard and save money in order to return to their former homeland. In many cases, as in the case of the Hungarians, the conditions that they left behind changed, but not for the better. They were fortunate to escape from the system of land estates and rigid class distinction where there was no hope of owning more land, advancing their position in life, or gaining an opportunity for education. Later emigrants sought to escape religious persecution and the Communist regime which seemingly favored the labor classes, but which in fact further suppressed social, religious, and political freedoms.

The changes that occurred in North America were gradual but profound. In Hungary the kinship pattern promoted the success of the whole family as a unit rather than individual success. In the new country, schools lauded individual achievement, newspapers and store catalogues advertised materialism, and the opinions of neighbors and peers gradually took on more importance than those of distant members of the Hungarian’s family. Gradually, too, Hungarian calendars marked with special name days and saint’s days were lost, and with them went many holiday rituals.

As ties with the Old World and the old traditions weakened, Hungarian immigrants regarded themselves more and more as Americans and Canadians. But Hungarians, together with many other ethnic groups, have witnessed and are happily participating in a partial reversal of this apparent assimilation for there is currently a newfound pride in old crafts, songs, customs, and traditions and increasingly these are being revived.

There may be evidence of Hungarians adapting and even integrating into the community that is their home. There may even be intermarriage. But one thing is certain: so long as there is even a trace of Hungarian soul there will be an appreciation of fine food and wine, and somewhere a Gypsy violin will play the haunting melodies that will bring tearful reminiscing about unrequited love and unhappy childhoods – and the consolation of sumptuous pastries.