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"This was a wonderful tour. Gábor had organised everything perfectly. It was busy but relaxed at the same time. He had a wonderful sense of humour and we enjoyed his company tremendously."— Taste Hungary client
"Food Wine Budapest: A Terroir Guide, by Carolyn Bánfalvi, concentrates on gastronomic pleasures. It is, quite simply, the best guide available today to the culinary renaissance of the city and region in the post-communist era."— The Globe and Mail
"The English-language Bible for lovers of Hungarian food and wine." — Decanter (Hungarian edition)
Author Archives: admin
Kovászos Uborka {Recipe}
{Fermented Cucumbers}
In Hungary, this hot stretch of summer in which the city empties and not much happens is known as cucumber season. The markets, of course, are also full of small, bumpy gherkins. With the gherkins, bunches of half-dried dill are sold, much stronger than the standard variety, with thick stalks and flowers. Many of cucumbers will [...]
Meggyes Lepény {Recipe}
{Sour Cherry Cake}
On my first visit to Hungary, shortly after Gábor and I met, we spent nearly two months eating, drinking, and traveling around the country. I loved being immersed in this new country, and taking in all of the new flavors and sights. I especially loved the cherries. On a short trip to Balaton [...]
Posted in At the Market, Recipes Tagged market, meggyes lepeny, Recipes, sour cherry cake Leave a comment
A Sparkling Future
Winemakers can be an eccentric lot. József Szentesi, who makes wine in the Buda-Etyek region, has got to be one of the most eccentric. He is a self-taught winemaker, who has previously owned and run a restaurant, and sold produce. His passion is re-discovering old Hungarian grape varietals, some of which are hardly found anywhere [...]
Eperleves {Recipe}
{Strawberry Soup}
Cold fruit soups (hideg gyümölcslevesek) are a staple of summertime eating in Hungary. The best-known version is made from cherries (either sour or sweet), but fruit soup can be made from nearly any type of fruit. During the summer, restaurant menus in Hungary hold soups made from whatever is available in the market at [...]
Vienna’s Fashion District
When I first moved to Budapest in 1999 shopping was much more difficult than it is today—both for food and clothing. In those days many expats still made regular trips to Vienna to shop, and even basic items (contact lens solution comes to mind) were hard to find in Budapest. Now the many international specialty [...]
Where Everything is Made From Scratch
It has been such an adventure exploring the food of Hungary over the past ten years. Still, after all of the restaurants and homes I’ve eaten in, some of my most memorable meals have been at the table at Gábor’s mother’s house. Undoubtedly, Kati néni has been the biggest influence to me in my quest [...]
Posted in Cooking at Home, Hungarian Food, Life in Hungary, My Articles, Recipes Tagged Cooking at Home, csirke paprikas, cucumber salad, galuska 2 Comments
Zöldborsó Főzelék {Recipe}
{Creamed Green Peas}
I wish I could tell you that I shelled these peas myself, but I didn’t. Now that peas (cukorborsó or zöldborsó) are in season in Hungary, most market vendors shell peas when they have a few minutes of free time, so they can sell them at a premium. I don’t know how I [...]
Király utca, Still a Work In Progress
Király utca has come full-circle. Once a lively shopping street, after World War Two stucco crumbled from the elegant buildings and shops were nationalized. Over the past few years, galleries and design shops have slowly begun to make their way back to “King Street,” and some of the city’s coolest open-air drinking spots are within [...]
Bodzalé {Recipe}
{Elderflower Juice}
Elderflowers (bodzavirág), with their intoxicatingly sweet scent, bloom throughout the Hungarian countryside during the late spring. Like most Hungarian dishes, the first time I tasted elderflower juice was at my mother-in-law’s house in northwestern Hungary. When they are in season, she keeps a few batches of the juice constantly steeping in big bowls and [...]
Tamás Bereznay’s Greek Lemon Cake