Must Try Food In Hungary

To understand someone’s culture it is not enough just to travel around the country. You also need to learn its history and try the country’s food. You can find lots of parallels between history and traditional food. That is why it’s very important to experience food in other countries. To help you better navigate Hungarian cuisine, I wrote a list of must try food in Hungary.

Goulash (Gulyás)

Goulash is one of the most famous dishes in Hungary. If you think about traditional food all around the world, you can compare Hungarian goulash to Ukrainian borscht, or American chili. Goulash is a meat stew. It can be really thick as a real stew but sometimes they make it thinner and serve it as a soup.Both the stew and the soup are very filling and a great meal in cold winter weather. 

Usually goulash is made out of beef, but in different parts of Hungary you can also find goulash with pork. And of course, there can’t be a goulash without amazing Hungarian paprika. 

Fisherman’s Soup (Halászlé)

Fisherman’s soup, as you probably understood from its name, is made out of fish. There is not just one particular type of fish that is used to make this soup. Sometimes people use a few different fish together, and sometimes just carp, catfish, or others. And of course, there can’t be a Fisherman’s soup without paprika. That is why the soup has that red/orangey color.

I actually tried the Fisherman’s soup in Budapest at the central market. On the second floor there are many stalls that sell traditional Hungarian food. And I must tell you everything I have tried there was delicious, and the Fisherman’s soup was the best. 

Chicken Paprikash (Csirke Paprikás)

Chicken Paprikash was the first dish I tried in Hungary. We visited this cute restaurant in Budapest – “Pörc & Prézli Étterem”, where my exploration of Hungarian food began. 

Chicken Paprikash is chicken that is cooked in butter, onions, and paprika, and is usually served with chewy dumplings and sour cream. The chicken tends to be very tender and the sauce is rich in flavors. 

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves (Töltött Káposzta)

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves is a very popular dish in the East of Europe including Ukraine (maybe some know it as Holubtsi). So what is it exactly? Well, it is cabbage leaves stuffed with rice and meat and cooked for some time in sauce until the cabbage leaves become tender. Rice and meat of course need more time to be cooked, so usually they are precooked. 

This dish, along with the Fisherman’s soup, are ones I tried at the Great market in Budapest. And it was very good, the flavor reminded me of grandma as she cooks this dish a lot. 

Chimney Cake

In my complete guide to Budapest I put chimney cake and lagosh as a “must try street food in Budapest”. Chimney cake is one of my favorite desserts. The crispy outside and soft inside pastry is cooked on a wooden spool over an open fire. I recommend you try your hot Chimney cake with ice cream. It is truly a pleasure for your body.

You might also have tried Chimney cake in other European cities before, but you absolutely should have it in Hungary as well. Although Chimney cake came from Transylvania, it is considered the oldest pastry in Hungary. 

Langos (Deep fried flat bread)

Langos is the second most popular street food in this country. Langos is a deep-fried flat bread that is traditionally served with sour cream and cheese. 

Nowadays you can get your langos with different toppings: savory and sweet as well. You can find a large selection of langos in Budapest’s central market, however there are plenty of street vendors all over the place that offer this delicious food. The usual one with sour cream and cheese is pretty much everywhere in the city. 

Hungarian Pickles

Pickles is something very dear to me. As a Ukrainian I grew up with pickled vegetables on my table half of the year (Ukrainians eat mostly seasonal vegetables and fruits, so 5 months out of the year we eat pickled vegetables and fruits). I guess the same goes for Hungarian people. 

I advise you to try different kinds of pickled vegetables, which you can do at any restaurant that serves Hungarian food. It also goes very well with Chicken Paprikash and Goulash. 

Pork Knuckle 

As in many European countries, Hungary specializes in cooking pork knuckles. Crispy outside and tender inside, this dish is always a great choice for your dinner. It is of course very filling, so don’t order too many side dishes. 

In Hungary pork knuckle is usually served on stewed cabbage with chewy dumplings. I recommend you get a glass of beer, it will complement this dish very well.

Eggplant Salad (Padlizsán Saláta)

If you have been to the Balkans, you know that eggplant salad/spread is a very popular dish. Every country has its own variety of this dish. And although Hungary is not part of the Balkans, the eggplant salad is a very popular dish here as well. In Hungary eggplant salad is often served with vegetables and bread. 

Maybe eggplant salad is not the most important dish that you have to try in Hungary, but I found it very interesting to compare this dish to others I have tried already. 

Must Try Food In Hungary