Yow Nopot! ("Hello" in Hungarian, spelled the way it is sounds)
As you've probably come to expect, I have a few things to say about the food in Hungary.
The first week here--as in most cities--we spent a lot of our time shopping for food. It can be a fascinating (but tiring!) experience. Since we cook most of our meals, we like to check out the local grocery stores--and thanks to happycow.com--the health food stores that we can find. (Excellent website for traveling vegetarians!) In most cities, we are pretty amazed that we can find almost everything we like--but it's a real bonus to be in a place like Budapest where it is also affordable! By week's end, we learned to buy our produce from the vegetable market, since the grocery stores here often sell "scary" vegetables. Check out this broccoli that we saw on our first day at a nearby grocery store, and it was still there a few days later!
And the lettuce looked even worse, but I didn't take a picture of it--an unrefrigerated bin of lettuce was full of wilted and brown lettuce. I mean, does the produce manager really think someone will buy it?? So if you ever visit Budapest, forget the grocery store (except for packaged goods), and go right to the vegetable market. There are many throughout the city, and the prices are amazingly low--we can get a huge bag of beautiful produce for $4 to $6. Here's a picture of Allan in front of the market we like. The building, like many buildings here, might look a bit run down, but inside the produce is grand!
Aside from the grocery store oddities, we have found some great bakeries that sell unusual treats like a chocolate roll--it's exactly like a cinnamon roll, but they use powdered cocoa instead of cinnamon. We have also tried the strudel--heaps of fruit (sour cherries are popular) or cottage cheese wrapped in pastry. Yum. And when we're trying to be good, we can opt for the "Fitness Croissant", which is a whole grain croissant filled with plum compote and topped with flax seeds. Our favorite bakery sells most everything for 30% off after 6:00pm. So where are we at 5:58? Right outside the door, drooling for some crusty bread and an apple pastry at a reduced cost! The other day, we left with two loaves of bread, two apple pastries, and a cinnamon bun for under $4. Restaurant food, and store-bought packaged foods can still be expensive, but produce and bread are a great deal!
In addition to strudel, another local "delicacy" is the LANGOS, which is much like fry bread made from potatoes or potato flour. Fresh dough is stretched, fried in oil and then typically topped with sour cream and cheese. Allan and I split one of those, and had a fat-gram hangover for a few hours afterward. But oh, it tasted so delicious that we went back for another one two days later, sans sour cream. (Gotta make some effort, no?) Here's a picture of Allan eating his Langos, just in case you can't believe it.
By the way, remember how I've been taking the elevator up the five flights of stairs? Well the lift was broken for a few days--the very same few days we were on our Langos binge. I believe Allan tinkered with the elevator so that I could get in some exercise, and work off some of that delicious Langos!
We found a vegan restaurant here that serves vegan versions of Hungarian food, which is totally cool. We ordered way too much food, not knowing that Hungarians really like to serve huge portions. We started with some large tin bowls of Hungarian Goulash. Delicious! Then came our entrees; This is a picture of the stuffed and deep fried spelt pancakes filled with creamed vegetables, served with onion mashed potatoes. Behind that is a casserole dish of cauliflower, rice, and fake sausage. (We don't really care for fake sausage, so we picked that out. We didn't know it was in the dish.)
We were so full afterward, it hurt. But it was so good! It was really enough food for four people, and it only cost $23, which included bottled water and fresh ginger-ade. Love this place! (They also serve an excellent vegan pizza!)
Our favorite little afternoon hangout is a vegetarian cafe called Napos Oldal, which means "Sunny Side". We order their cappuccino with rice milk, and a low-sugar treat like cherry apple strudel or carrot cake. (Total for both is a little over $3.) They have a deli case of lunch items, which I hope to try someday before we leave. They also are a health food store, and it is fun to see what unique items they sell.
I did find a great chocolate shop, and loaded up on delicious truffles--which were only about 50 cents each. Nice!
Speaking of all this food and sweets, after 7 months on the road, it was time for a dental checkup. We had planned to do that in Sweden, but the dentist there didn't have an opening. So I went online and found out that Budapest was actually promoting dental work for tourists and expats. So I emailed one of the listed dentists, and the next day I heard from Erika at Budapest Dental. She scheduled us an appointment, and explained what their services would include and cost. (Around $100.) So a few days after we arrived here, we walked to Budapest Dental, which was conveniently right across the Margit Bridge. (Which naturally is under construction since we walk it nearly every day.) Irene was the dental hygienist that cleaned my teeth, and she was as sweet as can be. She told me that she wished her regular patients kept their teeth as clean as mine were. The dental care was much like at home, but for polishing, they do this air brush technique that seems to sandblast your teeth with lemon flavored salt. We both got covered with it, and I wanted to laugh, but Irene acted like it was just another day at the office. (She had a face shield on that looked much like she was welding metal rather than polishing my teeth!)
It was so nice to have my teeth cleaned--but I do miss Green Apple Dental at home. If you're looking for a dentist in Portland, call Dr. Kang, and tell him I sent you! And it was a wonderful coincidence when I found out that Erika was a vegetarian, and she gave me a list of vegetarian restaurants for us to try. Erika and Irene, like most people we have met here, are very nice. Locals seem to love it when we try to speak some (really bad) Hungarian, probably because we are at least trying. But it is usually pretty easy to find someone here that speaks a bit of English.
So that is my rundown of Hungarian foods. In case this made you "Hungary", here's a recipe for Vegetarian Hungarian Goulash. Enjoy!
Vissontlatasruh! (goodbye)
**************
VEGETARIAN HUNGARIAN GOULASH
1 c Potatoes, peeled & sliced
1 c Onions, chopped
2 lg Garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbl Hungarian Paprika
1/2 tsp Caraway seeds
1 Vegetable bouillon cube
1 c Peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp Black pepper
2 c Tomatoes, chopped
3 1/2 tsp Marjoram
1/4 c Safflower oil
3 c Noodles, cooked
In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except the noodles. Cover with water and cook over medium heat, covered for 30 to 40 minutes, then serve over hot noodles.
As you've probably come to expect, I have a few things to say about the food in Hungary.
The first week here--as in most cities--we spent a lot of our time shopping for food. It can be a fascinating (but tiring!) experience. Since we cook most of our meals, we like to check out the local grocery stores--and thanks to happycow.com--the health food stores that we can find. (Excellent website for traveling vegetarians!) In most cities, we are pretty amazed that we can find almost everything we like--but it's a real bonus to be in a place like Budapest where it is also affordable! By week's end, we learned to buy our produce from the vegetable market, since the grocery stores here often sell "scary" vegetables. Check out this broccoli that we saw on our first day at a nearby grocery store, and it was still there a few days later!
And the lettuce looked even worse, but I didn't take a picture of it--an unrefrigerated bin of lettuce was full of wilted and brown lettuce. I mean, does the produce manager really think someone will buy it?? So if you ever visit Budapest, forget the grocery store (except for packaged goods), and go right to the vegetable market. There are many throughout the city, and the prices are amazingly low--we can get a huge bag of beautiful produce for $4 to $6. Here's a picture of Allan in front of the market we like. The building, like many buildings here, might look a bit run down, but inside the produce is grand!Aside from the grocery store oddities, we have found some great bakeries that sell unusual treats like a chocolate roll--it's exactly like a cinnamon roll, but they use powdered cocoa instead of cinnamon. We have also tried the strudel--heaps of fruit (sour cherries are popular) or cottage cheese wrapped in pastry. Yum. And when we're trying to be good, we can opt for the "Fitness Croissant", which is a whole grain croissant filled with plum compote and topped with flax seeds. Our favorite bakery sells most everything for 30% off after 6:00pm. So where are we at 5:58? Right outside the door, drooling for some crusty bread and an apple pastry at a reduced cost! The other day, we left with two loaves of bread, two apple pastries, and a cinnamon bun for under $4. Restaurant food, and store-bought packaged foods can still be expensive, but produce and bread are a great deal!In addition to strudel, another local "delicacy" is the LANGOS, which is much like fry bread made from potatoes or potato flour. Fresh dough is stretched, fried in oil and then typically topped with sour cream and cheese. Allan and I split one of those, and had a fat-gram hangover for a few hours afterward. But oh, it tasted so delicious that we went back for another one two days later, sans sour cream. (Gotta make some effort, no?) Here's a picture of Allan eating his Langos, just in case you can't believe it.
By the way, remember how I've been taking the elevator up the five flights of stairs? Well the lift was broken for a few days--the very same few days we were on our Langos binge. I believe Allan tinkered with the elevator so that I could get in some exercise, and work off some of that delicious Langos!We found a vegan restaurant here that serves vegan versions of Hungarian food, which is totally cool. We ordered way too much food, not knowing that Hungarians really like to serve huge portions. We started with some large tin bowls of Hungarian Goulash. Delicious! Then came our entrees; This is a picture of the stuffed and deep fried spelt pancakes filled with creamed vegetables, served with onion mashed potatoes. Behind that is a casserole dish of cauliflower, rice, and fake sausage. (We don't really care for fake sausage, so we picked that out. We didn't know it was in the dish.)
We were so full afterward, it hurt. But it was so good! It was really enough food for four people, and it only cost $23, which included bottled water and fresh ginger-ade. Love this place! (They also serve an excellent vegan pizza!)Our favorite little afternoon hangout is a vegetarian cafe called Napos Oldal, which means "Sunny Side". We order their cappuccino with rice milk, and a low-sugar treat like cherry apple strudel or carrot cake. (Total for both is a little over $3.) They have a deli case of lunch items, which I hope to try someday before we leave. They also are a health food store, and it is fun to see what unique items they sell.
I did find a great chocolate shop, and loaded up on delicious truffles--which were only about 50 cents each. Nice!Speaking of all this food and sweets, after 7 months on the road, it was time for a dental checkup. We had planned to do that in Sweden, but the dentist there didn't have an opening. So I went online and found out that Budapest was actually promoting dental work for tourists and expats. So I emailed one of the listed dentists, and the next day I heard from Erika at Budapest Dental. She scheduled us an appointment, and explained what their services would include and cost. (Around $100.) So a few days after we arrived here, we walked to Budapest Dental, which was conveniently right across the Margit Bridge. (Which naturally is under construction since we walk it nearly every day.) Irene was the dental hygienist that cleaned my teeth, and she was as sweet as can be. She told me that she wished her regular patients kept their teeth as clean as mine were. The dental care was much like at home, but for polishing, they do this air brush technique that seems to sandblast your teeth with lemon flavored salt. We both got covered with it, and I wanted to laugh, but Irene acted like it was just another day at the office. (She had a face shield on that looked much like she was welding metal rather than polishing my teeth!)
It was so nice to have my teeth cleaned--but I do miss Green Apple Dental at home. If you're looking for a dentist in Portland, call Dr. Kang, and tell him I sent you! And it was a wonderful coincidence when I found out that Erika was a vegetarian, and she gave me a list of vegetarian restaurants for us to try. Erika and Irene, like most people we have met here, are very nice. Locals seem to love it when we try to speak some (really bad) Hungarian, probably because we are at least trying. But it is usually pretty easy to find someone here that speaks a bit of English.So that is my rundown of Hungarian foods. In case this made you "Hungary", here's a recipe for Vegetarian Hungarian Goulash. Enjoy!
Vissontlatasruh! (goodbye)
**************
VEGETARIAN HUNGARIAN GOULASH
1 c Potatoes, peeled & sliced
1 c Onions, chopped
2 lg Garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbl Hungarian Paprika
1/2 tsp Caraway seeds
1 Vegetable bouillon cube
1 c Peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 tsp Black pepper
2 c Tomatoes, chopped
3 1/2 tsp Marjoram
1/4 c Safflower oil
3 c Noodles, cooked
In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients, except the noodles. Cover with water and cook over medium heat, covered for 30 to 40 minutes, then serve over hot noodles.
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