Hungarian Goulash – Enjoy The One and Only Soup!
Goulash soup is Hungaricum since 2017, but only a few people know this fact. Taste it in one of the best restaurants (for example, Kéhli Restaurant or the Kiadó Kocsma) or cook it yourself. Here is everything about the Hungarian Goulash.
Where Does Hungarian Goulash, “Our Goulash”, Come From?
It can be unbelievable, but the transformation of goulash (roasted, paprika) into a national course closely had a connection with II. Joseph’s reform achievement. With his policy, the ruler threatened the legal separation of Hungary, as he wanted to combine our country with Austria and the Czech Republic into a single empire. The nobility, who feared its privileges, in addition to protecting the Hungarian language and bringing Hungarian clothing back into fashion, to find in a simple pastoral dish the food that underlines the unity and individual character of the Hungarian people. There were several reasons for its popularity. Its peculiar appearance (the peppers gave a beautiful, individual color), some notoriety, which spread through travelers and soldiers, was significant. At the same time, goulash was considered a Hungarian meal, as it came from a part of the Great Plain (Alföld) (Nagykunság, Hortobágy, and its boundary), which was least reached by the “Germanization”, that is very conventional in Transdanubia. Such food could not have been found on the table of the Hungarian nobility, so this was the decision.
In a written document, Count Johann Centurius Hoffmannsegg, a Saxon traveler, first mentioned pepper food as a Hungarian national meal in 1794: “einungarisches National-Gerichte von Fleisch mit türkischen Pfeffer” (Hungarian national dish made from meat with Turkish pepper). Since in his writing he praised its beneficial effect on health and lightness in addition to its taste, it could have been a goulash, which is the least fatty of the three dishes, “the lightest”. From then on, his goulash career quickly curved up. In the 1800s the word goulash was added to dictionaries, in the 1810s its recipe appeared in various cookbooks, in the 1820s it occurred on the menus of agricultural town restaurants. In the 1830s, it was classified as a Hungarian national characteristic in a scientific dissertation, and in the 1840s, “stew meat” also resembled in the offer of restaurants in the city Pest.
Despite its national food prestige, goulash was not a really high-ranking dish on the tables of commoners, nobles, and citizens. It was specifically considered a male cuisine, which is not upscale enough to be served to ladies. On the other hand, among the peasants, by the 1830s, it had grown from an everyday pastoral course to a wedding dish, interestingly for the first time in parts of the country where goulash (roasted, paprika) was not “native”. On the other hand, it was soon incorporated into the order of ordinary provincial meals, as according to an old description, chicken peppers made of poultry were already an everyday meal in 1846.
The Authentic Hungarian Goulash Recipe
Elements for 10 people:
- 0.60 kg beef shoulder
- 0.60 kg of potatoes
- 0.25 kg of Makó onions
- 0.20 kg of carrots
- 0.10 kg cecei white pepper
- 0.10 kg of tomatoes
- 0.10 kg of parsley root
- 0.10 kg of Mangalica fat
- 0.03 kg of salt
- 0.02 kg ground pepper ground from Szeged.
- 0.005 kg of garlic
- 0.002 kg of whole cumin seeds
- 0.10 kg chip water
How to cook the Hungarian Goulash?
How is the Famous Hungarian Goulash Soup Made?
Heat the Mangalica fat in a saucepan or cauldron of suitable size and fry it halfway, including the fine, chopped Makó onions. Add the ground paprika of Szeged, mix it quickly and dissolve it with a little water. Then add the diced beef to the paprika onion, salt and mix well. Under a lid, always adding only a little water, stirring occasionally, simmering on a not too fast fire. Add finely chopped cumin seeds and garlic. When almost soft, fry in fat. Then add the risked carrots, parsley root and potatoes, fry a little further with it until the potatoes start to vitrify. We also add the chopped white peppers and fresh tomatoes and let us release it with as much water as we want to make soup. Season, season and cook together until soft. Serve hot with a separately cooked pinch („csipetke”).
What is a pinch („csipetke”) and why is it meaningful?
Opinions are divided on whether you need a pinch („csipetke”) in the goulash soup if you want to cook a really delicious soup, let’s add it! You can make it in a matter of seconds: mix 5 tablespoons of flour with an egg, a pinch of salt, and enough water to make a flexible dough. Knead it flat and pinch it into small pieces!
Taste numerous Hungarian Goulash Soups!
Like the popular fish soup, there are small millions of versions of Hungarian Goulash and goulash soup. After all, as many houses as there are customs, but the flavoring also differs as a region. The goulash of the Great Plain („alföldi gulyás”) contains a lot of vegetables (beets, turnips …), within this the Szeged version is enriched with chips. Garlic and tomatoes are also included in the goulash. The Andrássy goulash carries on the noble line and is made with beef, in the Esterházy half the vegetables are cut into thin strips. True to the name of the emperor goulash, it is made with „császár” bacon, the bean goulash with pre-soaked dry kalabean beans, and while the Csango is seasoned with sauerkraut, the Cluj-Napoca („kolozsvári”) is flavored with sweet cabbage and the Serbian goulash with kale.
American Goulash Is a Little Bit Bohemian!
American goulash is an easy conservative comforting meal that is perfect for the cold winter months. Everything cooks in the same pot, even the pasta!
The classic Hungarian Goulash doesn’t have pasta in it but this American version does and cooks right in the sauce making it an easy complete meal. It tastes similar to lasagna but without the ricotta cheese. You would love it for the reason that it’s basically a 1:1 ratio of meaty red sauce with noodles. The more beefy sauce, the better!
Where can we eat perfect Goulash in Hungary?
According to gastroguide.hu, we will not leave you disappointed by visiting the following restaurants. Because perfect food also requires excellent establishment!
Pest-Buda Bisztro
In this place, the incoming guests enjoy as if the grandmother is cooking. Definitely, the goulash also occurs here in a regular form, paprika, with a pinch and a good density. In addition to all this, the other elements of the excellent Hungarian cuisine are also reachable in Pest-Buda: catfish paprika, stuffed cabbage, or a divine pancake from Hortobágy can be ordered at any time.
Not to mention that, you can also enjoy the authentic Hungarian Goulash soup outside the capital, it is worth visiting „Alföld” region or the restaurants of the Hortobágy National Park.
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