Hungarian cuisine

GROWING UP in the multicultural village that was New York City, I had lots of Hungarian friends. In fact I had lots of German, Polish, Russian, Greek, Italian, Armenian, Irish, Korean, Cuban, and Puerto Rican friends, and we all wheedled dinner invitations to each other's homes. We also became very adept at appearing at each other's homes right at mealtime. At risk of dating myself, those were the days when moms, aunties, and grandmas were at home, part of the extended family that seemed to live in the kitchen, conjuring up savory dishes from all over the world.

In addition to perfecting the art of the free meal, we all became street-side connoisseurs. We knew all the international feast days and whose house at which to show up to sample the delicacies of the day. Greek and Russian holidays were good for delicious pastries, Korean for forty varieties of spicy and sweet kimchi, and Cuban for anything made with guava.

We knew to head to our Hungarian friends' houses for groaning boards of baked goods, served with steaming coffee heaped with whipped cream. Visions of poppy seeds and chopped nuts danced in our heads.

You didn't need a feast day to enjoy Hungarian cuisine. It seemed that there was always someone just finishing up a batch of piping-hot homemade noodles. Depending on the season, they'd be topped with sauerkraut, steamed cabbage, caraway seeds, or lecso (read on for info on this). And every dish was topped with a big dollop of sour cream.

In college and high school I was on school fencing teams. My teachers, called maestros, were all dashing Hungarians. As far as I can tell, Hungary produced some of the best fencers in the world. Many of them established themselves in New York, in fencing salles. These long rooms resembled ballet salons, with waxed wooden floors and mirrored walls. In addition to matches and lessons, our maestros choreographed fight scenes for opera and theater companies. There was always lots of activity.

And lots of noodles, gulyas, and pastries. The maestros had adoring fans (fencing groupies?) who brought offerings of hot food and desserts at every hour of the day. If you were lucky, and the maestro was in a good mood, you might get a taste of this scrumptious fare.

Several years later, I moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey, home of Rutgers University and, coincidentally, a very large Hungarian population. There were neighborhood competitions for the silkiest noodles. Two days a week, Hungarian ladies opened the front rooms of their houses and vied for customers in their storefront itinerant restaurants. They dished up paprikash, noodles, home-pickled vegetables, and pastries with poppyseeds, nuts, and dried fruit. Nirvana in a bowl!

Hungarians are intense, political, and passionate, and this includes food. In cities and towns, everyone stops at a cafe or restaurant at least once a day to catch up on news and to have a nosh. Coffeehouses (cukkraszdas) are central meeting places to have coffee, pastry, and a good debate.

Many cultures left their marks on Hungarian cuisine. Hungary was fought over because of lots of fertile land and a great growing climate. Because of its location, Hungary has had the influence of Moslem, Jewish, Christian, and Byzantine leaders. The original Magyar tribes were defeated by Russians, who also left their culinary calling card. Hungarian wheat is considered the best in Europe. You can see vestiges of Greek, German, Polish, Slovakian, and Romanian visitors with sauerkraut, dumplings, sour cream, noodles, fruit soups, and pastries. Royal weddings brought Italian and French influence.

Unfortunately, the cornerstone of Hungarian cuisine is lard; fortunately, onions, paprika, and sour cream are also important ingredients, found in almost all savory dishes. Cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and green peppers are staple veggies, and the bases for popular stews, stuffed veggies, soups, and pickled veggies. Vegetables are usually braised, stewed, baked, or boiled, and rarely served raw.

Lecso is an all-purpose condiment made from combining onions, bell pepper, garlic, and tomatoes and simmering them for a long time, until all the flavors have melded. Lecso is sometimes served cold as an appetizer or side dish and is used as a flavoring agent for soups and stews.

But one can't talk about Hungary without paprika. Surprisingly, paprika is not originally from Hungary, but from 150 years of Turkish occupation. The Turks introduced paprika, a species of red pepper plant, into Hungary, and the rest is history. Paprika is grown in many Hungarian regions, with different flavors and colors. People are paprika gourmets just like they are gourmets of wine or coffee beans. Paprika is used to finish a popular stew of meat and potatoes (no other veggies), called paprikash. I've taken some vegan liberties and adapted a tofu paprikash recipe. By the way, you can see the Turkish influence in many Hungarian dishes, including strudels, called retes, which bear a striking resemblance to Turkish baklava made with phyllo.