From me, an aboriginal to You, a tourist in Hungary browsing this site right now..

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:02:22 -0500

When John asked me to start a blog on this websit, I’ve run through all its chapters and realized, that there is nothing left to add by an old inhabitant, who lives in this swinging and contraversial European capital in the last 75 years, who did not leave the country with those 300.000 in 1956, the time of that mass-exodus, but as a born adventure-seeker decided to stay….
My first idea was to write about “The Taste of Budapest”, but remebered,
that Neruda and Asturias has co-written sometimes in the sixties a book titled:”We’ve tasted Hungary” (“Megkostoltuk Magyarorszagot..”), and as I do not like "mission impossible"-s, I gave up immediately. If those poets would have read
John’s website about Hungarian food and Budapest restaurants, probably we would not have the chance to enjoy their poems, where the muse has been their Hungarian culinary experience.
Still there are some little notions on food, like
Q: What’s the difference between “porkolt” and “paprikas”?
A: The latter sauce is made with sour cream( Certainly not for those on strict kosher diet…) or
Q:Where does the name “gulyas” come from?
A: “Gulya” is the herd of cows and gulyas means the “cowboy”, who cook over open fire in kettle this “pot-au-feu” type one dish, first they ate the soup with the noodles followed by the meat and potatoes (sorry, no dessert included..)

(Here I should mention Brillat-Savarin, the famous "culinary philosopher", who could have said that:”A good meal without a dessert is like making love without orgasm”, but it was not him, but me…)

Q:When do Hungarians eat their salad?
A:Americans eat salad as starter,french before the main dish, italians after,
But if You ask for a salad in Hungary, it will be a kind of pickled vegetable,
Even lettuce (its dressing is made- to the horror of the french -with vinegar AND SUGAR!) and it comes WITH the main dish!

After those few remarks on the taste of my country, let’s move to the next chapter titled “The Spirit of Hungary” but do not expect my views on any social, cultural or political issues, no, not at all…

I wish to draw Your attention to the two major spirits of this country, which deserve the distinctive name as HUNGARICUMs.
The first is PÁLINKA (schnaps in Germany, eau-de-vie in France), which means a strong, sometimes even 60 proof drink destilled of any fruit, usually apricot (barack), cherry (cseresznye),,plum (szilva) or pear (körte), but real conoisseurs are going for those rarities made of raspberry, strawberry or even elder (bodza).. Grapes serve for wine, but its pulp, which rests after pressing is the base of “törköly” ,which in France is called as “marc’ Due to the eternal drive for alcohol all over the world, nations realized to destill spirits from potato or grains (vodka in Russia, aquavit in Scandinavia), aquadiente from the Maguey aloe or mezcal (tequila) made of the agave cactus in Mexico, pinga from molasses in Brazil, borovicka from juniper in Slovakia and so on…
You may say, that there is slivowitz in Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania or Pere William or Williamine in France and Switzerland, but there certainly not called as PALINKA which is one of the rare Hungarian successes in the EU to get the copyright for this name.

The other HUNGARICUM is “UNICUM” a unique bitter indeed to be drank as aperitif or digestive. (Not using at the dining table, but for quick
result to change Your mental status chase it with beer)
Again all mainly european countries do have some similar drinks with their secret recipt how to mix different herbses) You will find Jagermeister in Germany (too sweet), Ferner Branca in Italy (too bitter) or Becherovka in the Chech Republic,
Unicum comes in a round, ball-type bottle in different sizes (the “Bomb”) and there is a new version of Unicum, called “Next” but be orthodox and stay with the original. Its logo with the now white cross created some international conflicts at the time, when the cross has been red, but after the protest of the International Red Cross in Geneva it had to be changed.

All the above refers to the personal taste of Yours truly, but if You want to argue, You have to get first the facts, go, sample as much as You can during Your stay and get back to me with Your remarks, questions at:
karpatigyorgy@chello.hu

My Budapest

From me, an aboriginal to You, a tourist in Hungary browsing this site right now..