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Who enjoys cooking Hungarian Foods?

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Marilyn Tassy

I love eating and cooking Hungarian style foods.
Was wondering how many ex-pats actually try their hand at recreating Hungarian dishes.
I had many hits and misses over the 40 some years of cooking Hungarian foods.
These days I can say that because of allot of practice, I have more hits then misses.
I have not really done much Hungarian baking, my husband likes doing that once in awhile.
I now can appreciate the differences in varies paprikas.
I now laugh when I am visiting the US grocery stores and see the tiny little bottles sold in the stores.
They would last about a day in Hungary.
Gave away packages of paprika as gifts only to find out that some people still have them around after years!
In the US paprika is used only for color on salads most times.
I didn't cook red meats for over 30 years, so these past 5 to 6 years I have learned about making a few nice meat dishes as well.
The only thing that sometimes is too strong for me is cooking bacon with bacon or rather pork with pork. Hungarian cooking does demand allot of meats, I sometimes replace with chicken or turkey.
One thing I do enjoy making and finally I believe I have perfected it is the red cabbage with caraway and grated apple.
Many years ago my mother bought me a Hungarian cookbook.
She said if you want to stay married to a Hungarian, you had better learn to cook Hungarian.
So old fashioned of her but actually I think she was wise.

GuestPoster279

Personally, I stick mostly to making Italian, Asian and Mexican food (I make a great burrito --  even make my own flour tortilla). All sans meat. You see, I am a vegetarian, and there are very few traditional meals in Hungarian cuisine that are vegetarian.  ;)

I leave Hungarian cuisine to my wife. She was even part of a team that won a Hungarian food cooking contest. But alas, most of this I have never tasted, because it had meat in it.  :o

Marilyn Tassy

Hard to cook for a non meat eater if you eat meat.
My husband gave up meat for 7 years, me over 30. Sometimes I made him cook his own meat because I just couldn't do it.
Mexican food sounds nice right about now.
When I start craving some Taco Bell, I know it's time for Mexican food.
In Hungary they often just add a few bits of canned corn on something and call it Mexican.
Lived in New Mexico for a few years, chilli roasting season was heaven. They roasted the chilli right outside the supermarkets.
Love the green chilli!

anns

Because I am vegetarian I find it difficult to eat out in hungary.  And I am always suspicious of what is actually put in some of the dishes.  I also tend to choose low sugar and low fat items.  Fortunately there has been an increase in vegan and vegetarian cafes in Budapest and I have had some excellent salads.
I've never tried to cook anything Hungarian style yet  because I prefer my own cooking which is a fusion of bland English and spicy Indian.  My biggest treat is going out for an Indian meal.

Marilyn Tassy

I figure, when in Rome...
I have eaten raw octopus in Hawaii  with my hands, local style. The locals there are so neat and tidy when eating with their hands it's almost formal.
Had frog legs in Budapest years ago at a small fishermans, restaurant that was located right on the Danube, a floating restaurant,it's long gone , sad because it was both good and fucky at the same time.
I miss many of the old world funky eating places that used to be all around the city. The old style service etc.

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