Hungarians eat a variety of foods. Pork is very popular, as
smoked products, sausages, and cutlets. Seasonal vegetables are
commonly consumed, as well as staples like potatoes, rice, and
pasta. The cuisine is influenced by many other countries, including
Turkish from the times of the Ottoman Empire's occupation of the
area. Traditional dishes in Hungary include stuffed cabbages
(sarma) and tarhonya, both relics of the Ottoman Empire. Many
dishes are simple casseroles or stews that vary by the ingredients
- i.e. using alternating layers of a vegetable with chopped meat
and topped with sour cream. Lately Hungarians have been more health
conscious and are eating more fowl like chicken and turkey. The
Hungarians' use of paprika is possibly the singlemost traditional
cooking mainstay. Traditional dishes are typically seasoned with
paprika, onions and garlic. Some of the typical Hungarian dishes
include goulash (gulyas), braised meats (porkolt), "langos" which
is similar to fry bread and is the unofficial national street food
in Hungary, various sausages like "hurka" and "kolbasz", stuffed
cabbage, and "lecso" which is similar to ratatouille without the
courgettes and eggplants (it is basically onions, tomatoes,
peppers, and garlic) and regionally served with either rice,
potatoes, and/or sausage cooked into it. Game (deer, boar,
pheasant, etc.) is also very popular in Hungary, and their
preparation of venison stew is phenomenal. Hungary produces many of
its own cheeses and the cuisine is heavily influenced by the use of
sour cream, cottage cheese, kefir, etc.
