countryside
Mar 12 '10
The Ultimate Chef's Table (With Wine)
Hernyák Birtok in Etyek is like no other place I have been in Hungary. I was already plotting my return nearly as soon as I walked in the door, had my first sip of sauvignon blanc, and began chatting...
Feb 17 '10
Come Back and Share Your Horror Stories of Gluttonous Thursday 2010, Assuming You Make it Out Alive
So if you're a regular restaurant-goer in Hungary you probably know that tomorrow marks the 2010 installment of Torkos Csütörtök, or "Gluttonous Thursday," when éttermek around the country lop 50% of the prices of regular menu items. Unlike in previous...
Feb 15 '10
Hungary Wins Knife-Edge Victory Over Romania in Fourth Annual Pig-Killing Olympics
This opening of the Vancouver Olympics wasn't the only closed-watched international winter sporting event this weekend. Over in the heavily Hungarian (81.75%!) Transylvanian city of Miercurea Ciuc/Csíkszereda, Sunday witnessed the fourth installment of what we assume is the world's most...
Feb 15 '10
Japanese Express Fishy Interest in Secrets of Magyar Pepper Production
It seems that Hungarian peppers really are world-famous. Local media have revealed that a pair of Japanese farmers will soon arrive in the country to attend a week-long intensive survey of pepper-growing down in Szolnok, with the aim being to...
Aug 19 '09
Low-Cost Lidl Lamb Chops Win Big Prize for Summer Grill Surprise
September may be just around the corner, but there's still plenty of Hungarian summer left to savor. And what better way to do it than with a little grilling? While there hasn't been much grill news around this summer,...
Jul 21 '09
Even Huger Huge Puffball Mushroom Found in Hungarian Forest
Around this time last year we reported that a 5.7 kilogram giant puffball mushroom had been discovered out in Eastern Hungary. Well that's last year's news! Now, according to Blikk, some hikers in Tatabánya recently trudged home an óriáspöfeteg weighing...
May 06 '09
But Waiters Should Check Their Good Manners at the Front Courtesy Desk
Spotted by blogger Jakab Leiter in the parking lot of an unnamed restaurant in Székesfehérvár....
Dec 12 '08
Hungarians' Favorite Bottles of Wine Still Jugs, Study Shows
Market research GfK recently conducted an in-depth survey of Hungarians' wine-drinking habits, and attitudes towards wine. According to business daily Napi Gazdaság, the survey found that Hungary's wines are a source of growing pride, and most consuers will choose a...
Nov 14 '08
Pannonhalma Abbey Turns Wine Into Vinegar (and More)
It's always nice to discover great new local products, but unfortunately it doesn't happen as often as I'd like it to. But recently I was delighted to discover that the Pannonhalma Archabbey (Pannonhalmi főapátság) - which also has a...
Sep 25 '08
Monster in a Box
If you've been wondering why there's been no progress in the Budapest Burgerwar™ for the last month or so, you're looking at one big reason. We won't even tell you where we found this particuar slab of lizard meat,...
Sep 22 '08
Straight-up Balkan on the Danube Bend
The real head-scratcher about Adria Balkáni Tea- és Kávéház (follow link for contact details and user feedback), the Balko-Greek restaurant in the Danube Bend town of Szentendre, is why the heck they don't have one in Budapest, preferably next...
Sep 19 '08
These Tipsy Peasants Think You Don't Have the Nerve to Come to Tomorrow's Csákberény Wine Festival
And neither do I! But just in case you want to see what a real village wine festivals is like - as opposed to those fancy-pants things in Budapest - a good example will be taking place tomorrow from...
Sep 10 '08
The Easy Exoticism of Magyar Arabesque
For internationally-minded foodies living in Hungary, the soaring cost of eating out is only one stomach-churning problem. Even if you do your culinary traveling at home, you have to deal with the hassle and often eye-popping costs involved in...
Aug 29 '08
Rock-hard, Tasteless Food New Culinary Rage in Hungarian Village
If you think the average Hungarian bread roll or sausage is dry and flavorless, that's only because you haven't been to Várdomb-Báta. According to portal stop.hu, the new culinary sensation in the Tolna County hamlet involves "incredibly lifelike" versions...
Aug 25 '08
Kortyolda and Sör Forrás: Miskolc's Macro-Micro Miracle
My expectations for dining in Miskolc couldn't have been lower, partially due to the prevailing opinion amongst Budapesters that Hungary's third largest city is the arm-pit of the country: something like America's Pittsburg during the '80s. Well, Miskolc may...
Aug 15 '08
Some Tasty Bits from Hungary's Őrség Region
After spending five days in the gorgeous Őrség region, I cannot believe that it took me this long to get around to visiting this corner of the country. Much of the region is a nature reserve, and the place...
Aug 08 '08
A Weekend Audience with the Man Who Would be King of Somló Hill
On a two-day visit to Somló recently we had meant to check out a few different wineries and give you a nice report on the wine trail in Hungary’s smallest, and possibly most picturesque, wine region. Sadly for you...
Jul 22 '08
Food Wars (I): Wholesalers Howl at Prices Demanded by Pig-Headed Hungarian Melon Farmers
As we predicted a few weeks back, this year's "cucumber season" seems destined to be full of unusual excitement, in the form of an ongoing battle between Hungarian farmers and their biggest customers over allegedly plunging prices for certain fruits....
Jul 11 '08
Food Market Report (II): Fruit Growers Threaten War Over Low Prices
While high prices are forcing some Hungarian milk-drinkers to somewhat extreme measures, some Hungarian farmers are saying that the "humiliatingly low" prices being offered for their fruits may lead to them blockading processing plants and wholesalers. According to conservative daily...
Jun 11 '08
Pick Your Own (II): Mushroom Nearly the Size of Hungary Found Growing in Hungary
While we're on the topic of having fun foraging for food in Hungary, portal stop.hu reports that a giant puffball mushroom the size of a watermelon was discovered in Makkoshotyka, BAZ County. The óriáspöfeteg, which weighed 5.7 kilograms, has already...
Jun 11 '08
Pick Your Own (I): Organized Food Foraging Opportunities Abound
Hungary's markets are already full of gorgeous local produce, and they will keep filling up with more for months to come when they’ll be brimming with great local fruits and vegetables. But nothing beats picking your own, if you are...
May 23 '08
Grab a Korsó and Fill Your Stomach at the Csaba Beer Festival and Knuckle Parade
The "Csaba Beer Festival and Knuckle Parade" ("Csabai Sörfesztivál és Csülökparádé") held at the Békéscsaba Sports Hall has been a tradition since first being held in 2001. This year's event started on Tuesday and runs through Sunday, and as...
May 15 '08
Marché Comes to Market as Starbucks Operator Pulls Chain
Mixed news for international franchise fans this week as one chain announced it would be setting up shop in Hungary, while another said it was delaying plans. The newcomer to Hungary is Swiss self-service and "front-cooking" restaurant chain Marché,...
Apr 25 '08
An Early Bite of Lake Balaton's Best
Although I've always liked Lake Balaton, I'm not much of a lake person. Even when I visit in summer, I never do more than stick my toes in the water. So on a recent weekend I discovered that the...
Mar 17 '08
Winemakers Propose Alternative to Strict Hungarian Drunk-Driving Laws
Over on Caboodle.hu there is a chilling story today about a new proposal by the Hungarian national police to stiffen up the country's already draconian drunk-driving laws. While we're a little hazy on the planned new regulations (if the current...
Mar 06 '08
Sins of Gluttonous Thursday (I): Restaurant Patrons Poisoned as Hungarian Health Authorities Found Out to Lunch
So it was a month ago today that hundreds of restaurants around Hungary observed the annual promotion known as Torkos Csütörtök, or "Gluttonous Thursday", in which diners get 50% off their meal tabs, and the repercussions are still being felt...
Mar 05 '08
Frogs Live, Oranges Die, as Chow Hits Hungarian Highways for Second Week
Remember that freak story last week about the traffic accident near Szeged that claimed the lives of 100+ pigs? Well, it turns out it wasn't a freak, because over the last several days there have been two similar stories...
Feb 26 '08
Survivors of Miskolc Pig Massacre Meet Untimely End on Highway Near Szeged
You know that horrible story about the person who misses a plane which then goes on to crash, only to get in a fatal car accident on the way home from the airport? Well, never mind, because we have...
Jan 07 '08
Holiday Cheer (I): This Soup Has No Balls
Via Pestiside.hu reader P.M. we get the above pic of a rather unappetizing menu offering, taken at the historic Hunguest Hotel Palota out in scenic Lillafüred. ("Quite an interesting 'inter'-course offered by the cook along with the traditional halászlé,"...
Dec 06 '07
Mikulás Madness (I): "Early" Christmas Brings Nasty Surprise for Nation's Largest Pig
If you hadn't heard, today is Mikulás-nap - St. Nicolas Day - the day on which Hungarians traditionally exchange gifts, in the process baffling Americans and others who are more accustomed to swapping trinkets in the last week of...
Oct 19 '07
Big Weekend Ahead for Local Lovers of Pork and Pike
In our latest down-to-the-wire weekend food-festival warning, we draw your attention to not one but two multi-day festivals devoted to a single culinary delicacy particularly beloved in Hungary. First is the famous Csaba Sausage Festival (Csabai Kolbászfesztivál), which runs...
Oct 18 '07
Village Seeks World Heritage Status for Local Cherries, Whatever That Is
According to a report in regional daily Észak-Magyarország picked up by portal stop.hu, the village of Szomolya (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, near Eger) has begun a campaign to have its prized local cherry given "World Heritage" status. The the "szomolya black" (szomolyai...
Sep 21 '07
The Only Thing Better than Kecskemét Cheese are the People Who Sell It
If you spend a decent amount of time shopping in Budapest's supermarkets - as opposed to its increasing number of gourmet and specialty food shops - you will quickly come to the conclusion that these are not the places...
Aug 24 '07
Budapest Steak Lovers' Woes Go Up In a Blaze of Irish Tesco T-Bones
A few weeks after this website officially launched last September, we noted that gourmet food shops seemed to have become generic in Budapest. In the 11 months since, this trend has intensified, with local gourmands constantly telling us about...
Aug 06 '07
If the Bacteria Doesn't Kill You, the Bill Will
Over at Caboodle.hu we learn that Hungary's national medical authorities have launched an investigation into the hospitalization of 15 people, mostly foreigners, for food poisoning apparently contracted from food served at the Hungaroring race track during yesterday's Hungarian Grand...
Jun 21 '07
Unassuming Countryside Hungarian Restaurant May be Most Important on Earth
No, really! According to many Hungarian spiritualists, and apparently even the Dali Lama, the woods surrounding the Platán Panzió in the Pilis hills northwest of Budapest may be the actual "center of the universe."...
Jun 21 '07
A Refreshing Antidote to Your Summer Wine Tasting Fatigue
As we reported last week, the ongoing mania for wine tasting events in Hungary has reached critical proportions, leading at least us to suffer from terminal tasting fatigue. But since nothing exceeds like excess, we introduce the Second Miskolc...
May 02 '07
Cheese Factory Becomes Smoked Cheese Factory
While some ice-cream makers in Hungary are melting from financial distress, the World Proteins Kft cheese factory in Körmend, western Hungary, was reduced to a bubbling brown heap by fire on Friday. The blaze caused some Ft 3 billion...
Apr 26 '07
Subsidies Fail to Keep Leading Ice Cream Maker from Melting into Liquidation
Ice cream season may just be starting, but it appears to be over for good for one of Hungary's most modern fagy factories. According to business daily napi.hu, the Finomságok Fagylaltgyártó és Kereskedelmi Kft (roughly speaking, "Yummie Things Ice Cream...
Apr 24 '07
International Obesity Experts to Pig Out Tonight in Domonyvölgy
If you've noticed a larger than normal volume of stories in the international press about the problem of obesity over the last few days, the reason may be the 15th European Congress on Obesity, which is currently underway in...
Apr 17 '07
New Management Says Business As Usual At Káli Art Inn
You may have lamented Hungary's most tasteful B&B throwing in the towel as we did last December, but the winter doom and gloom was short-lived because the celebrated Káli Inn is back, albeit under new management from the start...
Feb 20 '07
The Idiot Foreigners' Guide to the Perfect Bográcsgulyás
Our carnival of beefblogging continues today with a big shout out to renowned Hungarian cyberfoodie Domestic Goddess, who responded to our item gently teasing her for only now learning to cook marhapörkölt with an even more candid follow-up post...
Dec 19 '06
Hungary's Most Tasteful B&B Throws in the Towel
Some sad news to report from the Hungarian hospitality sector. On Friday we received an email from the proprietors of the Káli Art Inn, a small and wonderful hotel/resort/art colony near Lake Balaton, saying that, after eight years of...
Nov 22 '06
Young Debrecen Cow Farmer Named Most "Innovative" In Europe; Hungarian Beef Still Inedible
We were happy to hear today that a Hungarian farmer has won the "European Innovative Young Farmer Award," an honor bestowed by something called the European Council of Young Farmers. Thirty-year-old Péter Papp (left), who has a 670-strong herd of...
Nov 15 '06
Tokaj Vineyards Hit By "Ignoble" Rot
So if you didn't already know, the distinctive aroma, flavor and sweetness of Tokaj's famous aszú wines are actually caused by an infestation of the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which results in what wine snoots call "Noble Rot." Unfortunately, such delicious...
Nov 08 '06
A Thumping Wine Dinner at Eger's Thummerer Pince
When city-dwellers think of wine, their minds usually turn to store shelves and high mark-up restaurant wine lists. But in Eger, or any of Hungary's 23 winegrowing regions, wine is all about popping in to the local termelő for...
Nov 06 '06
I've Quit Saying Catty Things About Harcsa Halászlé
If you're like me, and have ever sworn off Hungarian halászlé, the traditional carp-laden spicy fish soup that is the mainstay of many a csárda, consider reconsidering it. After quitting halászlé for seven full years, I recently dove into a...
Oct 26 '06
Official Hungarian Food Poisoning Blacklist Comes Up Short
Hungary's National Public Health and Medical Officers Service (ÁNTSZ) has published a list of restaurants where food poisoning has been reported and proven since August 1st of this year. According to a report on origo.hu, the ÁNTSZ says the...
Oct 20 '06
It's Sausage (and Face) Stuffing Time in Békéscsaba Again!
If Budapest is looking a little de-populated today, it's not just because people are clearing out to avoid the chaos of the 1956 commemorations. It's because, once again, the "Kolbászfesztivál" is already underway in the sausage capital of Békéscsaba....
Oct 06 '06
Autumn Winemaking Death Season in Full Swing
As we reported a few weeks back, Hungary's autumn mushroom picking "death season" is in full swing, with numerous people having been poisoned after failing to discriminate between those wild gomba that are safe, and those that are deadly. Unfortunately,...
Sep 28 '06
Massive Organic Pig Litter May Put Hungarian Pork into Record Books
Hungarian pork already has a reputation for being uncannily delicious. But now one particular porker at an experimental organic farm in Mernye, Somogy County may put the whole country into the Guinness Book of World Records. According to a...
Sep 25 '06
Any Wine is Good Enough to Celebrate in Csákberény!
You may not have noticed it if you're a Budapest-bound city slicker - or are reading from a far away branch of the world-wide Internet vine - but Hungary's 2006 grape harvest has begun in earnest. We know this...
Sep 21 '06
Autumn Mushroom Picking Death Season in Full Swing
Every gourmand knows that freshly-picked forest mushrooms are to die for - but only if you're not careful! According to rtlklub.hu, a total of eleven people have been hospitalized in Hungary for mushroom poisoning in recent days. Three residents of...
Sep 19 '06
And the Lard they Browned the Onions in Came via Pipeline
Sent our way by Sz.F. We always knew Bogrács Gulyás (kettle-cooked goulash) can be a heavy dish, but this seems to be taking things a bit far....
