food and wine warnings
Apr 22 '10
I'll Have the Vajhal and An Order of Overnight Large Adult Diapers, Please
Over the past couple of years of eating around Budapest I've felt that something "fishy" was going on at some of the well-regarded, up-market local restaurants I frequent. But I was never able to put my finger on what...
Apr 15 '10
Imported Stuffing Peppers Reportedly Stuffed with Cyanide
Looks like yesterday's scare about Listeria-laced ham and bologna was just an appetizer, as the Hungarian media is now oozing with alarm over reports that a big batch of TV paprika (the sweet fresh peppers used for making stuffed...
Apr 14 '10
Reál-Branded Pick Products Packed with Real Serious Bacteria
Hungarian supermarket chain Reál has recalled two of its store-branded meat products made by Pick Szeged, after it was found that they contain elevated levels of the bacteria Listeria, 168ora.hu reports. The bacteria, which is pictured at left and can...
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...
Jun 29 '09
Food Warnings (II): My Friend Just LOVED Tesco's Sale Tenderloin
While we're on the topic of tainted food being withdrawn from the shelves of Hungarian retailers, I might as well mention a related incident I experienced first-hand this past Saturday. On the way out to my little countryside spot...
Jun 29 '09
Food Warnings (I): Toxic Pasta Withdrawn From Shelves
This probably sounds scarier than it is, but today it was revealed that leading Hungarian cereals maker Cerbona has recalled some of its pasta sold under the "Durillo" and "Durum" brands. Tests on the tészta showed it had excessive levels...
Jan 29 '09
Treacherous Treats (III): Strong Evidence Hungary Safe from Contaminated Peanut Butter
This just in: Hungary's Magyar Élelmiszer-biztonsági Hivatal (food safety authority) has released a statement saying there is no indication that any Salmonella-contaminated American peanut butter is in circulation in Hungary. (Several people recently died in America from mogyoróvaj containing the...
Jan 29 '09
Treacherous Treats (II): Village Bakery Introduces Wood-Flavored Bread Rolls
A piece of wood at least one centimeter in length was recently found baked into a zsemle by an unwitting consumer in the western village of Szügy. According to Blikk, 26-year-old hairstylist Enikő Csikány was having her breakfast when she...
Nov 06 '08
Milk Fresh From the Cow Increasingly Popular But Not Always Good
Food inspectors recently found that only one out of nine samples of "home style" uhomogenized milks available at markets, producers and organic stores was without some problems, reports seniors' portal Ötvenentúl.hu. Inspectors belonging to the National Association for Consumer Protection...
Aug 06 '08
Authorities Identify Nine Places in Hungary Safe to Eat At
In a development that would be really funny if it weren't also really, really scary, business daily Napi.hu reports that Hungary's State Public Health and Medical Officer Service (ÁNTSZ) has just published a report on food safety at the...
Jul 22 '08
Food Wars (II): National Food Safety Chief Stung by Sticky Charges Involving "Counterfeit" Honey
While farmers and wholesalers are facing off over the price of melons, National Chief Veterinarian Miklós Süth - who, despite his somewhat odd title, is responsible for the safety of food eaten by Hungary's humans - is locked in...
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...
Feb 19 '08
An Exceptional Offer for the Ex-Fat Expat!
So we were over at the expatriate-heavy FirstMed medical center in Buda a few weeks back (don't ask) when we happened on the above two flyers - one for the clinic's weight-reduction program, and one for a special "two...
Jan 30 '08
Thanks, But We'll Have the Fish Instead
The ongoing saga involving shady companies in Hungary being busted for selling rotten meat and other past-date-of-sale product has reached its logical Euro-conclusion, in a giant piece of conceptual art. A billboard of the poster pictured above is currently...
Jan 10 '08
Fake Croatian Seasoning Found in Kecskemét Cement Mixer
It seems Hungarian food scammers will stop at very little to make a quick buck. After discoveries of counterfeit premium products like caviar and tokaj wine, the latest product to fall victim of fakers is distinctly unglamorous seasoning mix Vegeta....
Dec 13 '07
Illegal Bakery Owner Continued Distribution Despite "Seizure" of Outlaw Cakes
Food safety inspectors discovered an illegal confectionery plant December 7th in Budapest's District XVI and seized 1.5 tons of cakes, writes index.hu, although this didn't quite prevent the owner of the cakes from carrying on in a distribution attempt. The...
Dec 06 '07
Mikulás Madness (II): Partridges Unhurt in Holiday Poisoned Pear Scare
This year's "early" Hungarian Christmas isn't just a dangerous time for the country's pigs. Over the past few days, there have been two separate stories involving food unfit for human consumption nevertheless being sold to humans in Hungary. On Tuesday,...
Nov 26 '07
Hungary's Unwanted Crab Invasion May Require Extreme Culinary Measures
Over on Caboodle.hu this morning they are reporting that some fishermen down near Mohács recently had an unexpected catch in the form of some Chinese Mitten Crabs. As the name suggests, the crab is very much not native to these...
Aug 30 '07
Adorable Hungarian Organic Goats Revealed to be More Dangerous than Terrifying Foreign Food Additive
We haven't mentioned it until today, but over the last month Hungary has been in the throes of a near-panic over reports that numerous food products sold in the country were unsafe due to trace elements of cancer-causing dioxin...
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...
Feb 06 '07
Government Fights to Protect Flu-Ridden Ducks from Genetically-Modified Feed
A pair of deadly serious food-related stories has collided in Hungary with what (at least to us) seems like devastatingly unserious consequences. The Hungarian government has been fighting against an EU-wide ban on Magyar poultry, arguing that despite the discovery...
Jan 16 '07
EU Paprika War Breaks Out Between Hungary and Spain
A new EU law on spices is currently being worked out in Brussels to regulate acceptable levels of the fungus ochratoxin. There are two opposing proposals regarding Hungary's undisputed number one spice: a strict Hungarian one, which would allow no...
Jan 03 '07
Food Scammers Ring in New Year with Green Eggs, Meat and Bread
Okay, so we're back, and will shortly begin posting our first tasty items of the New Year. Before we do that, however, we first want to bring you up to date on the latest revolting developments in Hungary's ongoing...
Dec 15 '06
Sick Food (II): Hungarian Authorities Publish "Mega" Blacklist of Expired Products
While we were getting green in London, the ongoing scandal surrounding expired food in Hungary continued to bubble and ferment. On Wednesday, a list of past-date-of-sale food items relabeled and marketed by the disgraced M.E.G.A. group was published on the...
Dec 15 '06
Sick Food (I): Dingy Hungarian Restaurants Safer than Sleek London Eateries?
Apologies again for the light posting this week, but we lost out appetite for writing due to a minor but icky bout of food poisoning, in addition to this. Happily - at least for Hungary - we actually got our...
Dec 12 '06
Scandal Hits Hungary's Top English-Language Food Blog
Apologies for the light posting recently, but the bad food news causing a stink over the last couple of days has almost put us off our food altogether. The latest and most disturbing reports put the proportion of food sold...
Nov 30 '06
If You Ever Want to Eat Sausage Again, Don't Read This
Unfortunately, we've gotten word of yet another grisly story involving people selling meat in Hungary they really, really shouldn't be. This one comes from the Pest County town of Tárnok, where an illegal meat packing plant was discovered on Monday...
Nov 20 '06
Vintage Sausages Seized in Police Raid in Pest
More than three tons of spoiled meat were seized by food inspectors Thursday morning at the Lehel téri piac (Lehel tér food market). According to rtlklub.hu, six food-sellers at the large District XIII bazaar were fined a total of over...
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 14 '06
Little László Needs to Lay Off the Lángos
Given our love of fatty food, this story is a little awkward for us, but it's important enough that we decided not to just sit on it. According to statistics published in today's Népszabadság, the number of overweight children in...
Nov 09 '06
Minister Offers Reassurance to Bottled Water Snobs
Despite the dirty or incredulous looks we get from waiters and even some friends, we are among those people who go out of our way to drink plain tap water (csapvíz) both at home and when out on the town....
Nov 06 '06
Favorite Hungarian Snack Revealed as Potential Terrorist Weapon
So if you're flying out of Budapest's Ferihegy airport be aware that, starting from today, certain new restrictions are being applied to what you can carry on board departing aircraft. Following the lead of other airports, Ferihegy is putting in...
Oct 27 '06
New Program to Protect Villány from Wine Villains
As we reported last month, Hungary's Tokaj wine region is so popular that some unscrupulous winemakers have magically transported it to Ukraine. Now, to combat similar deceptions, winemakers in Villány will adopt an "origin protection" (eredetvédelmi) program to formally lay...
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 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,...
Oct 03 '06
Political Edibles (II): Minister Wages Inquisition Against Imported Food
While Hungary's allegedly xenophobic nationalist opposition is internationalist enough to serve Mexican jalapeño poppers at their campaign breakfasts, the country's supposedly foreigner-friendly Socialist-Liberal government seems to be waging a war against imported food. The leader of the inquisition is Agriculture...
Sep 26 '06
Endangered Sturgeons Grateful for Hungarians' Thrift and Naïveté
We may love veal and goose liver, but just for the record there are some limits to our food-oriented political incorrectness. Case in point is a recent article in Hungarian magazine Deluxe more or less mourning the lack of...
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...
