food industry news
Mar 03 '10
Survey Reveals Hungarians Are Increasingly Conscious of Food Safety
A survey conducted by market researcher ACNielsen revealed that every second Hungarian takes into consideration food safety when they decide where to spend their money, index.hu reports. 1 out of every 2 consumers said they would be willing to pay...
Oct 15 '09
Food Industry News: Tycoon Eats Túró Rudi Factory, Minister Mulls Milk Crisis, Egg Consumption Cracks and Convenient New Corner Shops Denounced as Intolerable Evil
Been a while since we posted on developments in the domestic food industry. Here are some recent highlights: Meddling Magyar Agriculture Minister József Gráf (above left in silly hat; click link to enjoy some of his previous silliess) last...
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Food Warnings (I): Toxic Pasta Withdrawn From Shelves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...
Jun 09 '09
Hungarian Authorities Issue Sweeping Fines Against "Bakery Cartel"
Way back in August of 2007 we published a long piece about how Hungary's Competition Office (GVH) had launched an investigation into the domestic bakery business. It's taken a while, but the cake in question is finally out of the...
May 07 '09
Hard Times Leave Time-Honored Hungarian Sausage-Makers Hanging
Barely a week after we cheerfully noted how the famous the Herz Salami company had received the EU's coveted "protected designation of origin" for its "winter salami" news comes that it and at least one other famous Hungarian maker...
May 07 '09
Reeling from Recession, Local Restaurants Brace for Potentially Fatal Tax Hikes
Although the mounting problems in the Hungarian restaurant trade are well documented on this site, portal Origo has taken the time to subject the industry's woes to a massive feature on Tuesday. In addition to the old news that Hungarians...
Apr 22 '09
Mixed News for Hungarian Salami, Fruit Syrup and Beer
Some quick news from the domestic food industry. First, from various sources we hear that the Herz Salami company has received the coveted "protected designation of origin" status from the European Union for its "winter salami." As a result...
Apr 10 '09
Hungarian Government Declares War on Foreign Food
One of the reasons posting has been very light as of late is that we've been distracted by all the ongoing political and economic dramas taking place in Hungary. And now it looks like a return to our normal...
Mar 20 '09
Smiling Through the Hungarian Restaurant Closing Apocalypse
If you live in Hungary, you don't need to read the newspapers to know that an increasing number of restaurants in the country are either closing down, or in obvious financial distress. Indeed, when I went looking yesterday for...
Feb 05 '09
Price of Cheese Soars as Forint Crash Looms
Unlike the folks at Tesco, who are happy to retroactively relabel their products with higher prices (especially if they are about to go off), this pic sent to another reader of cosumer blog Tékozló Homár shows that the price-fixers...
Jan 28 '09
Treacherous Treats (I): Tesco Offers Mark-ups on Out-of-Date Products
A reader of Index.hu consumer blog Tékozló Homár was more shocked than we were to find that unscrupulous British supermarket giant Tesco was not only relabeling food approaching the end of its shelf life, but also increasing its price...
Jan 14 '09
Protestors Expected to Call Foul as Hungerit Reopens Foie Gras Facilities
A company producing fattened goose and duck product in southeastern Hungary (among them foie gras) has restarted operations after being pressured to close by animal rights group the Four Paws Foundation in September, reports vallalkozoinegyed.hu. Szentes-based Hungerit, which laid off...
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...
Oct 27 '08
Budapest Stores Sold Tainted Products From Illegal Dairy Plant
Dairy products unsafe for human consumption were sold in 19 Budapest stores, hvg.hu reported. An illegal plant discovered in Hódmezővásárhely the previous week was found to have also supplied products to bakeries and cukrászdas in the environs of Hódmezővásárhely and...
Oct 21 '08
They Really Weren't Joking About Taking Túró Rudi to China
No matter how often the story of the Chinese Túró Rudi rises to the top, it always smells a little bit off. But despite these suspicions, it finally looks like Hungary's number one dairy snack really will be rolling off...
Oct 16 '08
Organic Food Struggling to Seize a Chunk of the Hungarian Market
The number of consumers of organic food products in Hungary is slowly growing, but their numbers are still so few that it's difficult to say how many there actually are, struggling producers say. Organic products costs 10% to 20% more...
Oct 02 '08
Hungary "Mostly Free" of Tainted Chinese Milk Powder
Examinations are underway to determine whether a Chinese candy known as white rabbit, which was marketed in Budapest, contained milk powder contaminated with melamine, a substance harmful to the kidneys. According to Origo.hu, the Chinese manufacturer of the candy announced...
Sep 30 '08
Companies See Green in Plan to Get Hungarians to Eat their Veggies
It's no secret that, for people who inhabit a country rich in all kinds of agriculture, Hungarians don't eat their fair share of fruits and vegetables. In fact, according to the latest statistics, the average Hungarian eats fewer than 400...
Sep 16 '08
Hungarian Foie Gras Makers Fear their Goose May be Cooked
Hungary is one of the world's largest producers of libamáj, (goose liver), which is also one of the world's more controversial food items when prepared as foie gras. Last week, after an article mentioning how Hungary's Animal Protection Council denounced...
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...
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...
Jul 11 '08
Food Market Report (I): Economic Squeeze Pushes Hungarian Milk-Drinkers Closer to the Source
In an interesting development that runs counter to the image of Hungary as a land of hypermarkets and over-processed foods, a recent survey by research group GfK discovered that an increasing number of Hungarians are buying milk not in...
Jul 08 '08
Unusually Exciting Watermelon Story Marks Onset of Typically Dull Hungarian Cucumber Season
While August is still a few weeks away, much of Hungary is already trapped in the torpor of uborkaszezon ("cucumber season") that time of summer when so little happens that the media is obliged to publish stories about the size...
Jun 23 '08
Nestlé Purchases Rights to Manufacture Balaton Chocolate Bar
The competition office GVH has given their permission to the Nestlé group to purchase the Balaton szelet from Győri Keksz Kft, reports privatbankar.hu. Nestlé Hungária Kft and Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. signed a contract on the purchase of the...
May 14 '08
Doggie Delivery Available for Budapest's Pampered Pooches
Since Budapest takes great pride in its kutya kozmetika salons, it was only a matter of time before Hungarian dogs - and their expat canine counterparts - started receiving more A-list treatment. Now, gourmand dogs on the go, (with their...
May 14 '08
The Price of Pork Goes Up While Pork Consumption Goes Down
The price of pork is expected to rise as manufacturer's expenses increased and will probably continue to do so, Tamás Éder, chairman of the Meat Association (Hússzövetség), told Hírszerző. At the beginning of the year, purchasers paid Ft 250 (€1)...
Apr 17 '08
EU "Help" Means Bitter End for Historic Hungarian Sugar Factory
If you are unsure of the merits of the European Union's bafflingly complex system of agricultural subsidies, here's a reason to suspect they aren't good enough. Hungarian portal Index.hu is today reporting that a quirk in the EU's sugar...
Apr 01 '08
Hungary Goes Hungry
If you are out and about today in Budapest, you may find all the food shops and restaurants empty. Here's why....
Mar 21 '08
Hypercompetitive Húsvét for Hungarian Hypermarkets
Despite the constant allegations of anti-competitive practices leveled against foreign-owned hypermarkets in Hungary, a pre-Easter survey conducted by business daily Napi Gazdaság has found no evidence of such collusion, and plenty of Húsvét deals....
Mar 10 '08
International News (II): Low-Rent Supermarket Chain Enters Crowded Tourist Rip-Off Market
In the latest sign of the ongoing "gourmetization" of Budapest, Hungary's most Hungarian and God-fearing of grocery store chains CBA is set to open "elegant" food shops in some of the capital's most popular tourist destinations....
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...
Feb 18 '08
Agonies of Historic Budapest Coffeehouse Offer Bitter Taste of Local Hospitality Business
If you've ever thought it would be great to own a historic old café in Budapest - or any business in the country - the following story may put the notion out of your mind forever. According to a recent...
Feb 05 '08
Hypermarket Fish Suffer Needlessly for "Hungaricum" Status
Since we originally posted the above pic, it has come to our attention that the practice of displaying live fish in supermarkets is a uniquely Hungarian phenomenon, or what locals refer to as a "Hungaricum." The aim is to...
Jan 22 '08
Countdown to Gluttonous Thursday Begins
It's not normally our style to give advanced warning of culinary events, but "Gluttonous Thursday" requires early planning and swift execution. For those that don't remember Torkos Csütörtök from last year and the year before, more than 500 700 1,000...
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...
Nov 21 '07
Survey Says Hungarian Diet Going West
A poll conducted by Market researchers Gfk Hungária and regurgitated by daily Népszabadság has found that one third of Hungarians now eat like westerners (our words), grabbing anything that goes by any time of the day or night. While...
Nov 19 '07
Foodapest Returns, Hot on Frozen Food
This week marks the return of "Foodapest," Hungary's leading food industry trade show. On a visit to the event last year, we found it to be an worthwhile if not overwhelming experience. But a quick perusal of the promo materials...
Nov 16 '07
Americans Will Not Get the Balaton Szelet
The American food giant Kraft was not allowed to buy the French Danone's biscuit, snack and cereal business branch unless it sold the Balaton szelet brand, according to a decision by the European Commission, reports Hírszerző. Selling the Balaton brand...
Nov 13 '07
Cash-Strapped Breeder Forced into Pig Handout
György Sári, a pig breeder from Sándorfalva (Csongrád County) known for his generosity, is so low on cash that he was forced to give away live pigs to needy local families this year - instead of donating money to a...
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...
Oct 16 '07
Hungarian McDonald's Switching to Healthier Cooking Oil
In a bid to bring in healthier eaters and as a way of combating critics, fast food giant McDonald's announced last week that they would be changing their cooking oil in a bid to eliminate trans fat from their menu....
Oct 15 '07
Every Day is Egg Day in Hungary!
We didn't get around to mentioning that last Friday was International Egg Day. But no mind, because in Hungary it is not only the second Friday of every October that the lowly tojás gets its day in the sun....
Oct 11 '07
Expert Hopes Higher Food Prices Will Bring Improved Quality
According to at least one food analyst, the currently rising food prices in Hungary may result in higher quality goods finding their way onto shelves. We live in hope. Zoltán Flórián of the food industry consultancy company Agrár Európa Kft,...
Oct 08 '07
Organic Options Increase in Budapest
Hungary's largest organic products store opened in Budapest's Mammut I shopping center on October 4, reports Velvet.hu. The 600-square-meter store named Bio Centrum sells the same products normally available in Hungarian grocery stores, from kolbász and yoghurt to cosmetics...
Oct 02 '07
Piercing the Myth of the Hungarian "Superpig"
Among all the various articles of faith followed by Hungarian epicures, perhaps the strongest involves the mangalica, a type of pig bred in Hungary. Not only is the long-haired disznó (above) universally considered in Hungary to be tastier than...
Sep 27 '07
No Room for Fitness Norbi in Race For Lazy Diners
After the spectacular failure of the Norbi Update burger joint on Moszkva Tér and Norbert Schobert's other embarrassments (apart from his name, of course), the Budapest Court has ordered the liquidation of the fitness guru's meals-on-wheels company Norbi Egészségkonyha ("Norbi's...
Sep 25 '07
Russians Implicated in Illegal Sale of Caviar, Real and Fake
The National Investigation Office (NNI) seized and destroyed beluga caviar with an estimated value of Ft 3 billion in Budapest last week, according to nepszava.hu. The beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), source of the premium caviar, is an endangered species,...
Sep 19 '07
Peach Drink Packaging Reveals Product To Be... Not Very Good
There are at least two reasons to suspect that this peach drink being marketed in Hungary is - if you'll pardon us - pretty shitty. First, the 1% of it that consists of actual fruit juice is apple, grape...
Sep 17 '07
Small Hungarian Grocery Chains Choose God Over Customers
As reported over at Caboodle, some Hungarian grocery chains would prefer to stay closed on Sundays. This of course is in relation to the proposal by the Christian Democrats that Sundays remain a day of rest for all those working...
Sep 14 '07
Hungarian Government in New Drive to Promote Consumption of Red Meat
Across the developed world, governments saddled with ever-growing healthcare costs are encouraging their populations to eat more balanced diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole-grain cereals, and other foods not derived from animal proteins. But not in Hungary! Instead, starting...
Sep 11 '07
Healthy Pálinka, Unhealthy Meat Processor Winners in Annual Hungarian Product Grand Prix
The annual Hungarian Product Grand Prix (Magyar Termék Nagydíj) was held last week in parliament, where awards were handed out for the 10th time to a range of domestically-manufactured products judged as exceptionally innovative or simply exceptional. According to...
Sep 05 '07
Hungary's Biggest Dessert Treat Heads to World's Biggest Market
The slow but inexorable march of Hungary's favorite sweet snack took a giant leap forward at a Hungarian-Chinese economic forum held in Beijing on Monday, when a recently-formed Hungarian company, EU-Milk Technologies Kft. signed a co-operation contract with a Chinese...
Sep 05 '07
Foreigners Blamed for Cranky Hungarian Waiter Crisis
Whenever foreigners go out to eat in Hungary, it's almost guaranteed that at some stage the topic will turn to what is widely seen as a woeful lack of restaurant service culture in this country. Indeed, so bad is the...
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 28 '07
Study Underscores Hungarians' Unusual Taste in Pasta
Hungarian "consumer protection" magazine Kosár ("shopping cart") recently published the results of an interesting test comparing some of the various brands of pasta commonly available on the shelves of domestic retailers. According to a summary of the finding on marketinginfo.hu,...
Aug 24 '07
Poultry Processor Chickens Out After Tasteless Ad Bombs
Executives of a Hungarian poultry processor and their public relations advisors have been busy this week dealing with the fallout of an ad campaign that is tasteless even by the country's pretty loose standards. According to portal hirszerzo.hu, Zala...
Aug 22 '07
Budapest Bread Festival Threatened by Brewing Peasant Price Riots
We somehow forgot to give you advance notice about this year's annual "Bread Festival," which took place on Monday, alongside much other traditional August 20th holiday merriment. But maybe we were doing you a favor. Because if you had...
Jul 24 '07
Villány Wine Harvest Brought Forward to August, Even Melons Wither in Heat
This year's freak weather is having a dramatic effect on Hungarian crops. After a May freeze nipped fruit trees in the bud, winemakers in Villány have announced that they will be picking this year's harvest of oporto grapes in August....
Jul 10 '07
Hungarian Culinary Crisis (III): The Chew.hu Manifesto
Several weeks ago, when we published a translation of the so-called "Culinary Charter" addressing the alleged crisis in Hungarian dining and culinary culture, we promised to publish our own thoughts on the matter in "a few days." Well, it took...
Jul 10 '07
Hungarian Culinary Crisis (II): More Wisdom from the Experts
Below is a follow-up to an earlier post of a translation of the so-called "Culinary Charter" signed by dozens of Hungarian culinary figures decrying what they see as a crisis in Hungarian dining and food culture, and how to address...
Jul 03 '07
Hungo-French Relations at New Ebb as Top Cookie Finally Crumbles
Despite warnings about the dangers of messing with Hungary's favorite biscuit, the long-running saga of the Győri cookie factory in Győr (where else) looks to be coming to an end. Danone, the evil French multi running the show, has finally...
Jun 24 '07
Hungarian Culinary Crisis (I): An Open Letter from the Experts
Is Hungarian cuisine and culinary culture in crisis? According to some members of the country's culinary elite, the answer is yes. Following is a (mostly) unabridged translation of an "open letter" signed by almost 100 leading members of the Hungarian...
Jun 20 '07
International Cereal Shortfall Expected to Drive Up Meat Prices
As if the knock-on effects of the poultry plague in Brazil and growing threat of dodgy bootleg meat weren't enough, latest forecasts are predicted an increase in the price of meat of up to 20%. Below-par cereal harvests are expected...
May 30 '07
Famous Strawberries Flattened By Latest Natural Disaster
After the recent late freeze took out many of the fruit trees in north-eastern Hungary, another natural disaster struck Hungary's beleaguered farming industry farming when one of the country's largest strawberry plantations was hit by a fierce hailstorm on the...
May 30 '07
Pro-smoke Lobby Chokes in Own Propaganda
Despite the idea of banning smoking in public, and restaurants in particular, rapidly gaining acceptance around Europe (even in among the puffers of Italy) Hungarians remain deeply sceptical of any measures that may improve their quality of life, and their...
May 15 '07
Legendary Czech-Slovak Ersatz Cola Arrives On Hungarian Market
It is always nice to see another country's national drinks on the supermarket shelves (even if they are non-alcoholic) and any product that can challenge the hegemony of Coca-Cola and Pepsi in any market demands maximum respect. So with all...
May 15 '07
Mystery Surrounds Risks Of "Diluted" Hypermarket Honey
Independent laboratory analysis conducted outside Hungary has shown that 70% of honey sold at Hungarian stores is "diluted" by adding sucrose and other substances. According to napi.hu, Agriculture Minister and champion scaremonger József Gráf ordered the investigation and asked the...
May 14 '07
Meat Industry Reportedly Hamstrung By Growing Black Market
Not only is the quality of meat on offer increasingly poor, Hungarian meat producers are under serious threat of being crushed by cheap imports from other member states, says Attila Berczik, secretary of the Association of Hungarian Meat Producers (Magyar...
May 04 '07
Fruit Crops in North-western Hungary Ravaged By Freak Freeze
It may seem that spring has arrived and long balmy summer nights are just around the corner, but farmers in north-eastern Hungary have not been sleeping easy. According to a variety of sources cherry-picked by us, a series of spring...
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 20 '07
Infamous British Food Exhibitionist Spotted in Budapest's District VI
So we were walking through Pest's District VI the other day, minding our own business, when we happened upon this rather shocking scene. Yes, that's Jamie Oliver - a.k.a. "The Naked Chef" - peering out from the side of...
Apr 12 '07
Natural Hungarian Mineral Water Now Available in Exciting New Non-Natural Flavors
It was only a matter of time before Hungary's booming ásványvíz (mineral water) industry jumped on the whole "flavored water" bandwagon, and now it's official: leading manufacturer and distributor Kékkúti Ásványvíz Zrt has introduced three different types of flavored waters....
Apr 06 '07
Hungarian Ham-Makers Decry Growing Demand for Mystery "Easter Meat"
As we head into this Easter weekend, it's only appropriate to finish up with a little ham-related news. (Monday is a holiday in Hungary, unlike in some other parts of the world, while ham, not lamb, is the hús traditionally...
Apr 04 '07
Romania-Mania (I): Mămăligă-eaters Cross Border for Food Bargains
From our foreign desk comes an interesting story that you might want to keep in mind for the next time someone in Hungary bitches about high food prices. According to an article in the Romanian daily Romania Libera summarized on...
Apr 03 '07
You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Túró Rudi Ice Cream!
In yet another indication that God may in fact exist, the leading producer of Hungary's uniquely delicious chocolate-covered cheese curd snack is launching a brand of jégkrém. The as-yet unnamed product from the Túró Rudi brand known in Hungary as...
Feb 26 '07
EU to Allow Hungary to Ban "Dangerous" GMO Crops, Continue Producing "Unusual" Milk
From our serious food news desk comes two updates related to Hungary's relationship with the European food police over in Brussels. First, in a decision with potentially global implications, the EU decided last week to allow Hungary to ban certain...
Feb 08 '07
Hungarian Tesco Found Not Guilty of Being Too Cheap and Efficient
A much-hyped government inquest into charges that several of Hungary's larger food retailers engaged in predatory pricing and abused their suppliers has ended in a verdict of not guilty. According to a report in business daily Világgazdaság, the committee set...
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 30 '07
Debrecen-based Kürtőskalács-maker Eyes Up Europe-wide Franchise
Forget lángos and palacsinta, kürtőskalács is the next big Hungarian fast-food phenomenon. Not only were the snacks, consisting of sweet dough rolled into pipes, backed gyro-style and coated in eight flavors of sugary powder, a big hit at the...
Jan 11 '07
Pork Story (II): Charities Receive Gift of Luxury Pork Fat
Here's one that definitely gets filed under "only in Hungary." Yesterday afternoon, some producers of Hungary's famous Mangalica pigs gave away some 1.5 tons of rendered Mangalica fat worth approximately Ft 1.5 million (€5,800) to 54 grateful educational and social...
Jan 11 '07
Pork Story (I): Lean Days for Gyulai Húskombinát
If anyone out there is interested in owning their own Hungarian sausage maker, you may be in luck. The historic Gyulai Húskombinát Rt. (Gyula Meat Plant), which has been making a variety of meat products out in the eastern...
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 06 '06
White Tea Gets Green Light from Hungarian Retailers
Ma.hu reports that white tea began arriving in Hungarian stores for the first time last month. Until now, the special variety of tea, which is made from new buds that are steamed or fried, was hard to find even at...
Dec 04 '06
Little Bites: Competition Office Cracks Hungarian Egg Mafia!
Here are a few serious food and bev stories that have been making the rounds in Hungary over the past few days: Hungary's anti-monopoly watchdog (GVH) on Friday accused the nation's leading eggmakers of operating a cartel. The GVH said...
Nov 28 '06
Fear, Loathing and World-Beating Mangalica Ham at Foodapest '06
Until last Friday, the last food trade show I attended was the "Fancy Food Show" in New York, where the exhibitors practically throw food at you, shove wine glasses in your face, and then send you away with more...
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 22 '06
Famous Restaurant to Host Obscure Wine and Cheese Festival
In addition to the "Foodapest" festival currently underway in Budapest, another potentially interesting chewing and boozing event will take place this weekend at the Gerbeaud Étterem, the sister restaurant of the famous Café Gerbeaud . We can't find anything about...
Nov 22 '06
I'll Meet You Back at Meat Land in One Hour
Just a quick one to let you know that the biannual Foodapest food trade fair will be running until Friday over at Hungexpo, Budapest's vintage trade grounds. We haven't been over there yet, but the organizers swear that the...
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 08 '06
An Important Lesson in Food Service Excellence Goes Up in Smoke
Some sad news today in the world of Budapest dining: the Burger King outlet that has stood on Podmaniczky tér on the eastern edge of District V has burned to a crisp, apparently from a kitchen fire. Go ahead and...
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 05 '06
Italian-Hungarian Shocker (I): We Thought That Ham Tasted Familiar
So last week's mondo-Italiano food and wine night apparently featured more than just some good olasz eats and drinks. According to a follow-up on deluxe.hu, figures announced at the event show a dramatic increase in food and wine trade between...
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 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...
