Three years ago I have noticed that I have become less and less mindful of my meals. I ate quickly, at my computer or while I was reading a book, or while otherwise distracted. I did have a general awareness of what I ate, but I sometimes let my diet get a bit too unbalanced, as I favoured foods that could be prepared quickly without much effort. After working in the kitchen of different Hungarian establsihments and also of a five-star hotel in Thailand as a trainee, I knew myself around the kitchen. I said enough! It was time for a new personal development experiment! I decided to eat consciously. I was going to focus on the quality of the food I ate, and cut out all distractions like web browsing or book reading.
A couple of weeks after starting this experience I got a definite answer: eating consciously had all sorts of great benefits! For instance:
I became more aware of what I was eating overall
I listened better to my body, and knew what it needed at any particular time
I chewed things more thoroughly, and that saved my body a lot of effort (most foods are pre-digested by saliva, and it helps the rest of the digestive system process things quicker)
As I became more mindful and slow down, l noticed when I was getting full, and avoided over-eating
I chose this topic because since then eating consciously plays an important part in my life. My dissertation offers a tour through the changing landscape of our nutritional problems and clear answers to general questions about how to eat well and be healthy in Hunagry even as the world of food changes around us.
Generally about healthy and Hungarian diets:
Healthy diets:
Nowadays more and more people are interested in living a healthy lifestyle. Proper nutrition as one of its crucial element has become confusing all around the world including Hungary. One day it is told that eating too much meat increases the risk of getting colon cancer. The next week you hear just the opposite. One week milk helps you lose weight; the next week this claim is considered bogus.
In the past twenty years, the time frame in which obesity and chronic diseases have hit us so hard, we have experienced major changes in how we eat, what we eat, and the nutritional content of our foods and diets. If there were answers to our problems, they had to come from those areas.
This is a paper for people concerned about what to eat to stay healthy, lose weight, and to the extent possible, avoid common chronic diseases. There are so many different approaches to healthy eating that it is hard to know which approach will work best for each person. My work is not a primer to prove that any single philosophy of eating is more correct than others.
There is so much conflicting information about nutrition and health. A detailed analysis of the actual Hungarian eating habits, a study of the traditional cuisine and basics of healthy and concious alimentation are all included in this dissertation.
Hungarian cuisine:
Traditional Hungarian dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables, fruits, fresh bread, cheeses and honey. Hungarians are especially passionate about their soups, desserts and pastries and stuffed pancakes, with fierce rivalries between regional variations of the same dish.
Two remarkable elements of Hungarian cuisine that are hardly noticed by locals, but usually conjure up much enthusiasm amongst foreigners, are different forms of vegetable stews called „fÅ‘zelék" as well as cold fruit soups, like cold sour cherry soup.
Meat stews, casseroles, steaks, roasted pork, beef, poultry, lamb or game and the Hungarian sausages and winter salami are a major part of Hungarian cuisine. The mixing of different varieties of meat is a traditional feature of the Hungarian cuisine. In very exclusive dishes, fruits like plums and apricots are cooked with meat or in piquant sauces/stuffings for game, roasts and other cuts. Various kinds of noodles and dumplings, potatoes, and rice are commonly served as a side dish. The Hungarian cuisine uses a large variety of cheeses.
Authentic Hungarian dishes are definitely not for people on diet. Most of the people find these dishes a bit too heavy and fatty, however their rich flavour, aroma and texture compensate them for the slightly excessive calorie intake.
But it is a common misbelief that everything is soaking in pork fat and paprika. These ingredients are essential for authentic Hungarian dishes, but properly portioning them and using modern cooking methods we can make healthier dishes. In recent years restaurant chefs are trying to alter Hungarian cooking into more healthy, lower in calories, but still rich in vitamins, and at the same time preserve authentic Hungarian flavours.
The ingredients are simple. The fertile Hungarian plain and the favourable climate provide excellent conditions for growing tasty vegetables, fruits, and to raise domestic animals whose meat is savoury.
Aim
The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the worldwide-present food trends emphasizing Hungary, and to summarize every details of conscious and healthy eating that are needed to be aware of. Generally as well as from the Hungarian gastronomy's point of view.
Objectives
My first objective is to prove the vitality of the conscious and healthy diet
Presenting the methods of living a healthy lifestyle within the Hungarian cuisine as far as possible
Proving the opposite of the common misbeliefs such as:
- Hungarian dishes are unhealthy
- Eating consciously is time-consuming
Structure
Summary of Introduction
Literature review
Introduction
Food selection by different factors
Flavour
The most important consideration when choosing something to eat is the falvor of the food. Karen and Lisa (2005) maintained that flavour is a characteristic of a food that comprises its appearance, smell, taste, feel in the mouth texture, temperature, and even the sounds made when it is chewed. Flavor is a combination of all five sense: taste, smell, touch, sight, and sound. From birth, we have the ability to smell and taste. Most of what we call taste is really smell, a fact we realize when a cold hits our nasal passages. Even though the taste buds are working fine, the smell cell are not, and this dull much of food's flavor.
Other aspects of food
Food cost is a major consideration. For example, the great solution for breakfast from every aspect, the muesli were inexpensive for many years. Then their prices jumped, and some costumers switched from muesli to bacon and eggs because that became less expensive. Cost is a factor in many purchasing decisions at the supermarket, whether one is buying dry beans or fresh salmon.
Convenience is more of a concern now than any time in the past because of the lack of time to prepare meals. There is a huge variety of foods that we can purchase already cooked and can simpley be microwaved. Of course, convenience foods are more expensive than their raw counterparts, and not every budget can afford them.
Everyone's food choices are affected by availability and familiarity. The availabilty of foods is very much influenced by the way food is produced and distributed. For example, the increasing number of soft drink vending machines, particularly in schools and workplaces, has contributed to increasing soft drink consumption year-round. On the other hand fresh fruits and vegetables are perfect examples of foods that are most available (and at their lowest price) when in season.
The nutritional content of a food can be an important factor in deciding what to eat.
Demographics
Food choices are influenced by several demographic factors, such as age, income, educational level, gender and cultural background (discussed next). Women and older adults tend to consider nutrition more often than men or young adults do when it comes to eating. Older adults are probably more conscious because they have more health problems including heart disease and high blood pressure, and are more likely to have to change their diet for health reasons. Naturally people with higher incomes and educational levels tend to think about nutrition more often when choosing what to eat (Karen, 2005).
Culture and Religion
It is hard to define culture, but it can be described as the behaviors and beliefs of a certain social, age or ethnic group. Culture has a strong influence on the eating habits of its members. Each culture has standards about the edibility of foods, when foods are eaten, which foods have high or low status, how often they are consumed, how are they combined, and what type of foods are served on special occasions (weddings, national celebrations).
In short, culture influences attitudes toward and beliefs about food. For example, some French people eat horsemeat, but Americans do not consider horsemeat acceptable to eat.
Religion affects a lot of peopele's daily food choices. For example, many Jewish people abide by the Jewish dietary laws, called the Kashrut. They do not eat pork, nor do they eat meat and dairy products together. Muslims also have their own dietary laws. Like Jews, they will not eat pork. Their religion also prohibits drinking alcoholic beverages. As far as I am concerned religion only influences what I eat during religious holidays and celebrations.
Health
Even healthy people may base food choices on a desire to prevent health problems and to improve their appearance.
A knowledge of nutrition and a positive attitude toward nutrition both lead to nutritious eating practices. For a small proportion of people, knowledge is enough to develope new eating habits, but for most people, knowledge is not enough and change is difficult. Many circumstances and beliefs prevent change, such as a lack of time or money to eat right. But some more committed people manage to change their eating habits, especially if they feel that the advantages (such as losing weight, preventing diseases) outweigh the disadvantages.
Social and Emotional Influences
People have always eaten meals together throughout the history, making meals important social occasions. These social situations we find ourselves in has a lot of influence on our food choices, whether we are eating at home or in a restaurant. For instance, social influences are involved when several members of a group of colleges, or friends are vegetarian. We tend to eat the same foods that our friends and neighbors eat which is easy but probably not the best choice for us.
Food is often the reflection os social status. For example, in a trendy, upscale Budapest restaurant, there are only prime cuts of beef and top quality wines.
Correspondingly emotions are closely tied to some of our food selection. In childhood we may have been offered something sweet to eat, such as candy or ice-cream, whenever we were unhappy or upset. As an adult, on the other hand we may have a leaning to those kinds of foods, called comfort foods, when under stress.
Food Industry and the Media
Food industry very much influnces what we choose to eat. Food companies decide what foods to produce and where to sell them. They also use advertising, product labeling and displays, information provided by their consumer services departments, and websites to sell their products.
At an everyday level, the media (television, newspapers, magazines, radio, etc.) portray food in many different ways: paid advertisements, articles on food in magazines and newspapers, and foods eaten on television shows. Much research has been done on the impact of television food commercials on children. The vast majority of them advertise unhealthy foods, that is food high in fat, sugar or salt content and low in essential trace elements, vitamins and other substances that play an important role in a healthy diet. The junk food advertising aimed at children varies by country. The rate of TV ads about these types of food aimed at children is 49% in Italy, while in the UK it is nearly 100%.
International tests recorded worrying facts in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. As far as Hungary is concerned
. Diagram (Easy Targets-International Organisation for Consumer Protection, 2013)
Environmental Issues
Some people have environmental concerns, such as the use of chemical pesticides, and so they often, or always, choose organically grown foods. Many vegetarians do not eat meat because livestock and poultry require so much land, energy, water, and plant food, which they consider wasteful.
Now that I have described the factors influencing why we eat the foods we do, it is necessary to look at some basic nutrition concepts and terms as well.
Nutrition and Conscious Diet
Nutrition
Nutrition is a science that studies nutrients and other substances in foods and in the body. Nutrients are the nourishing substances in food that provide energy and promote the growth and maintenance of the body. Additionally, nutrients support the regulation of body processes such as heart rate and digestion and help to maintain the optimum body health.
Nutrition researchers look at how nutrients relate to health and disease. People hear news almost every day that something in the food we eat, such as fat, is not good for us - that it may indeed cause or complicate conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Researchers look not only at this relationship between nutrients and diseases, but they analyse the processes by which one choose what to eat and the balance of foods and nutrients in his/her diet. The word diet has several meanings. A lot of people missunderstand this word and judge by someone being on a diet that the aim is weight-reducing. Although this is the most common case, diet generally is the foods and beverages you normally eat and drink.
Kilocalories
The energy needs of the body together with food energy, are measured in units of energy called kilocalories. In other words the term is used to state the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water one degree centigrade at sea level.
In nutrition terms, the word calorie is commonly used to refer to a unit of food energy. (The word calorie is used instead of the more precise scientific term kilocalorie.) Technically, however, this common usage of the word calorie of food energy is understood to refer to a kilocalorie (and actually represents, therefore, 1000 true calories of energy) (2011,Definition of Kilocalorie [on-line]. Available from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8585).
The number of kcalories needed varies by each individual and based on three different factors: one's energy needs when the body is at rest and awake (basal metabolism), the level of physical activity, an the energy needed to digest and absorb food (thermic effect of food).
Nutrients
A healthy diet contains a variety of basic nutients which the body needs for energy, to grow and to stay healthy. It is not about eating all 'good' foods and avoiding all foods perceived as 'bad'. What the body needs is a healthy balance of different foods, otherwise it might be missing out on vital nutrients which are essential to live. There are about 50 nutrients that can be arranged into six classes:
Carbohydrates
These are made up of sugars and starch and are the most common source of energy used by your body. Foods high in carbohydrates include bread, pasta, cereals, beans, potatoes and rice.
Fats
These provide energy, are needed to keep cell membranes functioning properly, are a source of essential fatty acids, help the body to absorb vitamins and make food taste good. Foods which are sources of fats include butter, meat, vegetable oils, nuts and oily fish.
Protein
These are made up of amino acids and are used to provide many functions in the body including being the basic buidling materials of skin, organs, etc.; as enzymes to help chemical reactions in cells; and as a source of energy. Foods that are a good source of protein include meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and soya.
Vitamins
These are required in tiny amounts for essential metabolic reactions, growth and development. Deficiencies in vitamins can lead to deficiency diseases. For example, vitamin C is a highly effective antioxidant, but a lack of vitamin C can lead to the disease scurvy. Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C.
Minerals
Trace (tiny) amounts of minerals like salt, copper and iron for example are essential for metabolism and have various uses in your body. Calcium and phosphorus, become part of the body's structure by building bones and teeth.
Water
Is the essential solvent in which all chemical reactions of life take place. 70% of the body is made of water and it is recommended to drink enough water to prevent dehydration.
It is also good to include sources of fibre in the diet, which helps to keep the digestive system healthy. Fibre is not absorbed by the body, but helps both the gut and intestinal tract stay healthy. Foods that are sources of fibre include whole wheat, bran, vegetables like celery, green beans and potato skins.
Conscious diet
A conscious, nutritious diet has four characterstics. It is: adequate, balanced, moderate and varied. The diet must provide adequate nutrients, but not too many. This is where moderate and adequate diets fit in. A moderate diet avoids the intake of outrageous amounts of kcalories or eating more of one food or food group than is recommended, whereas an adequate diet provides enough kcalories, essential nutrients, and fiber to keep health.
Although it may sound simple to eat enough, but not too much, of the necessary nutrients, surveys show that most adult Hungarians find this hard to do. One of th e best solutions for this problem os to select nutrient-dense foods. (Nutrient density is a measure of the amount of nutrients a food contains in comparison to the number of calories)(2012, The World's Healthiest Foods [on-line]. Available from http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php).
Furthermore a balanced diet is needed as well. It basically means eating more of the nutrient-dense foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and less of foods such as cakes, cookies, and chips, which supply few nutrients. The typical Hungarian diet is unbalanced. I will state this case in the next point.
Finally we need a varied diet-in other words, we need to eat a wide selection of foods to get the necessary nutrients. It is very important because it makes it more likely that one gets the essential nutrients in the adequate proportion.
In short, a nutritious, conscious diet is moderate, balanced, varied, and packed with nutrient-dense foods.
Actual situation
In general
The people's consumption is formed and determined by their attitude, their habit, their everyday life, on the whole by their way of life (Schultz, I. and Stiess, I. (2006). Sustainable consumption to everyday life, Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Frankfurt/Main).
Fortunately health plays an influential role in everyday life and in forming the way of life. Therefore the effort to be healthy could be an essential influencing factor for us in food purchasing process.
The noticeable increasing everyday stress, the crescent environmental pollution, the spread of sitting jobs effect on people's way of life. At the same time people's physical strain is decreasing. Nowadays in modern society man becomes comfortable, the majority of jobs requires increasingly less physical effort (Szakaly, Z. (2006). New directions of nutrimarketing, The Hungarian Journal of Food, Nutrition and Marketing, Vol. 1, pp. 10-12.).
This modification of modern life accordingly shuold accompany changes in dietary habits. Otherwise the changing living environment together with the traditional eating habits could create a negative effect on us. Researches confirm that in the last few decades these processes are responsible for the appearance and spread of so-called civilization diseases (Szakaly, Z. (2004). Nutrimarketing, a new strategy in the Hungarian food economy, The Hungarian Journal of
Food, Nutrition and Marketing, Vol.1, pp. 42-44.).
In Hungary
Weight gain and obesity are the result of nutrition and bad dietary habits, which are serious public health problems because the increased risk of premature death and civilization diseases like heart diseases, high blood pressure and diabetes. An examination of health status in the European countries was carried out, with special focus on Hungary, regarding public health indicators and nutrition habits. Data was collected from FAOSTAT and EUROSTAT database. The rate of obesity exceeds the average in Europe eventuating the poor life expectancy situation in Hungary. It is one of the worst of the European countries. Researches and observations squarely proves that people in Hungary eat less of some foods deemed healthful by nutritional scientists, such as vegetables, fruits and milk. Developing the state of health is a significant task in Hungary, and one important part of the solution is changing bad dietary habits.
The collected datas, the evaluation of researches and observations are detailed later in the study.
Hungarian Dietary Habits
The development of the Hungarian cuisine has a close relationship to our history. Eating culture and cuisine are always a result of continous evolution, that is influenced, formed and controlled by multiple different factors. These factors are primarily the life-circumstances, the demographical and economical situation, the growing methods, the natural disasters, the wars, the financial status, the contrivance, nowadays the cumulative turism, the increasing integration of food industry, the state of development of nutrition knowledge, etc (Dr. Csizmadia, L. (2005). A nemzeti étkezés szokásai nemzetek konhyái, Perfekt Gazdasági Tanácsadó, Oktató és Kiadó, Budapest).
Most of Hungary consists of flat to rolling plains and some low mountains. Though the country is blessed with fertile soil-nearly half of the country consists of arable land-and agriculture plays an important role in the economy, cooking with fruits and vegetables takes a back seat to meat. Very few Hungarians are vegetarians, and at traditional Hungarian restaurants, vegetarian dishes are rare.
Hungary has the „honour" of being one of Europe's
unhealthiest countries, mostly due to the traditional
diet, which is high in animal fat, cholesterol,
sugar, and salt and is generally low in fiber, fruits,
and vegetables. Obesity is an increasing problem as I previously mentioned. Nevertheless there is a significant difference between the lifestyles and eating habits of the youth of Hungarians and those of the older generation who came of age during Communism. There is a clear difference as well between the eating habits of those living in Budapest and those in the countryside.
Hungary's diet is meat-centric, and meat is often garnished with potatoes, which are oveflowing in Hungary. By far the most popular meat is pork, whereof a wide variety of types of ham and sausage are made. Other preferred meats are chicken, duck, goose, foie gras („fatty liver"), beef, and mutton. Lamb, veal, and game are less popular but are easily available at the markets. Butchers and markets in Hungary carry all parts of the animal, and offal, tripe, and other cuts are easy to find and commonly used in Hungary. The preferred cooking fat is pork lard, but sunflower oil is gaining popularity.
Milk products are an important part of the Hungarian
diet. Sour cream is a common addition to soups and salads, and some stews and even meat dishes are topped with it. Yogurt and kefir are also commonly eaten.
Paprika is, by far, the most important spice in Hungarian cuisine. Paprika's top benefit is that it is extremely high in vitamin C. A whole paprika pepper has six to nine times the amount of vitamin C as a tomato. Peppers, especially those that are used to produce paprika, are full of capsaicin, the phytochemical that makes them taste hot. Capsaicin is known as a powerful anti-inflammatory, which can ease chronic conditions like arthritis and joint pain. Capsaicin also helps improve blood circulation. Paprika also has plant enzymes that can help neutralize stomach acids, thus supporting digestion (2011, The benefits of paprika [on-line]. Available from http://www.livestrong.com/article/539058-the-benefits-of-paprika/).
It is used in abundance in many of the best-known Hungarian dishes. As the saying goes, "All good Hungarian recipes begin by sautéing onions in bacon and then adding paprika." Most commercially produced Hungarian paprika comes from the southern towns of Szeged and Kalocsa. It is never smoked in Hungary, and it comes in a range of varieties from sweet through hot, and finely ground through coarse. Hungarian cuisine has a reputation for being hot, but in reality it is not.
Caraway seeds, nutmeg, and cinnamon are also frequently used. Saving that it has a lot of medicinal values, caraway indeed has many health benefiting nutrients, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. Its unique flavor goes well with rye bread for example, but the commonly eaten pork can be seasoned with it as well. Nutmeg contains many plant-derived chemical compounds that are known to have been anti-oxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties. In hot foods, the nutmeg flavor goes well with potatoes, dumplings, spinach, quiche, and some soups. As far as cinnamon is concerned, the active principles of the spice are known to have anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-septic, etc. properties. Cinnamon has the highest anti-oxidant strength of all the food sources in nature. It is one of the ingredients in a great part of Hungarian desserts, baked goods, but it goes perfect also with lamb, ham and sweet potatoes.
The most common herbs are flat-leaf parsley, dill, and marjoram. Parsley, the most frequently used in our cusinie, is rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, which help control blood-cholesterol, prevents constipation, protects the human body from free radicals mediated injury and from cancers. Dill weed also contains numerous plant derived chemical compounds that have health benefits, but not as munch as parsley does. Marjoram contains likewise many notable nutrients, minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimum
health and wellness.
Hungarians like to say that anywhere one drills in Hungary, thermal water will be found. Fortunately mineral water is abundant in Hungary, and there are dozens of commercially bottled varieties. Additionally, in some areas there are public springs where people can bring bottles to fill. The local mineral water is known for its high mineral content. In restaurants it is common to drink mineral water, while at home Hungarians drink both mineral water and tap water.
Hungarian food is generally uncomplicated to prepare.
There are no laborious sauces or preparation methods. It is because throughout Hungary's history cooks were forced to be economical with ingredients, and they developed ingenious ways of doing things when little was available. Deep-frying is a common technique, as are panfrying and roasting. Many Hungarian recipes begin with onions slowly cooking in fat (lard), with a healthy portion of paprika stirred in. It's a combination that gives off a distinctively Hungarian aroma. Then the meat is added and browned, and a variety of dishes can result. Hungarian food has a bad reputation for being heavy and greasy. But it doesn't have to be. Pörkölt and goulash (gulyás), for example, are more delicious and naturally, more healthy if very little fat is used. On the other hand, by any estimation, lard is healthier than some of the commonly preferred oils, but mainly than butter. Gram for gram, lard contains 20% less saturated fat than butter, and it is higher in the monounsaturated fats which seem to lower LDL cholesterol (the "bad" kind) and raise HDL (the "good" kind). Also it is one of nature's best sources of vitamin D. It contains no trans fats, probably the most dangerous fats of all. Of course it has more saturated fat than olive oil, but as McLagan (2008) points out that even its saturated fat is believed to have a neutral effect on blood cholesterol.
Soups are thickened with either sour cream or a rántás (roux) of flour slowly browned in hot lard. Sour cream is a favorite Hungarian ingredient-in addition to soups, it's also added to stews like paprikás (made with paprika), székelykáposzta (a stew with sauerkraut), fÅ‘zelék (vegetable stew), and even some sweets. No matter how you use it, it offers many nutritional benefits; sour cream is a good source of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) and B-12. If someone is concerned about the daily protein intake, adding sour cream to his/her diet is an optimal solution because a 1-cup serving contains 4.7 gram of protein.
Vinegar is often added to soups or to salads at the table. According to the Wikipedia, it is a pervading fact that daily intake of vinegar might be useful in the prevention of metabolic syndrome by reducing obesity. Taking vinegar with food increases satiety (the feeling of fullness) and, so, reduces the amount of food consumed.
Hungary is a small, relatively homogeneous country, with few regional specialties or differences. Therefore typical meals and conscious eating for Hungarian families vary greatly depending on their economic and social standing, age, and location such as rural or urban.
Traditionally, breakfast in Hungary has been a substantial meal, typically consisting of a "cold plate" of a variety of sliced cheeses, cold cuts, dried sausage,
and salami, Hungarian banana peppers and tomatoes,
bread and butter, and strong espresso-style
coffee. In other cases they buy scones (pogácsa) or sweets from a nearby pastry shop to eat on the way to work. For those living in the countryside as well
as for many blue-collar workers in cities, breakfast
still looks like this. On the other hand urban Hungarians tend to have a more westernized and more healthy breakfast such as cereal, eggs, or yogurt. This modernizing tendency has benefical effects on people who are up for these innovations. Regrettably the traditional way of eating breakfast has some weak points contrary to the new one. A healthy breakfast does not have to include traditional breakfast food. A variety of whole grains, proteins, and fruit can make an excellent start to the day. For instance, a whole grain cereal or oatmeal with raisins/fresh fruits soaked in fresh milk or mixed in fresh yogurt. A smoothie made of fresh or frozen fruit and yogurt. These are easy to make and perfect from nutritional point of view. Fresh vegetables with cheese and some lean meat such as turkey or chicken on whole wheat bread is also a great option for those who are fond of the traditional way. The main point is that breakfast is a great opportunity to eat nutritious foods to ensure that the body gets the vitamins, minerals and the energy it needs.
A midmorning snack called the „tízórai" is customary in Hungary and generally consists of coffee or tea and either something sweet to eat or something simple like toast or a sandwich. Lunch at around noon is typically the main meal of the day in rural Hungary, where, if they are able to, people go home for a home-cooked family lunch. Increasingly, however, this habit is eroding. In Budapest, most workers either bring something from home or have a restaurant lunch. Many restaurants specialize in delivering hot prepared lunches to offices. Eating a large Sunday lunch, however, remains an important family custom, in both cities and rural areas. Children generally eat hot lunches at school, which are fairly nutritious and varied. Traditionally dinner was a lighter meal than lunch, eaten around 7 p.m., and often it was a cold plate, similar to breakfast. In rural areas, this is still
typical. In Budapest, dinner habits have become
more westernized, with a large dinner becoming the
main meal of the day, around 7 or 8 p.m. Hungary
produces a signifi cant amount of wine, and wine or
beer is usually drunk with dinner.
Soup is an important element in a Hungarian
meal, and no Hungarian meal is complete without
it. Bread is never served on its own, but it is always
served with soup. Despite the stereotypes, very few
Hungarian dishes feature hot paprika. However, a
bit of hot paprika powder or paste is always placed
on the table for diners to add heat to their food individually.
Vinegar and sour cream are also added
to soups at the table.
Gulyás (Goulash)
Goulash is an everyday dish served at nearly every
Hungarian restaurant. It is so simple to make that
any Hungarian who cooks can do it. Many also cook
it over an open fi re in a bogrács (cauldron), which
adds a smoky fl avor. Some cooks add pinched pasta
(csipetke) before serving. If you were to continue
cooking the meat without adding water or potatoes,
the resulting dish would be pörkölt, which is
the stew that foreigners tend to think of as goulash.
Gulyás is an everyday meal, eaten with thickcrusted
white bread.
4 tbsp sunfl ower or canola oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
1½ lb beef chuck, trimmed and cut into ½-in.
cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to
taste
¼ c sweet paprika
2 tsp dried marjoram
2 tsp caraway seeds
2 cloves garlic, fi nely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into ½-in. cubes
2 medium parsnips, cut into ½-in. cubes
1½ lb medium-sized new potatoes, peeled and cut
into ½-in. cubes
1 tomato, cored and chopped
1 Italian frying pepper, chopped
The main course of a Hungarian meal is always a
big portion of meat-whether it is a roast, a stew, or
vegetables such as cabbage or peppers stuff ed with
meat. Potatoes are the most common accompaniment,
and sometimes these are even served with
rice. Stew (pörkölt) has historically played an important
role in the Hungarian meal. Stews can be
accompanied by buttered parsley potatoes, fl our
and egg dumplings ( galuska ), or tiny pieces of pasta
the size of barley ( tarhonya ). Almost always, they
are served with a few pieces of savanyúság (pickled
vegetables) to aid the digestion of so much fat and
starch. Leafy salads are rarely eaten, although Hungarians
do eat salads made of sliced cucumbers or
sliced tomatoes in a briny dressing made with vinegar,
salt, and sugar. Salads are always served with
the meal, never as an appetizer.
Lunch will nearly always end with coff ee. Hungarians
have a legendary sweet tooth, and leisurely
meals will nearly always end with cake, strudel,
cookies, or some other home-baked sweet. Pálinka
(fruit brandy) is a traditional spirit in Hungary,
made both commercially and at home. In traditional
Hungarian households drinking shots of pálinka is
common and done in a variety of situations: to welcome
guests, to begin a meal, or to end a meal.
Depending on location and affl uence, the types
of meals eaten will vary. Hungarians who are well
traveled are more likely to add non-Hungarian recipes
to their repertoire, while rural Hungarians and
those with little exposure to international cuisine
will rely more on the diet laden with pork and potatoes.
Likewise, the less educated and less affl uent
will rely on a diet of processed and prepared foods,
which are also abundant in Hungary.
The following are examples of typical meals in
middle-class families in Budapest and in rural Hungary.
Budapest is a bustling, cosmopolitan city of
nearly two million people. Life for many residents
is fast-paced, which is refl ected in the diff erences
between the eating habits and diet here and in the
countryside. In Budapest, breakfast varies from the
traditional cold plate of sliced meats, vegetables,
and cheeses to simple toast and jam or a quick bite
on the way to work. There are bakeries and pastry
shops on nearly every corner, where people often
stop in for pogácsa (savory scones), cheese rolls, or
some other type of baked goods. Hungarians tend
to drink lots of strong coff ee, made at home with a
stovetop coff eepot or purchased at a café. A midmorning
snack at around 10 a.m. can simply be coffee
or tea, a crescent roll ( kifl i ), or a sandwich.
For workers, lunch in Budapest is usually eaten at
a restaurant, an étkezde, a type of restaurant open
only for lunch and serving inexpensive, simple Hungarian
dishes, or at a büfe, where prepared food sits
under heat lamps in chafi ng dishes. Many who work
in offi ces will order food daily from a delivery service.
Restaurants in Budapest cater to workers, with
inexpensive and quick two- or three-course lunch
menus.
A family dinner now serves the function that
lunch once did in Budapest, with most families
eating a dinner that is larger than lunch. Some examples
of common everyday dinners include pasta
with curd cheese and lecsó (stewed peppers and tomatoes
with paprika), roasted or fried pork, or beef
pörkölt (stew) with potatoes. Dinner may also include
foods that are typically considered breakfast
foods in Western countries: ham and eggs, savory
French toast, rice pudding, and semolina pudding.
With the arrival of ethnic ingredients, international
cooking shows, and scores of international restaurants,
Budapesters are apt to experiment with cooking
more exotic types of food.
In the countryside, no matter the region, eating
habits are similar. Hungarians tend to rise early, eat
breakfast as a family, and, whenever possible, have
lunch together. Breakfast is a hearty but cold meal,
with smoked bacon, paprika-spiked dried sausage,
and salami served alongside sliced banana peppers
and tomatoes, cheese, bread, and coff ee. Bread with
butter, jam, and honey might also be served.
Lunch in rural Hungary is traditionally the main
meal of the day and consists of a fi rst course of
soup and then a meat-centric main course, usually
accompanied by potatoes and pickled vegetables.
Dessert could be almas lepény (apple tart), a yeasty
cake, or walnut cake.
Dinner in rural Hungary is typically served
around 7 p.m. and is lighter than lunch. It sometimes
features sweet dishes such as pasta with poppy seeds
or palacsinta (crepes) with apricot jam, sweetened curd cheese, or ground walnuts. Alternatively, it
could be a cold plate, similar to breakfast. Local
wine is typically drunk with dinner. Often, pálinka
(fruit brandy) is drunk before or after dinner.
Paprikás Csirke (Paprika Chicken)
Paprika chicken is one of the most classic of Hungarian
dishes. Named for the large amount of paprika
that goes into the sauce, the paprikás method
can also be applied to veal. In Hungary, this dish is
usually eaten with galuska (or spaetzle-a kind of
ragged noodle made by dropping batter into boiling
water) and a cucumber salad. The best type of
pot to use is a cast iron casserole, but any pot with
a tight-fi tting lid will do. Cooking the chicken with
the skin intact greatly benefi ts the fl avor. For best
results use a high-quality Hungarian sweet paprika.
2 tbsp lard (or oil)
2 large onions, peeled and minced
1½ tsp salt
2-3 tbsp sweet paprika
1 or 2 tomatoes, chopped
2 lb chicken pieces
1 banana pepper, sliced into rings
2 tbsp sour cream, plus more for garnish if desired
1 tbsp fl our
2 tbsp heavy cream
Eating Out
Restaurant culture in Hungary suff ered horribly
during Communism. Businesses were privatized, the
quality was poor, and most people wouldn't have
had the money to eat out even if there were restaurants.
Now, Budapest has a sophisticated restaurant
scene with an increasing number of ethnic eateries
to cater to both foreigners and Hungarians. There
are Western fast-food chains, as well as a few local
Hungarian fast-food chains specializing in fô€„˜zelék .
In the countryside, however, restaurants haven't advanced
as much. Traditional Hungarian restaurants
reign, and the quality is usually not as high.
There are several types of restaurants in Hungary,
but these days the lines between them have
been blurred. An étterem (the most common word
for restaurant) can mean anything from a fancy
white-tablecloth place to a fast-food eatery. Originally
it referred to a more upscale restaurant, but it
has now taken on a more all-encompassing meaning.
Historically, a vendéglô€„˜ was a step down from
an étterem, in terms of both price and decor. It
was the kind of place that served hearty portions
of classic Hungarian food, and now it might still
be decorated with folksy knickknacks and have redand-
white-checked tablecloths.
Étkezdes and kifô€„˜zdes are simple no-frills places
that serve lunch on weekdays, and sometimes Saturdays.
They're usually one-room restaurants with little
decoration and a home-style menu. These types
of restaurants have loyal regulars who share tables
when needed. Coff ee and alcohol are rarely served
since the idea is to eat quickly and leave. The short
menu usually changes daily, off ering a few soups,
ready-made dishes like stew or roasted meat, freshly
prepared dishes like big slabs of fried meat, pickled
salads, fô€„˜zelék, a pasta, and one or two desserts.
There are many simple fast-food stands (büfé),
which are basically snack counters serving basic
things like cold sandwiches, drinks, and sweets. Chinese
buff ets ( kínai büfé ) are ubiquitous and usually
serve Hungarianized Chinese food. Butchers ( húshentesáru
) serve sausage and bread, and possibly
roasted chicken or pork belly, at stand-up counters.
Hungary is also famous for its coff eehouse culture.
A kávéház can be a trendy place serving breakfast,
lunch, and dinner along with an extensive wine
list. Or it can be a classic kávéház where coff ee is
served on silver trays with tiny glasses of mineral
water and the decor is lavish with gold gilt, fancy
plasterwork, and crystal chandeliers. These are the
places that were plentiful at the end of the 19th and
the beginning of the 20th century, popular with
writers, artists, and revolutionaries. During the
1930s the elegant kávéház was replaced by the simpler
eszpresszó (also called presszó ), which was (and
still is) a smoky, unattractive place, serving cheap
alcohol and strong coff ee. Cukrászdas, pastry shops,
are usually small places with a few tiny tables just
big enough for a cup of coff ee and a piece of cake.
A pékség is a bakery, but there are few dedicated
bakeries left, since most people buy their bread in
the supermarkets.
Diet and Health
Like much of central and eastern Europe, Hungary
is struggling with the long-term eff ects of
its traditional diet, as well as of the Communistera
agricultural policies and lifestyles that resulted
in meat-centric and fat-heavy diets. Obesity is the
number-one public health problem in Hungary, according
to studies, with some estimates putting the
number of obese adults at more than 15 percent of
the population.
Both age and location greatly aff ect the way
that Hungarians cook and eat. Hungarians living
in rural areas tend to eat in the most traditional manner and, ironically, often have less access to a
variety of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as the
many organic food shops that stock whole grains,
than Budapest residents do. Although sunfl ower oil
is increasingly being used, pork fat remains heavily
used by many older people who don't take advantage
of healthier options now available.
Age is also an important factor in determining
lifestyle and health. While the older generation is
fairly set in its ways in terms of cooking and eating,
younger Hungarians, particularly those living
in urban areas, are more likely to cook non-Hungarian
and lower-fat recipes. They tend to avoid the
abundance of deep-fried dishes and sugary sweets,
and they like to shop at organic shops and markets
when they can aff ord to.
In addition to the diet, since the fall of Communism,
experts have noted that lifestyles have become
less active-in part due to the easier access to cars
and the arrival of multiple television channels-
with people walking less and not exercising enough.
Alcoholism, too, is a serious health problem in Hungary,
with mortality due to alcoholism three times
higher than the European Union average for males
and 2.5 times higher for females.
