What Food to Eat in Hungary? Hungarian Cuisine & Beers

Hungary is a fantastic destination for food and beer lovers, with great cuisine and beer. Hungarian food is delicious and includes goulash, Hungary’s national dish, and chicken paprikas.

Many other Hungarian restaurant dishes are flavoured with paprika. For those who enjoy spicy food, food markets stock some really tasty, hot paprika. The blog post covers my culinary and beer o’clock journey through the country.

Food To Try in Hungary – Hungarian Cuisine

You have many options for food while visiting Hungary, including many traditional dishes. These are foods I’ve tried and enjoyed during my many visits.

Paprika: The National Spice

Paprika is Hungary’s national spice and has been used in Hungarian cuisine since the early 19th century. You can get paprika in a variety of strengths, including hot varieties. Many traditional dishes served in restaurants use paprika in the cooking.

Some also have it as a condiment on the table. I often add the hot one for an extra kick. A good place to buy some to take home is the Central Market Hall in Budapest. I’ve enjoyed some with really deep flavours and others that are extremely hot.

Goulash. Gulyás

Goulash is a dish that’s popular on restaurant menus throughout Central Europe. However, it originated in Hungary. Goulash, or gulyás, is a delicious, hearty soup or stew that shepherds ate. Early versions of goulash didn’t include paprika.

Goulash ingredients include diced beef, onions, paprika, tomatoes, and other vegetables. It also includes seasonings such as garlic and bay leaves. They cook goulash slowly over low heat, allowing the flavours to blend and the meat to become very tender. In Hungarian restaurants, it is served with dumplings, potatoes, bread, or pasta.

Chicken Paprikas

Another dish that is prevalent in restaurants and cafes is chicken paprikas. The name of the dish comes from the generous amount of paprika used in the cooking process. Meat is simmered with a paprika-spiced roux. This comes in either mild or spicy versions; personally, I enjoy it with a bit of a kick. They typically serve this with egg noodles, which are great for soaking up the sauce and are quite filling.

Halaszle: A Spicy Fish Soup

Similar to goulash soup is halaszle, which was traditionally made by fishermen with fish instead of meat. Typically, halaszle is spiced with hot paprika and tastes delicious. They usually add a few types of freshwater fish from the Danube.

This includes pike, perch, carp and other freshwater fish. The soup is more popular in the Danube regions, and there are various variations. We enjoyed various cities in Hungary. They usually serve this in a bowl; however, some restaurants serve it in a heated cauldron.

Langos

Lángos is a Hungarian food and a great option for lunch on the go. You can find it in a variety of takeaways and some cafes too. It is a deep-fried flatbread topped with various ingredients. I’ve enjoyed a few; however, the combination of garlic, sour cream and cheese hit the spot for me.

Near many attractions in the country, you are not far from a food truck selling langos. The best langos I’ve eaten was in the food market in Pécs. Langos seems to be popular further afield, and I have seen Langos bars in various countries, including Austria and Croatia.

Meggyleves: A Cold Cherry Soup

A dish I wasn’t expecting to become a favourite was meggyleves. Meggyleves is a cold, sour cherry soup. I happened upon it while trying a cheap set lunch menu on a boat in Győr. Meggyleves is a slightly sweet soup made with sour cream, sugar and whole fresh sour cherries. They serve the dish chilled. Meggyleves originated in Hungary; however, the soup is now a summer speciality of various European countries. A bonus for me is that cherries help with a health condition I have.

Hungarian Venison Stew – The Christmas Special

Another traditional dish I enjoyed eating was a Hungarian venison stew in Szigliget. They cook the venison stew with juniper berries and red wine, and it tastes fantastic. Apparently, this is a staple of Christmas dinners in Hungary; however, I was delighted to try it in a restaurant. Again, this is slow-cooked like all stews, and when I enjoyed it, they served it with potatoes and a nice blueberry jam. Thinking about it, it had a Christmassy tone.

Lecsó

Lecsó is a thick vegetable sauce that I’ve enjoyed added to various meats at meals out. One delicious use was at a restaurant in Balaton, where I had a chunky beef steak. They called it Hungarian beef steak, but on investigation, it was steak with lecsó. They traditionally make lecso with yellow peppers, tomato, onion, salt, and various types of paprika. It’s certainly an interesting sauce and tastes great.

Cheese

There are various ways to enjoy the local cheese varieties. When dining out, we often share a cheese board to try them. These are usually well presented and offer a good range of cheeses.

If you’re staying somewhere longer and have a fridge, the local food markets are great for picking up locally produced cheeses. They do both hard and soft cheeses, including Rögös túró, which is like cottage cheese. I prefer hard cheese, and Ranolder certainly did it for me.

Pörkölt – Beef Stew

Another hearty dish to enjoy in Hungary is pörkölt, a beef stew. They make pörkölt with meat, onion, and sweet paprika powder. Variations include tomatoes, tomato purée, green pepper, marjoram, and garlic. Although I enjoyed the beef version, substitute meats are acceptable, including pork. I found this a good value and filling; the dish was packed with flavour and thicker and meatier than many goulash options.

Fried Freshwater Fish

Fried fish is a staple of menus in the Balaton region. We enjoyed a few platters of these at various restaurants, sharing them. They are often served with salad and fries, so it hit the spot for me, as I was missing my British fish and chips. They deep-fry various breaded fish. We tried carp, trout, perch, and salmon in this style.

Sausages

I really enjoyed the Hungarian sausages that I ate while travelling. I tried them in various places, including a fine-dining restaurant, where I enjoyed a trio. Supermarket rotisserie counters also sell a fantastic variety, which makes for good, cheap lunches.

They have various spicy versions infused with paprika. One I particularly enjoyed was Hurka, a sausage that had the flavours of haggis, a favourite of mine. The ingredients are similar, too.

Magyaros libamáj – Goose Liver

I enjoyed Magyaros libamáj while in Hungary. It translates to Hungarian goose liver. You will find various goose options when dining out in the country. They cooked the goose liver with bacon, onion, tomato and paprika, and it tasted good. They served this with thinly cut potato chips, a popular side in Hungarian cuisine.

Sweet & Savoury Baked Goods

Bakeries throughout the country offer great budget options. You can choose either savoury or sweet options that are good value. Langos and pizza are both popular in local bakeries.

Strudels are also popular, with a variety of fruits included. Dobos torte is another sweet option that I’ve tried in Hungary. It is basically a sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream. There seems to always be something new to try every time I visit a bakery in the country.

Charcuterie – Hungarian Cold Plate – Hidegtal

Hidegtal is another pleasant option to eat, usually served as a starter and can be shared. This is a Hungarian cold plate or charcuterie board. We’ve enjoyed these in various places, and the cold-meat and sausage options vary by restaurant.

They mostly feature pork products. This includes ham slices, salami, and cured sausages, some of which are paprika-spiced. They often pair cheese and salad with cold plates, making for an excellent meal. You can also create your own version with produce from the food markets when you visit.

Other Hungarian Food Enjoyed

Some of the other dishes I enjoyed in Hungary’s markets and restaurants.

• Beetroot and goat’s cheese soup
• Beef Tongue
• Dumplings
• Peasant Pork
• Garlic Soup

Hungarian Beers

There are many refreshing, tasty options for Hungarian beer. This includes mainstream beers popular across the country. There are also some great craft beer options to try.

Pecsi Sor: A Delicious Beer

My favourite beer so far on my adventures in Hungary is Pecsi Sor, a beer from Pecs. Pecsi Sor beer is very flavourful and is a fantastic afternoon drink. Pecs Brewery also makes pale ale and wheat beer, both of which are delightful.

The history of the city’s beers can be traced back to the city’s Franciscan monastery, which began operations in 1301. However, the Pecs brewery has been running since the mid-19th century.

Soproni A Classic Lager Beer

A regular in my glass in the bars of the country is Soproni Lager Beer. It’s a refreshing beer, one of the oldest and most popular in Hungary. Soproni beer is from the city of Sopron, which is in the west of the country. Merchants of the town, with help from a brewery in Brno, founded the brewery in 1895. After changing hands a few times, the brewery is owned by Heineken.

Another nice beer they do is Soproni 1895, which is slightly stronger than the regular beer at 5.3%. They also have a brown beer in their repertoire. Overall, it’s a popular beer for good reasons and a great option for summer drinking.

Dreher Gold

Another popular beer is Dreher Gold, which tastes good and is a value option. Dreher Gold is a traditional Hungarian pilsner-style premium lager. It’s quite crisp, thus great on a hot day. In addition to Dreher Gold, they have a good variety of beers to choose from. This includes red ale, pale ale and some fruity variants.

The Dreher brewery is based in Budapest and has been brewing since 1854. In 1854, it was named Kőbányai Sör before being purchased by Austrian beer magnate Anton Dreher, who was known as “The King of Beer”. Since then, it has had many owners, the current being Asahi Breweries from Japan.

Borsodi

Another pleasant beer option is Borsodi, a crisp lager beer. This is widely available throughout the country and comes in both draught and bottle form. It’s a relatively new brewery, founded in 1973 during the communist era. Since then, it has been privatised. It is currently owned by the Molson Coors Brewing Company.

In addition to its popular lager, Borsodi produces a stronger option, Borsodi Bivaly, at 6.5%. They also have a non-alcoholic version, an amber beer and a strong German-style beer. Overall, a great drink that is widely available.

Arany Aszok

A beer I didn’t come across often was Arany Aszok, which translates to “Golden Aces.” Arany Aszok is a pilsner-style beer brewed by the Dreher Brewery. The brand started in 1924; however, it was discontinued during the communist era. They brought Arany Aszok back into production in 1989. It’s a delicious beer with a slightly malty taste and some hoppy flavours. Overall, it was a good beer and seemed to be a slower drink for me.

First Craft Beer

Another range of craft beers I enjoyed in Hungary was those produced by First Craft Beer. They have a lovely bar in Budapest to showcase their wares. First Craft Beer is a new brewery that they established in 2016. They brew a variety of beers, including modern beer options. I particularly enjoyed their Belgian Witbier and pilsner.

Where to Enjoy Hungarian Cuisine & Drinks?

We’ve spent quite a bit of time in Hungary and enjoyed lots of meals and beers out. Thus, here are a few guides for good places to eat or drink out.

• Budapest restaurants – Various places to enjoy traditional cuisine in the capital.
• Keszthely Restaurants – Some fantastic places to eat out in the town on the shore of Lake Balaton.
• Győr Restaurants – Places to enjoy dining out in the city and some great places for beers.
• Pecs Restaurants – Some fantastic places for food, including some modern places to dine out.
• Sopron Eateries – I really enjoyed the meals in the city on the Austrian border.