Food and Drink in Hungary

Compared to the other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Hungary has several national dishes that are well-known throughout the West, and Hungarian food, in general, tends to be more flavorful and varied.

It’s still a meat-and-potatoes based diet, though, so vegetarians will have some difficulty.

Goulash (called gulyas in Hungarian), fish soup, and various paprika-laden concoctions are staples in the Hungarian diet.

If you stay in Budapest, there are plenty of different kinds of restaurants to choose from – Italian, Thai, vegetarian, etc. Cooking at home, on the other hand, will limit your choices because grocery stores, even in the big city, are not consistently well-stocked with different items from the various food groups.

Teetotalers are a rare breed in Hungary. Liquor such as vodka and apricot brandy, beer, and red wine are consumed in great quantities. In fact, Hungary is famous the world over for both red wine and a sweet, dessert wine called Tokaji.

“I couldn’t believe it. Many of the pubs in Budapest already were busy by eight-thirty in the morning. Even some of the construction workers were chugging on big bottles of beer well before noon.”