Gastronomy

FLAVOURS IN THE CENTRAL DANUBE CIRCLE

TRIPE STEW OF DUNAPATAJ

Dunapataj is one of Hungary’s tripe stew centres. Over the course of several decades, this is where master butcher József Gyimesi (1921-1991) experimented with, cooked and sold his excellent tripe stew, which became famous throughout the country. In Dunapataj, tripe cooking means the preparation of tripe stew, since no other type (e.g. soup) is prepared locally from tripe, only stew. The dish has been cooked with great pleasure and care for years, and a national competition is held annually between enterprising, tripe-loving cooks in memory of the master. The tripe-stewing event has become a festive occasion and is known as part of the Autumn in Pataj village days of Dunapataj. In the meantime, tripe stewing has been shifted to the Saturday of the festival organized by the Circle of the Inhabitants of Pataj and the Local Government of the Large Village of Dunapataj, so the various entertainment and cultural events precede and follow the gastronomic competition, which is traditionally based on tripe stewing and a tripe stew competition. The tradition of cooking tripe stew in Dunapataj is a recognised national value and is part of the Depository of Bács-Kiskun County.

GROUND SEASONING PAPRIKA OF KALOCSA

The secret of the internationally-renowned, seasoning paprika of Kalocsa, with its special taste, flavour and redness, is mainly due to the favourable climate, warm and sunny summers, and nutrient-rich soils. Kalocsa’s first paprika mill in was built in 1861 and by 1900 three such mills were in operation with 12 pairs of mill stones. The modern paprika mills in Kalocsa were built at the beginning of the 20th century. In the Kalocsa region, all paprika mills used pairs of mill stones, which were powered by steam engines at the end of the 19th century and by diesel engines and electric motors in the 20th century. In addition, the number of watermills on the Danube was also significant. The ground paprika protected by the designation of origin is grown in the Kalocsa seasoning paprika growing region. The product is dark red, has a velvety effect and a pleasant spicy aroma, similar to caramelized roast seeds. It tastes sweetish and fruity.

In the last century, paprika became one of the most famous Hungarian specialities, making the names of Bács-Kiskun County and Kalocsa known far away. It is one of the most important spices in stew, sausage and székely cabbage, which satisfies its consumers from weekdays to holidays, throughout a year and a lifetime.

KÁCSI (PAPRIKA MILK LOAF) OF KALOCSA

Everyone likes sweet milk loaves, but the kácsi (milk loaf) of Kalocsa is really special. True, it may seem surprising at first, but the sugary-red pepper filling in the sweet, soft milk loaf dough guarantees a harmony of flavours beyond imagination. The deservedly famous paprika of Kalocsa, the redness and flavour of which are the most intense in this region, have contributed to preserving this local speciality for posterity and conquering other regions. The paprika-filled milk bread is light brown, matt, about 35 cm long, 10 cm wide and 5 cm high, and has an oval cross-section and a weight of 750 to 800 grams. A bright red filling is visible between the yellowish-white, soft, springy dough, which is cut open and rolled up in a spiral. In and around Kalocsa, this local milk bread is part of everyday meals to this day and is usually offered as a second course after a rich soup. It is best eaten fresh, but it is still enjoyable the next day. The paprika-filled milk bread is a type of cake still baked at home and typically placed on the family table to increase the assortment, in addition to other kinds of stuffed milk bread. (Source: www.bacskiskun.hu; Joint publication of FVM Magyar Közösségi Agrármarketing Centrum Kht. and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Traditions – Tastes – Regions, Budapest, 2002)

GARLIC OF BÁTYA

The garlic of Bátya originates from a family selection, is mainly planted in autumn, has eight to ten cloves and is basically white, sometimes purplish in colour. It has a high (36-38%) organic matter content and an intense flavour. The seed stem appears rarely, mainly after a cold spring. It has a medium shelf life and is suitable for fresh consumption until February.

The municipalities of Sárköz near the Danube (Kalocsa and area) have been noted for their vegetable growing since the Middle Ages. The interesting thing about its cultivation, up until the 20th century, is that all varieties of vegetables were grown not only in gardens, but mostly on arable land. By the 18th century, the growing of onions and garlic in Bátya was expanding, overtaking the production of some of the villages further north, which had been still leading during the Turkish occupation. By the 20th century, the centre of garlic production had shifted to Bátya, although Foktő remained a significant centre next to it. Nowadays, in addition to traditional weaving, garlic is offered by the residents of Bátya in several versions in the market and on wooden racks by the roadside. Garlic baskets are decorated with cherry or ‘pencil’ paprika and garlic bulbs are mixed with pointed paprika.

Garlic is also eaten fresh in the region with bread, bacon and ham. It is an important seasoning, indispensable in traditional households. It plays a major role in the development of the taste, characteristic to the region, of food made from the pork of pigs raised in family farms and sausages preserved by smoking. It is often used fresh in garlands and processed together with other important crops of the region, the pointed and cherry paprika. (Source: Joint publication of FVM Magyar Közösségi Agrármarketing Centrum Kht. and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Traditions – Tastes – Regions, Budapest, 2002)

MÁRC (NATURAL SYRUP) OF SZEKSZÁRD

Márc is a type of syrup made from honey and sugar and is completely free of artificial additives. It was a popular soft drink for centuries, made and sold by gingerbread bakers. This beekeeping by-product was previously so well known that there were some towns where beekeepers paid their taxes with it. The tradition of this natural syrup has been revived today in the seat of Tolna County.

József Petrits (1873-1936) was a gingerbread master, who perfected his skills by visiting several European countries in order to make the first glass of Szekszárd márc. Today, his descendants use the ancient recipe to make this syrup with its excellent flavour in honour of traditions. Márc is extremely versatile. Previously, it could be obtained in diluted form, chilled with ice. Now it is sold as a concentrate, so while it can be consumed diluted in soft drinks, it also offers countless other options to give life more flavour and sweetness. (Source: www.kincsestolnamegye.hu)

BOGYISZLÓ PAPRIKA

One of the noted specialties of Bogyiszló is its paprika. After the floodplain forests had been felled, both hot paprika and seasoning paprika could be grown in their place under excellent conditions.

For the people of Tolna County, the name Bogyiszló paprika is widely known as the apple-shaped, flattened spherical, slightly ribbed, thick-fleshed, yellowish white variety with red fruit when fully ripe. It has a pleasantly hot taste and is perfect for pickling in addition to fresh consumption. The cultivation of paprika in this district was of great national importance, as evidenced by the fact that a separate variety of paprika was later named after the village, the fruit of which is tapered, its flesh being white and hot-tasting. Today it is marketed under the name ‘improved Bogyiszló paprika’. It is a continuously growing, spread-out, 40-centimetre-tall plant. The fruit reaches a weight of 50-55 grams. It develops quickly, tolerates drought well and is suited for outdoor cultivation.

PAKS FISH SOUP

Paks, as a former fishing village, is legendary for its fish soup. In the 1940s, the Fishermen’s Tavern of Dunakömlőd originally began operating as a roadside inn. Since the 1950s, it has been operating as a fish tavern. It obtained its current form in 1965. The Fisherman’s Tavern of Paks was built in 1968 at the foot of an about 60-metre-high loess hill. Both taverns are easily accessible from Trunk Road No 6.

Passers-by can taste the traditional fish soup in both places. The cooks work with fish native to Hungary. Most of the dishes are made from carp, grey catfish, pikeperch, sterlet and frog. The traditional fish soup of Paks is primarily carp fish soup, but it is also made from grey catfish. The secret of Paks fish soup of is that special attention is paid to the outstanding quality of the fish. Fully ripe onions with dry outer skin, selected crushed sweet red paprika, pure salt and high quality water are used for its preparation, as these five factors are key. It is very important that no flavour enhancers, food flavours or dyes are used in its preparation. A small amount of tomato is added to the fish soup, not because of its taste, but because of the acidity of tomatoes, to ensure that the fish does not fall apart during cooking. There are two variants of making the local fish soup. One of them is when a thick stock is first prepared using the onion, fish heads and tails. This is cooked for an hour and a half to two hours, after which the fish slices are put in. The other variant is a distinct custom in Paks: everything is added at once (for proportions, 1 kg of fish to 1 litre of water) and after 25 minutes from boiling the fish soup is ready! The dish is accompanied by noodles and fresh bread. The locals of Paks especially like to eat fish soup with pasta. (Source: József Wolf, www.dunakomlodi-halaszcsarda.hu, www.paksihalaszcsarda.hu)

LARD STRUDEL OF DUNAKÖMLŐD

This originally Swabian dish now has a long tradition in Dunakömlőd. The strudel made from pig lard is traditionally filled with carrots and cabbage. In the village the recipe for strudel making passed from grandmother to mother and from mother to daughter. It is a very popular dish, the basic dough can actually be filled with anything that happens to be in the pantry. The strudel does not dry out and the fillings inside give it a delicious taste due to the lard. Two types of flour, salt, sugar, fatty sour cream, eggs and soda water form the basis of the dough and the pig lard mixed with flour is added to it. After several periods of proving, the dough is stretched until it is paper thin, then added to this are steamed carrots grown in the garden or steamed salted cabbage. The assembled strudels are smeared with sour cream and then placed in the oven for baking. Among the finished strudels, the one with carrot stuffing is powdered with castor sugar before being put on the table.

An enthusiastic community called Ízörző Porta (Taste-preserving House) is active in the village, which works in the re-creation and preparation of Swabian dishes à la Dunakömlőd. The charming Ízőrző Porta set up on a building plot revives the old recipes used to this day by the women of Kömlőd.

POTATO DUMPLING SOUP OF GYÖRKÖNY

For the residents of Györköny, ‘Dumpling Day’ traditionally falls on Monday. In the life of the villagers, potato dumpling soup is a very typical dish, which is placed on the table weekly. It is cheap and easy to make, which is why it is very popular. The tradition of potato dumpling soup comes from the old days. On Sundays, families ate meat, but at that time it was not like today when the leftovers are eaten for lunch on Monday. The families were so big (with six to eight members) that the one hen or duck put on the table was eaten on Sunday. Thus Monday became the day of dumpling cooking, the liquid of which can be eaten with the dumplings. The main course, however, is the dumplings themselves, which are consumed by the locals primarily with pickles and secondly with Hungarian ratatouille. In the summer season, potato dumplings are eaten with salad and in winter, with pickles. Among the pickles, a favourite companion is marc paprika, which men bring home from the Cellar Hill.

During its preparation, bacon is diced, fried nicely until red and is used to boil the potato noodles. For four persons, four potatoes are taken, which are cooked in salted water. Some water is added to the liquid of the potatoes and it is flavoured with spices, green parsley and carrots, but of course there is also a little potato left in it, such that the soup becomes even more delicious. Before it is finished, its top is sprinkled with red paprika.

Until the soup boils, the dumpling dough is prepared: flour is sifted on the mashed potatoes, and they are seasoned with a little salt and mixed. The hot fat of the fried bacon is added to this mixture, and dumplings are formed after bacon cracklings and one egg are added. The bacon greaves also remain in the dough, which look like raisins in the dumplings. Only hot fat is added to it today, but the original potato dumplings contain the bacon greaves as well. The warm dumplings are put into the boiling soup, which is quickly cooked. It is ready when the dumplings float on the top of the soup. One of the prepared dumplings is served with the soup and the rest are eaten with the above-mentioned side dishes.

BÖLCSKE CELLAR STEW

The cellar stew of Bölcske is based on much meat, pork, beef and mutton being the most characteristic. The ‘cellar’ qualifier is used with the ‘stew’ because wine is added to the food, which in Bölcske would commonly be either red or dark rosé (siller) wine. The dish is traditionally prepared for pre-wedding stag parties. The tradition stems from the fact that, in preparation for the wedding, farmers who kept animals at home (which used to be the case in almost every household) slaughtered them, following which most of the meat was used for the wedding dishes, while the remaining small pieces were cooked in the stag party stew, so that nothing was wasted. Today, this dish is prepared almost every time there are events held in Bölcske.

Like all stews, the preparation of the cellar stew is one of the longest processes. Preparations begin with the dicing of meat. Since it is prepared with a variety of meats, it is necessary to pay attention to the cooking time of each meat: the pork will cook the fastest, it will take a little more time for the beef, but in the case of mutton it can take up to 3 to 4 hours to soften. From this point of view, during the preparation, the mutton must be cut into very small pieces and its bony part is put first in the stew, then the beef is put in about an hour later and finally the pork, which is cooked for an additional hour and a half. After the meats are dealt with, the onions are chopped and garlic is sliced. The frying of the onions is started on the fat. Red paprika is also added, the colour of which is better preserved in such a way. This is followed by finely diced tomatoes and paprika. The onions do not need to be cut into very small slices because they will fall apart during the 3 to 4-hour cooking and with that the dish will perhaps be even thicker. After preparation of the Hungarian ratatouille base, the cut up meat is put into the cooking pot in the appropriate order and at the right intervals. Then comes the seasoning: the base spice is cumin, pepper and salt, which are added several times to the pot, and it is also flavoured with cayenne pepper and rosemary. At the very end of the cooking, the right amount of red or dark rosé wine is added, which gives the cellar stew its characteristic taste. Once the alcohol content has evaporated, the cellar stew is ready. After letting it rest briefly, you can eat it with fresh bread and homemade pickles. (Source: www.izorzok.hu)