Where's the beef? Well, it just might be in the Hungarian Goulash!
Do you remember having stew as a child? I hope you liked it! It sure seems like I used to have lots of stew when I was younger. Think of this as stew, Hungarian style--that's Hungarian Goulash.
Goulash--Gulyás in Hungarian--originates from the word "gulya" meaning herd of cattle or "cowherd". Well, I guess that translation is a good thing since when you think of a cow, you think of beef. You know, I just thought about the word Gulyás--that was actually the last name of my godmother--really!! Hungarian Goulash and Stuffed Cabbage are two Hungarian foods which are top of my list of favorite comfort foods.
I took this picture of Hungarian Goulash during our vacation to Hungary and Romania. It was actually "Made in Hungary," "shot in Hungary," and finally "eaten in Hungary!"Â
Hungarian Goulash :: Made and Eaten in Hungary
How do you feel about Hungarian Goulash?
In a nutshell, what is Hungarian Goulash?
Think of American Stew!
Goulash is similar to American Stew, but I think, much better! It is a hot dish, originally from Hungary, made of beef, onions, red peppers and paprika powder.
In some regions of the United States, the term goulash can be used interchangeably with hot dish and casserole.
It is most often prepared as a stew and served with boiled or mashed potatoes, polenta or dumplings.
What is different about Hungarian cooking?
Hungary is known for its exotic, tasty and spicy food and delicious wine. In general, the preference is for rich and spicy sauces, stews and sweets over rather "drier" dishes. In particular, the liberal use of a few special ingredients which give it its own inimitable and original flavour.
These are first of all red pepper, fresh green peppers and tomatoes, sour cream and lard. The use of lard or goose-fat instead of other forms of fat for cooking is traditional and certainly typical but nowadays more and more Hungarians are worried about the cholesterol content of lard, so often other fats are substituted.
June Meyer's Hungarian Goulash Recipe
Authentic & World Famous
2 lb. beef chuck, 1 tsp. salt, 2 onions, white or yellow, 2 Tbsp. lard or shortening, 2 Tbsp. imported sweet paprika (most important to use real hungarian paprika for ultimate flavor), 2 bay leaves, 1 qt. water, 4 peeled and diced potatoes, 1/4 tsp. black pepper.
- Cut beef into 1 inch squares, add 1/2 tsp. salt. Chop onions and brown in shortening, add beef and paprika. Let beef simmer in its own juice along with salt and paprika for 1 hr. on low heat.
- Add water, diced potatoes and remaining salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done and meat is tender.
- Prepare egg dumpling batter: 1 egg, 6 Tbsp. flour, 1/8 tsp. salt.
- Add flour to unbeaten egg and salt. Mix well. Let stand for 1/2 hour for flour to mellow.
- Drop by teaspoonful into goulash. Cover and simmer 5 minutes after dumplings rise to surface.
- Serve hot with dollops of sour cream. Serves 6.
Hungarian Cuisine Ingredients -- It's in the Goulash
The most well-known specialities of the Hungarian cuisine such as goulash soup, or "Gulyásleves", the different varieties of stew or "pörkölt" etc. are red with paprika.
It should be noted that dishes flavoured with paprika need not be hot. In fact, some of the finest brands of paprika are not strong at all.
Fresh green peppers and tomatoes are also frequently used to flavour these dishes, the essence of which is the same: braise any kind of meat in lard/oil with onions, and season it richly with red pepper.
Sour Cream is an essential ingredient in many Hungarian dishes too. It is a basic ingredient of "paprikash" (any kind of meat or just plain potatoes prepared in paprika sauce, to which sour cream has been added), as well as in many Hungarian vegetable dishes and casserole stews.
Vote for your favorite Hungarian Cuisine Ingredients
I'm stirring the pot and curious as to what your favorite ingredients are from this goulash list! ;-)
1
Paprika
10 points
2
Sour Cream
8 points
3
Garlic
6 points
4
Red Peppers
5 points
5
Dumplings
5 points
6
Green Onions
4 points
7
Potatoes
4 points
8
Bay Leaves
3 points
9
Carrots
2 points
10
Green Peppers
2 points
11
Yellow Peppers
2 points
12
White Asparagus
1 point
Pictures of Hungarian Ingredients
In May 2004, we traveled to the famous spa town Heviz, arriving for a special street festival. Vendors displayed their carts of these beautiful vegetables, including red and yellow peppers, garlic, green onions, carrots, and white asparagus.
HevizRP
HevizYP
HevizOnions
HevizGarlic
Paprika: Hungarian Goulash Spice
Also known as the pepper fruit.
Paprika, Capsicum annuum, is a sweet-to-mildly hot cultivar of the chile pepper of the family Solanaceae. It is cultivated for its fruit, which are dried and used as a spice or seasoning. C.annuum is a native of South America; however it is cultivated most extensively in Hungary.
The English word was borrowed directly from Hungarian, which in turn borrowed the term from the adjacent Slavic peoples.
Kalocsa Sweet Hungarian Style Paprika
Reese Kalocsa Sweet Hungarian Style Paprika, 5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)
Amazon Price: $25.85 (as of 07/12/2009) 
Facts about Paprika
- Hungary is famous for this spice.
- Paprikas produced especially in Kalocsa on the Danube and Szeged on the Tisza are the best in the world.
- The rose paprika, made from choice dark red pods that have a sweet flavour and aroma, is generally considered the finest variety.
- A sharper Hungarian variety, Koenigspaprika, or king's paprika, is made from the whole pepper.
- Hungarian paprika is characterized by a hotter taste, achieved in recent times by adding hot, red capsicum pepper to ground paprika.
- Its bright colour makes it an excellent garnish for nonsweet, light-coloured foods.
- It is especially associated with Hungarian cuisine and is essential for such hot, spicy, Hungarian stew dishes as gulyás (called goulash in the United States), pörkölt, paprikás, and tokány.
Paprika used in Hungarian Goulash has Vitamin C !
It is good for you
Paprika is noted for its high vitamin C content (150-250 mg/100 g). In fact, vitamin C was first isolated by Hungarian scientist Albert Szent-Györgyi from Hungarian paprika.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1937
"for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to vitamin C and the catalysis of fumaric acid."
A special lens on Paprika!
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Paprika -- Hungarian Spice
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I've been using Paprika for quite some time, well before I could drive a car. In fact, I even remember as a child adding it to my oatmeal ... today I wouldn't recommend that but I have seen friends adding it to their scrambled eggs! My grandmother u...
Buy a Hungarian Cookbook!
June Meyer is the recommended choice!
June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
The Hungarian Cookbook
Amazon Price: $13.26 (as of 07/12/2009)
Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks (Hippocrene Cookbook Library)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
Cooking the Hungarian Way: Revised and Expanded to Include New Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks)
Amazon Price: $20.20 (as of 07/12/2009)
Art of Hungarian Cooking (Hippocrene International Cookbook Classics)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
Cooking Hungarian Goulash?
Here are a few excellent choices for a good cooking pot!
This reliable vessel from Le Creuset features the manufacturer's signature combination of cast iron and coated enamel. The piece not only retains and distributes heat evenly; its strong surface resists scratches, stains, and the damaging effects of regular household use. The accompanying round lid fits evenly with its base and traps in moisture to preserve flavor. A black, Phenolic knob centered on its surface resists heating while two loop handles flank the main body and facilitate transport. Hand washing is recommended and each Le Creuset cast iron product comes with a lifetime warranty.
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Round French Oven with Cover
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round French Oven, Cherry Red
Amazon Price: $269.95 (as of 07/12/2009)
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round French Oven, Cobalt Blue
Amazon Price: $269.95 (as of 07/12/2009)
Le Creuset Round French Oven
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 7-1/4-Quart Round Dutch Oven, Dijon
Amazon Price: $269.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
Other Goulash Recipes
I've selected a few for you to try!
- Amanda's Hungarian Goulash
- Hungarian goulash from www.cdkitchen.com.
- Chuck Taggert's Hungarian Goulash
- Chuck's recipe is worth trying.
- Cooks.com List of Recipes
- Cooks.com has a special Hungarian goulash recipe.
- My House and Garden
- Yet another recipe to try!
- Susannah's Hungarian Goulash
- Last, but not least, Susannah's recipe.
Hungarian Restaurant
Goulash Info
- Goulash Defined
- Free information from Wikipedia Encyclopedia.
- Hungarian Cooking
- What is different about Hungarian Cooking?
- June Meyer Recipe
- The official June Meyer recipe page.
- The Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Papers
- Read about the discovery of Vitamin C content in Paprika!
"Goulash" pictures
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Austrian Goulash
P3010114
Got a Great Goulash Recipe?
Do you have a great goulash recipe? Maybe you know of a great restaurant that serves Hungarian goulash? Or, have you been to Hungary and experienced the cuisine? I'd love you to take a moment and tell me about it. Thanks!
Oh, want to know more about June Meyer? I'd say she's an example of the power of word of mouth!
AndyPo wrote...
Excellent. I like to make Goulash for my "other-half" (She's Russian, but lived in Hungary as a child and can't cook)
Posted May 22, 2009
honlapseo wrote...
Do you want to seo for Hungarian Goulash in Google? Honlap Keres%u0151optimalizálás agency is a leading Hungary-based search engine optimization services. We specialize in gastronomy seo, so visit our website.
Posted April 18, 2009
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More great LeCreuset Cast-Iron
Decorative Serving Plate
The Hungarians are known for their pottery and fabulously-decorated stoneware such as those from Kalocsa. The word Kalocsa originates from the Latin "colocae," literally meaning "made from mud."
We found these plates at the street festival in Heviz, Hungary. What a beautiful serving plate for presenting Hungarian goulash.
I've found similar plates also available on eBay! Imagine that.
Hungarian Herend Porcelain
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
I love Kalocsa!
I Love Kalocsa Keychain
Amazon Price: $2.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
I Love Kalocsa Mug
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/12/2009)
I Love Kalocsa Long Sleeve T-shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
I Love Kalocsa T-shirt
Amazon Price: (as of 07/12/2009)
A special lens on Kalocsa
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Kalocsa -- Hungarian Folk Art
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The Hungarians are known for their pottery and fabulously-decorated stoneware such as those from Kalocsa. My first introduction to Kalocsa pottery was in a small Hungarian city of Heviz. We stopped for a one-week stay at Club Dobogomajor. ...
Hey Goulash Lovers!
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