6 of the Best Hungarian Dishes You Need to Try

Hungarian cuisine features signature dishes such as goulash and chicken paprikash and has been influenced by ethnic groups throughout Europe. The country’s climate, with frigid winters and hot summers, also plays a role in the eating habits of its residents.

In-season vegetables, such as carrots, beets, cabbage, and bell peppers, are often prepared together to make a hearty vegetable stew, serving as a main course. Pickled or seasoned vegetables, meanwhile, often accompany main dishes, which usually feature pork or preserved meats. Téliszalámi, an aged, smoked, and fermented pork sausage with various herbs, is considered a national treasure.

Here’s a look at six authentically Hungarian dishes.

1. Lángos

If you’re strolling the streets of Budapest, keep an eye out for street vendors selling lángos. The popular street food is a crispy, deep-fried pastry that is typically topped with garlic, sour cream, and shredded cheese. The origins of lángos date back hundreds of years, when Hungarians would use the leftover clumps of bread dough stuck to the kneading bowl to prepare flatbread. Because it didn’t take as long to cook, people would often eat it while waiting for the bread to bake in the oven.

The fried variation that is popular today was first served in Hungarian restaurants in the 1950s. It’s also a common beach food and its popularity has spread to other countries, including Czechia, Slovakia, and Austria, where it is sold at markets and festivals.

2. Gulyás

The traditional stew of Hungary and arguably the dish most people associate with the European country, goulash, or gulyás, has been a regional staple since the 9th century, when Magyar shepherds would slow-cook meat and onions until all liquid was absorbed. They would then dry the stew in the sun and travel with it in bags made of sheep’s stomach. They added water when it was time to eat. Paprika, a signature spice in Hungary and an integral component of modern gulyás, has been part of the recipe since the 18th century.

There are many variations of the dish, which is technically a stew but more brothy and without as many vegetables. It’s usually made with stewing beef cooked in pork lard or butter and includes garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes. Székely gulyás is a variation that features pork and sauerkraut instead of beef, while Gulyásleves is a goulash soup.

3. Csirkepaprikás

Chicken paprikash, or csirkepaprikás, is another one of Hungary’s signature dishes. Like goulash, the dish is heavy on paprika, usually at least 3 or 4 tablespoons for a family meal. It also starts by browning the chicken in a pot with pork lard. The chicken is later poached in chicken broth with onions, garlic, tomato, and paprika. A mixture of flour and sour cream is added to the sauce to create a creamy comfort dish that is usually served with dumplings or egg noodles. Veal is a common substitute for chicken.

4. Halászlé

Another dish that is heavy on paprika, halászlé, also known as fisherman’s soup, is a hot and spicy bowl of comfort that usually includes catfish filets or tender carp. It’s commonly consumed by Hungarian families as part of Christmas Eve dinner, but it can be eaten at any time. The broth is made of fish trimmings, including skin, fins, and bones, simmered with tomatoes, red onions, and other vegetables for about two hours before the paprika and filets are added.

The spicy soup received its name from its origins of fishermen making it along riverbanks in kettles over an open fire. They would typically eat it straight out of the kettle with a serving of bread. Like most dishes in Hungary, there are regional variations, one of which features egg noodles. The dish is also popular in Croatia and Germany.

5. Töltött Káposzta

Many Eastern European countries have variations of stuffed cabbage leaves. In Hungary, töltött káposzta is the go-to dish. The cabbage leaves are first cooked and pickled before being filled with minced pork, rice and, of course, lots of paprika. It’s another dish that is often featured during the holiday season.

Töltött káposzta is a healthy alternative for hortobagyi palacsinta, also called meat pancakes. The concept for the latter is the same, but the filling is usually made from a mix of chicken or beef and vegetables and wrapped in a thin pancake instead of pickled cabbage. These are baked in the oven and served with a creamy paprika sauce and sour cream.

6. Jókai Bableves

A robust and hearty soup commonly consumed during the winter, jókai bableves is pinto bean soup with crispy sausages, smoked pork, egg noodles, and root vegetables. It’s usually served with a dollop of sour cream and is perfect for frigid winter nights. Mór Jókai, a famous Hungarian writer who wrote romantic novels and was a key figure in the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, is the soup’s namesake. He often ordered it at a Balatonfüred restaurant, which eventually renamed the dish in his honor.