The Eighth Tribe, 1978 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1978-04-01 / 4. szám
Page 4 THE EIGHTH TRIBE April, 1978 HUNGARIAN COOKERY By Marina Polvay Hungary is a small, enchanting country with towering mountains, fertile valleys, and grazing land that seems to stretch into infinity. Lush vines cover terraced hills, and immense orchards grow along wide rivers. The countryside is dotted with small inns and thatch-roofed cottages in which hearty, succulent fare is prepared and served. The cuisine of Hungary is often underrated and misunderstood. It is not comprised solely of gulyás, paprikás, and sauerkraut. Rather, true Hungarian cookery consists of a blend of flavors and techniques inherited from Mongol ancestors and acquired from many cultures. In the ninth century under the banner of Chieftain Árpád, the seven tribes of Magyars traversed the vast Russian steppes, ascended the wild heights of the Carpathian Mountains, and swooped down into the fertile Pannonian plain. Herds of longhorn cattle were driven through the narrow gorges by Mongol horsemen, and they were followed by lumbering wagons and litters carrying noble ladies. The Mongols settled along the shores of the Danube on the site of the Roman camp of Aquincum. There Chief Árpád bade his people to till the soil, raise cattle, and live in peace with their neighbors. The hordes of Genghis Khan who pillaged Hungary in the thirteenth century also left their indelible marks on the country’s gastronomy, but the most significant contribution was made by the Turks, who occupied the land for 150 years. They brought pepper pods, which at first were called Turkish peppers and were used only by the peasants to “pepper up” their simple fare; but quite rapidly the zestful red spice gained popularity and moved to the tables of the upper classes, eventually becoming the most outstanding feature of Hungarian cuisine. The brothers Pálffy, natives of the city of Szeged, were the first to remove the hot ribs from the peppers and produce szegedi édesnemes (noble sweet) or rózsa (rose) paprika. They also began to grade paprika according to its different intensities, ranging from very mild to searing. The pods of Hungarian pepper plants are small, and when ripened they are a bright red-orange color, the trademark of fine paprika. Today, thanks to modern agricultural techniques, the various strengths of pods are grown in separate fields, all hybrids of the original Turkish pepper. In the fifteenth century during the reign of King Matthias and Queen Beatrice, many Mongol dishes benefited from the refinements given them by the queen’s Italian kitchen staff, and several interesting cookbooks providing insight into the evolution of the Magyar cuisine were penned during that period. Dishes from Transylvania were held in great esteem by the aristocracy, and cooks from that mountainous land were at a premium. From Transylvania comes fatányéros, a rather complicated presentation of a mixed grill in which a wooden platter is piled high with sautéed pork chops, small steaks, veal cutlets, lamb chops, and sausages. It is decorated with mounds of rice, sliced beets, parsley, and shredded lettuce and is served flaming. Tokaji fatányéros is a similar creation, but chicken and duck are substituted for the pork and steak.
