Magyar Hírek, 1985 (38. évfolyam, 2-26. szám)
1985-12-28 / 25-26. szám
IT Relics of the Árpád Dynasty A long queu in front of the National Museum —thousands were waiting for admittance to an exhibition of Insignia and Relics of the Rulers of the House of Árpád. This is the first time that these relics were shown together in a Hungarian museum. The National Museum has been the permanent home of the Crown and the regalia since they were returned to Hungary in 1978, Saint Stephen, the King’s Right Hand is a relic in the parish church of the Lipótváros district of Budapest, his sarcophagus is in Székesfehérvár, the henn of Saint Ladislas containing his skull is in the cathedral at Győr, the royal head sculpted of red linestone of Piszke, which was found at Kalocsa, among the ruins of the cathedral is in the Museum of Fine Arts etc. in the past the Crown was rarely on view. Saint Stephen’s Right Hand had never before been shown except in a liturgical context. Cardinal László Lékai, the Archbishop of Esztergom, kindly gave permission for the holy relic to he shown jin a museum. The insignia, objects land relics shown were lent by ten Hungarian museums. f looked the slightly bent cross of the Crown, the golden embroidery the Byzantine cloth of the coronation mantle, the reliquiary of Saint Stephen’s Right Hand, made of guild - ed silver and polished glass, and our international relations come into my mind, the interaction that enabled us to enrich European culture, and Europe to enrich the culture of a nation that spoke a language' unrelated to any of its neighbours. The lower part of the Crown is of Byzantine origin. The coronation mantle was embroidered by Greek nuns in the Valley of Veszprém, or - if the latest theories are correct — in Regensburg. The rock crystal of the royal sceptre embellished with three lions in an A rub masterpiece of Islamic origin worked in Egypt. The sword was made in Venice in the early part of the 14th century. The sarcophagus of Saint Stephen (a masterly copy, since it would not have been possible to drug the original up the stabs of tin National Museum) is the work of Hungarian hands, but in fact a recurved ancient Roman sarcophagus. Inter-action, entwining, meetings of ages and ideas contacts with other nations, and adjustment to Europe. The message is still valid. The family-tree of the House of Árpád was also on display. Our national dynasty was related to all of the ruling families of Europe, those of Scotland, Poland, Bohemia, France Spain and Serbia, to Habsburgs and Wittelsbach, to several noble Byzantine families. Hungarian' history is European history. The destinies of individuals and nations are indivisible. Saint Stephen’s sword is now in Blague, Saint Elizabeth’s private altar in Now York, and a Princess of the Árpád dynasty, who took the veil is buried in Toss, in a small mountain village in Switzerland. The Right Hand of Saint Stephen was missing, when his tomb was opened in 1083. A monk by the name of Mercurius took it to his estate in County Bihar, and named a village after it. Having spent my childhood at Nagyvárad J have visited that memorable place a number of times. By the 14th century it had found its way to Székesfehérvár, then no sign of it was to be found after the Turkish occupation. Travelling merchants bought it from marauding Turks, and handed it to Dominican friars in Ragusa (Dubrovnik) for safe-keeping. For the next two hundred years Hungarians did not know of its whereabouts. Maria Theresia ordered it to be returned to Hungary' in 1771. The funeral insigniae of Béla 111 and Anna of Antioch, which were discovered in two sarcophagi in 1848, within the confines of the ruins of the Royal Cathedral of Székesfehérvár, are also on display. They' alone hail remained in good condition in situ, the earthly remains of other members of the House of Árpád were destroyed. PÉTER HUFFY Prize winning recipes by Sándor Varga, Master Cook Jókai Bean Soup A real Jókai bean soup for eight requires 200 grammes of dried beans, 400 grammes of smoked pig’s knuckles, 400 grammes of smoked sausage (Gyulai sausage is naturally the best for the purpose), 30 grammes mixed greens including an onion and 2 bayleaves and 20 grammes of red paprika for flavouring. Clean the beans the previous evening, if possible and soak in water. Next day cover the beans and the thoroughly cleaned pig’s knuckles together with the bay leaves and some crushed garlic with four litres of cold water and bring to the boil. When the pig’s knuckle is done, take it out of the soup, let it cool, anil cut into small pieces. Fry- the finely' chopped onion in a coffee spoon of oil until glazed, then steam the cleaned and sliced mixed greens, more precisely one carrot, one parsnip and a smallish celery root, together with the onion until they are tender. Slice the sausage in the meantime and mix that with the greens then sprinkle the mixture with the red paprika. Heat up the soup again, mix the sausage, the greens and the pig’s knuckle into it and finally add sour cream. Csipetke can be added to taste. Take an egg, break it into a dish, and add as much flour as it can take up seasoning with salt. Make a firm, well-worked dough. Nip it off into size pieces. Put these bits of dough into the boiling soup all at once, otherwise one will already fall apart while the last is still hard. Ráncuké with a Zucchini filling Ingredients: three eggs, 200 grammes of flour, a pinch of salt, 2 coffee sjKions of sugar, I zucchini of about 150 grammes weight some milk and carbondioxide enriched mineral water. Mix the eggs ami the flour thoroughly, adding milk and mineral water in even quantities. The dough should reach the thickness of a sauce, that it is should be rather thin. Peel the zucchini, grate it and mix with the dough. Bake both sides of the pancake thoroughly in a pre-heated tefloncovered pan. If you use a conventional pan, pour in a few drops of oil, and make sure to make thin pancakes. Prepare the fillings, using 100 grammes of cream cheese, one egg, 80 grammes of grated walnut, 40 grammes of grated cooking chocolate, 40 grammes of raisins, 2 coffee spoons of sugar and a coffee spoon of grated lemon peel. Mix the yolk of egg with the cream cheese, adding the cleaned and washed raisins, a coffee spoon of sugar and finally' the beaten white of an egg. Mix the grated walnuts with a spoon of sugar and the grated lemon peel. Spread cream cheese on the first pancake, grated chocolate on the second, ami the walnut mixture on the third, and so on stmt ing again. Do not nut anything on the last pancake. Place the lot into a fire-proof dish and heat it in the oven. Serve warm, slicing as if it were a round cake. 47
