The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1984 (11. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1984-01-01 / 1. szám
Trivia from here and there (2) The True Origins of the French “CROISSANT” The French, in particular, wouldn’t dream of starting off the day without first fortifying their innards with a hefty intake of buttered and marmaladed “Croissants” to buttress their morning coffee. After all, they did invent this deliciously flaky blend of pastry and bread, you see. And, way back when Paris was already a “City of Light,” while other nations of Europe and all points East and West were still trying to crawl out from under the rocks of barbarism. So the French say and believe. But now that this gastronomical delight has emigrated from France et al to America and enjoying great popularity in kitchens and dining rooms throughout the land, the time has come to put the historical record straight. A few words from the Editor Ever since he began editing and publishing “The Eighth Hungarian Tribe” magazine more than ten years ago, Sándor E. Chomos harbored and nurtured a dream. Itwasto produce a monthly publication for the American-Hungarian community in the United States that members of it would want to read and to subscribe to. He envisioned accomplishing this someday by “regionalizing” the editorial contents of his publication with East Coast, Mid-West, and Pacific Coast sections featuring cultural, educational, and social news about each area. THIS NEW SECTION REPRESENTS THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS THE REALIZATION OF HIS LONG-HELD HOPES. It is also the first step towards coverage of the American-Hungarian community from Maine to Florida, or the entire East Coast of the United States. However, there are good and valid reasons for launching this ambitious project here in the State of New Jersey. The State of New Jersey has a heavy concentration of people of all ages, and from all walks of life, of Hungarian heritage. Most of them — ESPECIALLY THE PRESENT GENERATION WHO WERE BORN AND BRED HERE — have become so Americanized that English is their primary language. Many cannot read, write, or even speak Hungarian. They are Americans first and Hungarians second. Nevertheless, they are conscious of their heritage and are interested in it. This explains the title of this section and its content in English. It also explains why it is that the days of the foreign-language Press in America are numbered and why it is that there are no longer any Hungarian-language weeklies being published in New Jersey. IT IS HOPED THAT THIS SECTION WILL HELP TO FILL THIS VOID TO SOME EXTENT AND THAT YOU WILL HELP US TO DO SO BY SUPPORTING US WITH YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. To help us to fill the need for a print medium of communications covering the American-Hungarian community in the State of New Jersey, we invite readers, clubs, churches, and other organized groups to send us “news fit to print.” We will be very pleased to publish such information free of charge. We are also interested in hearing from persons who would like to be Correspondents for the following areas: Passaic-Paterson, New Brunswick- Perth Amboy, and Trenton. Paul Pulitzer This section is produced for “The Eighth Hungarian Tribe” magazine by PULITZER-GOODMAN ASSOCIATES, INC., P.O. Box 2203, Union, New Jersey 07083 (Tel: 201-964-8464). Managing Editor: Paul Pulitzer Co-Managing Editor: Roger B. Goodman Associate Editor (Features): John Eckenrod Associate Editor (Research): Harry G. Ladanye Advertising Rates Available On Request. Subscribe to the “Eighth Hungarian Tribe”. $15.00 a year, The “CROISSANT” is of Hungarian Origin! Way back in the late 1600’s, the Turks were again assaulting the Hungarian bastion of Budapest. Finding it a tough nut to crack, they decided to dig tunnels under the city’s line of defense in order to get at those fighting Magyars. As this tunnel-digging job was attempted late at night while the weary defenders of Budapest were asleep, some bakers hard at work preparing bread for the morning rush heard the noise underground. Like “Paul Revere” they sounded the alarm. The Turkish moles were duly routed with fire and sword. To commemorate the contribution of these bakers towards the Magyar war effort against the invasion of the Turks, they were granted the exclusive franchise to concoct, bake, and sell a special pastry shaped in the form of the symbol on the flag of the enemy, which was, of course, a crescent. And this is where and how the “Croissant” was born! “PAPRIKA” and the Nobel Prize The next time you reach out for some “Paprika” with which to add Magyar zest to your culinary art, think of what Dr. Albert Szent- Gyorgyi found in it. After fooling around with it so much and for so long in his laboratory, he found that Hungarian “Paprika” contained two important substances beneficial to all mankind: Vitamin “C” and Vitamin “P”. For this discovery, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1937. Since then, “Paprika” has become a household word all over the world and the title of a book written by the late Eric von Stroheim, one of the greatest film directors of all time. Page 8 The Eighth Tribe
