Budapest Culinary Map

Hungarian cuisine is said to be one of the spiciest in Europe, perhaps because we use a lot of paprika, black pepper and other spices. Majority of the dishes are based on meat, carbs and seasonal vegetables & fruits. The list of dishes to try can be rather long, especially if the recommendation comes from a Hungarian. 🙂 Below you will find a highlight and a culinary map, which will hopefully help you decide where to eat in Budapest.

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Hungarian Food Highlight

Breakfast | Reggeli

- Spreads such as körözött [savoury cottage cheese spread] and granny’s apricot & plum jam are also regularly part of the breakfast table.

- We often start the day with pastries such as sajtos pogácsa [cheese scones], kakaós csiga [chocolate swirl bun, similar to cinnamon buns but with cacao], túrós batyu [sweet cottage cheese pastry].

Lunch & Dinner | Ebéd & Vacsora

- Goulash soup - the Hungarian staple dish with carrots, potatoes, lots of paprika and cubes of tender beef.

- Halászlé [Fishermen’s soup] - a flavourful soup with paprika & fish, there are different variations depending on the region.

- Meggylevels [sour cherry soup] - I know it might sound weird, but believe me, this is so delicious served cold on a hot summer day!

- Paprikás [paprikash] also has a wide variety, mushroom paprikash, chicken paprikash etc - mostly served with nodekli [egg dumplings]. Or catfish paprikash which comes with túrós csusza, a savoury cottage cheese pasta & bacon.

- Stews - we eat vegetable and meat stews as well, some of the most common are squash stew with fasírt [meatballs], green pea stew with fried eggs, beef or pork stew.

- Lecsó [Hungarian ratatouille] - a thick vegetable stew combining staple ingredients in Hungarian cuisine: tomato, pepper, and paprika. There are various versions, veggie, with sausage, eggs, etc.

- Pasta dishes are also common, especially for those not eating meat. For example: túrós csusza, a savoury cottage cheese pasta & bacon; krumplis tészta, pasta with potatoes & paprika; tojásos nokedli, egg dumplings etc.

- Rakott krumpli [Layered potatoes] - layers of potato, hard-boiled eggs, sausage, and creme fraiche.

Most lunch & dinner dishes mentioned above are enjoyed with a side of pickled vegetables, or cucumber salad.

Snacks & Street Food

- Zsíros kenyér [bread with lard, red onion and paprika]

- Lángos [Hungarian deep-fried flatbread] - traditionally we eat it with garlic, sour cream & cheese but these days there are plenty of other variations, even sweet.

- Kürtös kalács [chimney cake] - made of sweet dough and your choice of flavour, rolled in sugar.

Sweets

- Palacsinta, Hungarian crepes, traditionally served with cacao or granny’s apricot / plum jam or sweet cottage cheese

- Aranygaluska, golden, baked pastry with walnut & vanilla sauce

- Mákosguba, bread pudding with poppy seeds

- Túrógombóc, sweet cottage cheese dumplings with creme fraiche. We also have a fruity version without cottage cheese, mostly made with plums.

- Somlói galuska, a trifle cake made with layers of rum-infused sponge cake, vanilla custard and chocolate. As well as raisins, walnuts and usually served with whipped cream.

- Zserbó, Gerbeaud slice, made with layers of apricot jam, walnuts and sweet dough, finished with chocolate on top.

Budapest Culinary Map

This map includes restaurants where you can find some of the highlighted dishes, as well as cafes, bakeries, bars, and more.

Asztalka Cukrászda