My mother used to make Beef Stroganoff when I was a kid; an easy one-pot concoction to satisfy a hungry family of seven. Mom’s recipe was a far cry from the elegant Russian original of beef strips in a sauce of sour cream and mustard. Hers started with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, added in whatever leftover beef and spices were found in the kitchen, and finished with soft egg noodles, all mixed together. It wasn’t my favorite dish, but as I recently discovered it’s a whole lot more satisfying than Hungarian Goulash.
A month ago I didn’t know the first thing about Hungarian Goulash. Now I know way too much about it. That’s what happens when you visit Budapest. Everything is about goulash. And paprika. Even goulash itself is about paprika. But I’m getting ahead of myself here (kind of like I did with the last few blog posts, which were further down the Danube).
Before our plane landed in Hungary for the start of our Viking river cruise, I imagined goulash as a more traditional version of Mom’s Beef Stroganoff. I expected a hearty casserole of meat, vegetables, and noodles, drenched in a rich, creamy sauce. As it turns out, goulash isn’t even a poor man’s version of Stroganoff. No “spoiler alert” here because you’re not missing much. Goulash is plain ol’ broth-based soup.
Check out the list of ingredients here. Besides the ground caraway (ground “carraway”?), the only item standing out to me is the paprika, and only because paprika is synonymous with Hungary. You find the peppery spice everywhere (and in everything) over there, in grades of sweet, mild, pungent, and strong. Choose wisely; a small spoonful of the “strong” knocks your socks off even if you like it hot.
On a guided walking tour of Budapest (which included an hour inside the exquisite Parliament Building), we stopped for lunch in a basement restaurant for our first sampling of goulash. The soup was served family-style with bread so we all ladled a helping. In short, Hungarian Goulash didn’t “have me at hello”. I was underwhelmed from the get-go. I looked around the table at our fellow travelers and noticed the same reaction. We struggled to come up with something distinctive or even complimentary about our meal.
Later on, we ventured into the countryside for a “Hungarian Folklore Dinner”. As soon as we stepped off the bus, the place practically screamed “tourist trap”. They greet you at the door with a shot or two of pálinka (fruit brandy), no doubt to dull the senses for what lies ahead the rest of the night. Then they seat you at long picnic tables with people who look like, well, travelers from all of the other Danube river boats. The gypsy folk dancing was impressive – I’ll grant them that – but the cauldron of goulash set unceremoniously in the center of the table was no more tasty than the helping we had at lunch.
The next day, we took another trip into the countryside for a walk through the several acres of an “open-air museum”, an interesting collection of buildings and settings from Hungary’s storied history. The tour included lunch (hold tight, I know what you’re thinking), but even before lunch we stopped at an outside kitchen for a “special treat” – a demonstration on how to make goulash! (You’ll see I earned a diploma for my efforts.) Then we were hustled into a nearby dining room for our third helping of goulash in twenty-four hours. Part of the restaurant was already set up for a wedding reception later that afternoon. Wonder what they were having for dinner…
Lest you dismiss Budapest over the goulash that seems to be oozing out of the city walls, let me set the menu, er, record straight. It’s a beautiful city, whether you choose to tour the Buda or the Pest side of the Danube River. The buildings are illuminated at night, the same way you’ll see Paris during the Summer Olympics in two weeks. And Hungary’s history is adventurous and remarkable, with many more chapters than you’ll find in America’s. But sorry comrades; the goulash (and the paprika) can only be described as superfluous.
One of the highlights of a Viking river cruise is the nightly dinner menu. In addition to standing entrees, Viking chefs design “sampling menus” made up of the food of whatever city or region you happen to be passing through. In Vienna it was the veal cutlet wienerschnitzel. In Nuremberg it was the famous white sausage Weisswurst (correction: it would’ve been Weisswurst had our ship actually made it to Nuremberg). And in Budapest it could’ve been Chicken Paprikash. Instead, it was Hungarian Goulash… again. Make that four helpings in two days. I should’ve misbehaved so our captain could’ve sent me to my room without supper.
Some content sourced from Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.
Life In A Word 
Goulash does seem to define the Budapest food scene. I liked the first bowl, but yeah, by the fifth it was getting old.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That goes for paprika as well. It seems to be the tabletop staple over there instead of salt and pepper.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So many repeated meals sounds like a “fail” on Viking’s part, but the good news is, early Christmas shopping in Budapest is easy… everyone on your list gets paprika!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We had the same thought. A quick review of excursion details would show several consecutive instances of goulash. I’ll forgive them that, but not for putting it on the ship’s dinner menu as well!
LikeLike
I haven’t had Hungarian goulash in ages. But I enjoyed my mother’s version when I was a kid. Take care, Dave.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was so FUNNY. I’m not a fan of goulash either and if I had to have it at so many meals, I’d be heading for the hills too. They must have some other favorite meals or desserts, yes?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Once we headed out of Budapest we left the goulash behind as well, thank goodness!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have more than 100 photos from our stop in Budapest. Unfortunately I did not label any of them and my journal for that day just says we took a city tour. All in all, my impression seems to have been that it was a large busy city with architecture much like London though in need of cleaning and restoration… no mention of goulash!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since our tour was on foot we had the impression of a smaller city. But the next day we saw quite a bit more of the city by bus, so yes in fact, it is a large city. Buda is smaller than Pest, and the river split makes it seem somehow quainter. We really enjoyed the area around the Parliament Building, including the shopping district, WWII memorials, and small parks.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha ha – well at least you got your certificate Dave! So it was “everything you always wanted to know about Goulash, but were afraid to ask.” My mom made Goulash and it was hearty, more like a savory stew. I really liked it. There is a Hungarian restaurant near me. I’ve not been in a while, but they have awesome food and the restaurant is owned by a Hungarian couple. My favorite meal was Veal Paprikash (you could substitute veal for chicken) – very tasty and the servers dress in Hungarian garb.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Our town is way too small for a Hungarian restaurant, but the next time I see Paprikash on a menu I’ll be giving it a try. If I could’ve at least described Hungarian Goulash as “hearty”, I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. Instead, “thin soup” is all I can come up with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That really surprised me what genuine Goulash tasted like. I never had it except at home. You’ll like Chicken or Veal Paprikash – it was always one of my favorites at The Hungarian Rhapsody restaurant! I was surprised you wrote about Weiner Schnitzel as I would have thought that was German fare. I also liked that dish.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t know that Goulash is a soup, like you thought it was more like a stew. Somehow that takes the mystery out of it. Of course now that you’ve got a certificate about how to make it I’ll think of you whenever I hear or read the word. Thanks for sharing the info.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Despite my “credentials” I have no intention of making goulash any time soon 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Goulash does not sound appetizing but add in the heat of the summer and it’s even less appetizing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a good point, Lyssy. Maybe goulash would be more appealing when it’s cold outside. I’m more inclined to use “boring” instead of “appetizing”. Even with a dash of spicy paprika on top!
LikeLike
I like goulash but not four times in two days!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so fun. My parents would love that. I grew up on goulash (My dad’s dad came straight from Hungary.) We had chicken paprikash for dinner tonight. When my sister was in town, we had polichinta (crepes). There were decent Hungarian dishes growing up, including kifli and kolasc (I’m butchering spelling), but honestly, I was never fond of goulash.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your options are what I was hoping for during our time in Hungary, Betsy (I just misspelled that “Hangary” – Freudian slip!) You’d think with three days in Budapest we’d be able to sample more than just goulash. Guess we’ll be trying to make some of those dishes on our own – at least Paprikash!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can do a lot with paprika, Dave. Bummer you didn’t get to try more of those dishes.
Next time perhaps. At least you had the coffee in Wien!!
LikeLiked by 1 person