Contrary to widespread belief, Hungarian cooking isn’t all gulyás (goulash) and heavily spiced paprika dishes, just in the same way as Italian isn’t all pasta, and Indian isn’t all flavored with hot spices. Hungarian dishes have a distinctive, unmistakable character of their own, often rich with sour cream, onions, eggs, butter and wine. An abundance of good local produce, meat and fish make for dishes such as Halászlé (Fish soup), Sült libamájszelet (pan-fried goose liver), Almával töltött fácán (pheasant stuffed with apples), Szarvastokány erdei gombával (venison stew with wild mushrooms) and Fogasszelet bakonyi módra (fillet of pike-perch Bakony style).

Vegetarians fare less well though with a Hungarian diet that’s traditionally meat-heavy, but vegetarian restaurants do exist. Most traditional restaurants will offer fried mushrooms (rántott gomba), Trappista sajt (Trappist cheese in breadcrumbs) or egg dishes.

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