Habits and customs from Hungary

What are the customs in Hungary regarding food?

• Food in Hungary Hungarian cuisine is influenced by French, Turkish, Serbian and other Central European cuisines. A lot of meat (goulash) is eaten and beer is drunk. If you order a Hungarian breakfast, you should not be surprised if you are served a combination of egg, red pepper, sausage and onion on sourdough bread.
• Paprika is the most prominent ingredient in many dishes, for example in goulash, paprika chicken or the pancake filled with meat and sauce. A paprika from Hungary is the one you look for, one paprika isn’t the other.

What are the best recipes in Hungary?

• Specialties Gulyás (goulash): Beef and pepper soup.
• Gundel palacsinta: Pancakes often with walnuts, raisins and chocolate sauce.

What are the best drinks in Hungary?

• Bikavér (Bull's blood) is a strong red wine.
• Pálinka: A type of brandy, available with different fruit flavors (cherry, pear, apricot and plum).
• Unicum: A liqueur made from herbs, which according to Hungarians is an excellent medicine for all kinds of things. Have a cold? Drink Unicum! This drink even has a museum in Budapest (the Zhack Unicum museum).

What are notable holidays and festivals in Hungary?

• Hungary's festival is Sziget. Every year in August, famous rock and pop artists meet on Margit Sziget (Margrit Island) in the middle of the Danube. Order your tickets in advance because they sell out quickly every year.
• Hungary's National Day is on August 20, which celebrates the founding of Hungary by Saint Stephen in the year 1000. On the evening of August 20, there is a big firework display at the Danube River in Budapest.
• Republic Day/National Day is on October 23, which commemorates the Hungarian uprising of 1956. There are speeches and exhibitions throughout the country.

What are the remarkable habits in Hungary?

• When you greet, you shake hands. On official occasions, when you greet elderly you bow and give a kiss on both cheeks.
• Toast on health before you start eating.
• Hospitality and socializing with friends and family is a habit. Gatherings with food, red wine or coffee are favorite. It is rude to refuse an offer of food or drinks.
• Hungarians are famous for the bath culture and saunas. Taking a thermal baths is a social activity and a good way to relax.
• Most Hungarians are superstitious and have beliefs it is bad luck to walk under a ladder on Friday the 13^th.