Traditional Hungarian Food opinion by Aubin

Article published on 24 March by Aubin

During these 2 months in Budapest, I had the chance to try several traditional dishes… and I have to admit, I didn’t fall in love with their cuisine. People often talk about the culinary richness of some countries, but here, I struggled to find dishes that I truly enjoyed.

The first thing that struck me was how greasy the food is. Almost everything is fried, soaked in oil, or served with heavy sauces. It’s definitely generous and filling, but honestly, it’s a bit too much for me. I enjoy eating, but this was quickly overwhelming.

Now let’s talk about the meat. Honestly, I don’t think it’s very good here. It often lacks flavor and tenderness... It doesn’t compare to what we can get in France. Even their most famous meat-based dishes disappointed me. I tried goulash (their beef and paprika soup), but I wasn’t convinced.

What also surprised me is that there aren’t that many specialties. You quickly run out of new things to try. Aside from goulash and a few cabbage or potato-based dishes, I didn’t see a lot of variety. It’s a bit of a shame, because I love discovering new foods when I travel.

Thankfully, there’s one exception: lángos. It’s a kind of fried dough (yes, more grease!) that you can top with all kinds of things: sour cream, cheese, garlic, ham… And I have to admit, it’s really satisfying to eat. It’s crispy, warm, comforting, and even if it’s super greasy, it’s the only local dish I’d actually recommend.

So overall, Hungarian food didn’t really win me over, except for lángos. I’m still attached to French flavors because they’re more refined, more diverse, and the quality is just better. But it's part of the adventure.