Főzelék facts for kids
Fasírt (meatballs) and red pepper make a smiley face in a bowl of főzelék
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| Type | Stew |
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| Place of origin | Hungary |
Főzelék is a special kind of thick vegetable dish from Hungary. It's a bit like a stew or a thick soup, but it's not quite either. It's usually made by gently cooking vegetables without mashing them.
Most of the time, főzelék does not have meat in it. However, sometimes people add bacon or spicy sausage to give it more flavor. It can be eaten as the main meal for lunch or as a side dish with different meats. For a long time, főzelék was mostly a homemade meal. It wasn't often found in restaurants. But now, it's becoming very popular, and you can find it on many restaurant menus. Some places even specialize in serving different kinds of főzelék!
What Does Főzelék Mean?
The name főzelék comes from the Hungarian word főz, which means "to cook." The ending -(a/e)lék makes it mean "something created by cooking."
So, főzelék basically means "a cooked dish." To make it clear what kind of főzelék it is, people always add a word before it. For example, tökfőzelék is made from marrow or zucchini. Babfőzelék is made from beans.
How to Make Főzelék
You can make főzelék with many different vegetables. Some popular choices include cabbage, potatoes, sauerkraut, tomatoes, peas, and carrots. Other options are kale, kohlrabi, lentils, pinto beans, squash, spinach, sorrel, or yellow wax beans. Sometimes, people even use a mix of vegetables.
To make it thick, főzelék is usually made with a roux (a mix of fat and flour) or sour cream. Many different spices and flavors can be added too. These might include chopped onions, paprika, bay leaf, black peppercorns, dill, caraway seeds, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, or vinegar.
If you eat főzelék by itself, people often add toppings. These can be things like pörkölt (a Hungarian meat stew), fried eggs, smoked sausage, or Hungarian meatballs called fasírt.
