List of Hungarian dishes facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This is a list of delicious dishes you can find in Hungarian cuisine. Hungarian food is famous for its rich flavors, often using lots of paprika, and hearty ingredients. From warm soups to sweet cakes, there's something for everyone to try!

Delicious Hungarian Soups and Stews
Hearty Hungarian Meat Dishes
Tasty Dumplings and More Hungarian Delights
Hungarian Breads and Pancakes
Sweet Treats and Cakes from Hungary
See also

Delicious Hungarian Soups and Stews

Name	Image	Region	Description
Borleves			A fresh and strong soup made with wine.
Csirkepaprikás	A tasty chicken paprikash		A yummy stew with lots of sweet paprika and sour cream, called tejföl.
Csontleves	A basic bone broth		A simple bone broth, often served with thin noodles, carrots, and turnips. You might also find it with stewed pork or parsley.
Főzelék	A thick Hungarian vegetable stew		A thick Hungarian vegetable stew or soup, a bit like a thick vegetable puree.
Gombaleves	Hungarian mushroom soup		A soup made from different wild mushrooms. It often has sour cream, but it's not quite the same as regular cream of mushroom soup.
Gombapaprikás			A mushroom paprikash, which is a traditional vegetarian dish in Hungary.
Gulyás Goulash	Goulash cooking in a pot		A hearty stew made with meat and vegetables, seasoned with paprika and other spices.
Gulyásleves	Hungarian goulash soup		A Hungarian soup, made with beef, vegetables, ground paprika, and other spices.
Gyümölcsleves	Chilled fruit soup	Southwestern Hungary	A chilled, sweet soup with fruits like redcurrants, blackberries, sour cherries, apples, or pears. It's quickly cooked with cream or milk, spices like cloves and cinnamon, and sugar.
Halászlé Fisherman's Soup	Spicy Fisherman's Soup		A hot, spicy, and paprika-based fish soup. It's made with lots of hot paprika and carp or other river fish.
Húsleves Chicken soup	Clear chicken soup		A clear chicken or veal soup with vegetables and thin pasta called csipetke.
Jókai bableves Jókai bean soup	Jókai bean soup		A rich bean soup with many vegetables, smoked pork pieces, and noodles. It's often made spicy, or hot chili is offered with it.
Köménymagleves			A fresh and hot soup made from caraway seeds.
Krumplileves	Potato soup		Made from potatoes in a broth, often with slices of sausage, carrots, turnips, or sour cream.
Lecsó	Lecsó, a vegetable stew	Southeastern Hungary	A mixed vegetable stew, mainly made of tomatoes and paprika. It's a bit like ratatouille, but without squash. A version with scrambled eggs is called tojásos lecsó.
Meggyleves Sour cherry soup	Sour cherry soup		A slightly sweet soup made with sour cream, sugar, and fresh sour cherries. It's served chilled.
Pacalleves	Transylvanian tripe soup		A tripe soup eaten mostly by Hungarians in Transylvania. It's usually seasoned with vinegar, sour cream, and garlic, and often served with bread and hot paprika.
Palócleves	Palóc soup	Northeastern Hungary	A soup similar to gulyásleves, but it has green beans and sour cream, and often tastes of dill. It was created by János Gundel, a famous chef's father.
Paprikás krumpli	Paprikás krumpli cooking		A paprika-based stew with spicy sausage and potatoes.
Pörkölt	Pörkölt, a meat stew		A meat stew with a thick, paprika-spiced sauce. It's similar to a ragout and is often called goulash in English, but it's different from goulash soup.
Sólet	Sólet, a Jewish-Hungarian stew		A Jewish-Hungarian stew made with kidney beans, barley, onions, paprika, and sometimes meat and eggs. It's similar to cholent.
Sóskaleves	Sorrel soup		Made from sorrel leaves in a broth, often with boiled eggs. It's similar to green borscht but thicker.
Székelygulyás	Székelygulyás	Transylvania	A hearty pork and sauerkraut stew, often flavored with paprika, onion, and sour cream. It's named after a Hungarian writer, József Székely, who supposedly asked for leftover sauerkraut and pork stew to be mixed together.
Tojásleves	Egg drop soup		Similar to köménymagleves, but with scrambled eggs added.
Vadgombaleves			A wild mushroom soup that started in southern Hungary.
Zöldségleves	Vegetable soup		A soup with vegetables like peas, carrots, turnips, and parsley.

Hearty Hungarian Meat Dishes

Name Other names	Image	Region	Description
Bécsi szelet	A Bécsi szelet	Austria	A Bécsi szelet simply means "Viennese slice" in English. It's a breaded and fried cutlet.
Brassói aprópecsenye	Brassói aprópecsenye		This dish is named after Brassó (now Brașov). It has diced pork and potatoes, pan-fried with onions, bacon, and spices like salt, pepper, or paprika.
Cigánypecsenye	Cigánypecsenye with pickled vegetables		A type of roast that means "Gypsy roast." It's fried or spit-roasted pork cutlets with thick bacon, spiced with paprika, salt, or pepper. Often served with roasted potatoes or pickled vegetables.
Fasírozott	Pan-fried meatballs		Flat, pan-fried meatballs made from minced meat (usually pork, veal, or beef) with paprika and salt. Often eaten with főzelék, rice, or french fries.
Pacalpörkölt	Pacalpörkölt		A pörkölt (meat stew) made from different kinds of tripe.
Pecsenye Hungarian Mixed Grill	Hungarian Mixed Grill		A thin pork steak served with cabbage or as part of fatányéros, a Hungarian mixed grill on a wooden platter.
Rakott krumpli	Layered potato casserole		A layered potato casserole with sausage, eggs, and bacon.
Rántott csirke	Breaded chicken breast		A chicken breast rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried, similar to Wiener Schnitzel.
Rántott hús	Rántott hús, similar to Wiener Schnitzel		Originally from Austria. The meat is tenderized, covered in eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs, then fried. Also known as Wiener Schnitzel.
Rakott káposzta			A layered cabbage dish with cabbage, pörkölt (meat stew), rice, sour cream, and spices. It comes from Hungarians in Transylvania.
Rántott sajt			A flat cheese croquette, rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried.
Stefánia szelet	Stefánia szelet with hard-boiled eggs		A loaf of ground meat or Stefania slices, which is a Hungarian meatloaf with hard-boiled eggs in the middle. This makes cool white and yellow rings when sliced!
Szűztekercsek	Pork tenderloin roulade		A pork tenderloin filled with spicy tomato puree, spinach, or other tasty ingredients.
Szűzpecsenye	Pork tenderloin		Literally means "virgin roast." These are pork tenderloins, often prepared in similar ways. They can also be made into "virgin medallions" (szűzérme) or "rouladen" (szűztekercs).
Töltött paprika Punjena paprika	Stuffed peppers		A dish of stuffed peppers with a mix of meat and rice in tomato sauce. It uses green or red bell peppers, eggs, spices, salt, minced meat, and rice.
Túrós csusza	Túrós csusza with quark cheese		A traditional Hungarian savory noodle dish made with small homemade noodles or pasta, called galuska, and quark cheese.
Vesepecsenye	Grilled beef tenderloin		Beef tenderloins, usually seasoned with paprika and salt.

Tasty Dumplings and More Hungarian Delights

Name	Image	Description
Császármorzsa	Shredded sweet crêpe pieces	Shredded, sweet crêpe pieces with sugar sprinkled on top. Often served with apricot or peach jam.
Diós tészta		Boiled egg noodles served with ground walnuts and sugar, often with jam or honey.
Galuska	Hungarian boiled dumplings	Hungarian boiled dumplings used in soups and stews.
Grízgaluska	Hungarian semolina dumplings	Hungarian boiled semolina dumplings, often used in soups.
Körözött Liptai túró	Spicy cheese spread	A spicy spread made from fresh white cheese mixed with sweet paprika and onions.
Liptai túró	Liptai túró cheese spread	A spicy cheese spread with paprika, carraway, and onions.
Libamájpástétom	Foie gras pâté	A fancy pâté made from the liver of a specially fattened duck or goose.
Gránátos kocka		A simple homemade egg noodle dish, made with potatoes and paprika powder. Often served with pickled gherkins or other pickled vegetables.
Májgaluska leves		Small liver dumplings used in different soups, like a liver ball soup.
Mákos tészta		A very famous and common egg noodle dish, made with ground and sweetened poppy seeds. It has a unique look and taste.
Padlizsánkrém Vinetta	Mashed eggplant salad	A Transylvanian mashed eggplant salad made from grilled, peeled, and finely chopped eggplants.
Pásztortarhonya	Shepherd egg barley	Literally "shepherd egg barley." A hearty dish with egg barley, potatoes, onion, sausage, and paprika, sometimes with bacon and other vegetables.
Rizi-bizi	Hungarian risotto	A Hungarian risotto, which is white rice mixed with green peas, served as a side dish.
Szilvásgombóc Plum Dumplings	Sweet plum dumplings	Sweet plum dumplings and small noodles, rolled in sweet fried breadcrumbs or streusels.
Tarhonyás hús Egg barley	Egg barley	A kind of large Hungarian "couscous", which is a big pasta grain, served as a side dish.
Töltött káposzta	Stuffed cabbage rolls	A cabbage roll made from pickled cabbage, filled with a light minced pork meat and rice mix. It's often eaten around Christmas and New Year's.
Töltött tojás	Deviled egg	A hard-boiled egg that's cut in half and filled with a paste made from egg yolk mixed with other ingredients like mayonnaise and mustard.
Túrógombóc	Sweet quark cheese dumplings	Hungarian sweet quark cheese dumplings that are served as a side dish.
Vinetta	Transylvanian mashed eggplant salad	Transylvanian mashed eggplant salad made from grilled, peeled, and finely chopped eggplants.

Hungarian Breads and Pancakes

Name	Image	Region	Description
Bundás kenyér French toast	Savoury French toast		Literally "bread with a fur jacket," this is a savory French toast or bread fritter, often eaten for breakfast or as a side dish.
Császármorzsa	Shredded pancake		A shredded pancake, named after Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, who loved this fluffy pancake.
Csúsztatott palacsinta	Layered crêpes		Layered crêpes with sweet cottage cheese, raisins, jam, and walnuts, similar to a Mille crêpe.
Gundel palacsinta	Gundel crêpe	Hungary	Named after Hungarian restaurateur Károly Gundel. These crêpes are stuffed with walnuts, served in chocolate sauce, and often set on fire (flambéed) with rum. They traditionally also have candied orange peels.
Hortobágyi palacsinta	Savoury Hungarian pancake	Alföld	A savory Hungarian pancake, filled with meat (usually veal) prepared like a stew, fried with onions and spices.
Kenyér	A large Hungarian bread		A Hungarian bread that is usually big, round, and has a hard, thick crust.
Kifli	A crescent-shaped kifli		A traditional European yeast roll shaped like a crescent, which can be either salty or sweet.
Lángos	Fried bread dough		Fried bread dough, often served with sour cream, garlic, and cheese. It's a popular street food!
Palacsinta	A stuffed crêpe		A stuffed crêpe, usually filled with jam. Other fillings include sweet quark cheese with raisins, Nutella, vanilla pudding, or meat.
Perec	A twisted pretzel		A type of Hungarian baked pretzel made from dough, usually shaped into a twisted knot.
Pogácsa	Hungarian Pogácsa		A type of bun, a round puffed pastry, available with bacon or cheese. Traditionally cooked over a fire.
Rakott palacsinta	Layered crêpes		Layered crêpes with sweet cottage cheese, raisins, jam, and walnuts.
Vekni	A long loaf of bread		Another type of freshly baked bread, a long loaf with a crispy crust, similar to a baguette.
Zsemle Bread rolls	Round bread rolls		Round small breads, often cut in half and eaten with butter, cold cuts, or jam, especially for breakfast.

Sweet Treats and Cakes from Hungary

Name	Image	Region	Description
Aranygaluska	Baked dough balls with vanilla custard		Baked dough balls with butter, raisins, and nuts, often served with vanilla custard.
Babapiskóta	Ladyfinger biscuits		Light, dry, egg-based, sweet sponge biscuits shaped like a large finger.
Bejgli	A cake roll		A cake roll eaten at Christmas and Easter.
Birsalmasajt Quince cheese	Quince cheese		A quince cheese, or quince jelly made from quinces.
Csiga			Literally "snail" - a rolled pastry that comes in many different flavors like walnut, poppy seed, chocolate, and vanilla pudding.
Csöröge fánk	Crispy Angel Wings		Crispy and light Hungarian Angel Wings; a twisted thin fried cookie made from yeast dough, dusted with powdered sugar.
Dobostorta Dobos cake	Dobos cake		A sponge cake layered with chocolate paste and topped with caramel and nuts.
Eszterházy torta	Eszterházy torta		A Hungarian cake named after Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy.
Fánk Bismarck doughnuts	A traditional Hungarian pastry		A traditional Hungarian pastry, similar to a doughnut without a hole. It's round, sweet, fried, and often topped with lekvar (jam).
Flódni	Flódni cake	Jewish-Hungarian	A cake with four different fillings: poppy seed, walnut, apple, and plum jam.
Gesztenyepüré			Cooked and mashed sweet chestnuts with sugar and rum, topped with whipped cream.
Halva, Transylvanian sweet	Halva, a sweet confection		A sweet confection, made with sunflower seeds, originally from Turkey.
Képviselőfánk			Hungarian Cream Puff made from choux pastry and filled with vanilla cream. Its name means 'Ambassador Doughnut'.
Krémes	A puff pastry dessert		A puff pastry top, custard cream and whipped cream filling, finished with powdered sugar.
Kuglóf	A traditional coffee party cake		A traditional Austro-Hungarian coffee party cake, usually baked in a special circular mold.
Kürtőskalács	A spit cake		A special spit cake from Hungary and Hungarian-speaking regions in Transylvania.
Lekvár	Thick fruit jam		A very thick, sometimes coarse jam made of pure ripe fruit, from Central and Eastern Europe.
Lekváros bukta	Baked dessert filled with jam		A baked dessert filled with jam, túró (quark cheese), or ground walnuts.
Lekváros tekercs Swiss roll	A rolled up sponge cake		A rolled up soft sponge cake filled with jam.
Linzer Torte	A tart with a crisscross design		A tart with a crisscross design of pastry strips on top.
Madártej	Floating island dessert		A "floating island" dessert, made of milk custard with egg white dumplings floating on top.
Mákos guba	Kifli with poppy seeds	Silesia	Kifli (crescent rolls) and finely ground poppy seeds boiled in milk and sugar.
Mézes krémes	Hungarian honey cake		A Hungarian honey cake that is covered with vanilla or chocolate.
Piskóta	A light, crispy cookie		A thin, light, sweet, delicate, and crispy cookie.
Rétes	A layered pastry		A type of layered pastry with a filling that is usually sweet.
Rigó Jancsi	A chocolate sponge cake		A cube-shaped sponge cake with dark chocolate glaze.
Somlói galuska [hu]	Somlói galuska	Budapest/Fót	A sponge cake with raisins and walnuts, served with rum, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream.
Szaloncukor	Flavoured candies for Christmas		Flavored candies that hang on the Christmas tree, eaten at Christmas.
Törökméz Nougat			A sweet, sticky white nougat paste cooked with sugar, egg whites, honey, and bits of walnuts, spread between two wafer sheets.
Túrós lepény			Dessert bars made from sweetened túró (quark cheese). A version with added dill is called kapros-túrós lepény.
Túró Rudi	A chocolate bar with quark cheese		A sweet túró-filled chocolate bar. It's a very popular snack!
Vaníliás kifli	Crescent-shaped vanilla biscuits		Small, crescent-shaped biscuits, originally made with walnuts, but also with almonds or hazelnuts. They get their special flavor from a heavy dusting of vanilla sugar.
Vargabéles			Hungarian strudel or noodle pie.