Favourite Hungarian ingredients – tomato

Tomatoes have a special place in Hungarian cuisine; they are present in lots of traditional Hungarian dishes. Even if they are not the showstopper in some of the recipes, their taste greatly contributes to the deliciousness of many of our favourite meals.

Chicken paprikash

Chicken paprikash has already appeared on several of these lists as it has many ingredients that form the base of numerous traditional Hungarian meals. Apart from the spice paprika, delicious chicken and sour cream that most often accompanies a good chicken paprikash, the meal also has tomatoes in it. The onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes together ensure the delicious base for the paprika-spiced chicken, resulting in one of the most popular and tastiest Hungarian meals.

If you want to make the dish at home, click HERE.

Hungarian lecsó

Since the Hungarian lecsó is essentially a vegetable casserole, it is no wonder that tomatoes appear in this recipe, too. Since Hungarians love meat, the dish is usually made with a good amount of bacon and sausages; however, you can simply leave these out and focus on the vegetables. It is an especially good dish for the summer season when some of the vegetables you can even get from your own garden, for example, peppers or tomatoes. The Hungarian lecsó started out as a sauce at first, but by now, it has become a true national favourite.

For the recipe to make at home, click HERE.

Stuffed paprika

Although the name of this meal suggests that tomatoes do not have a particularly significant role in it, upon closer examination of the recipe, you realise that assumption is incorrect. Stuffed paprika is only complete with the delicious sauce accompanying it, the base of which is made from tomatoes. The recipe went through some changes on the way of conquering Hungary from Serbia, Turkey and/or Transylvania. However, nowadays, the typical Hungarian pepper with stuffing and the tomato sauce are considered a classic combination.

If you feel up for preparing the recipe at home, click HERE.

Cabbage in tomato sauce

Cabbage in tomato sauce is one of the dishes that was often offered in school canteens. As a child, you may not have liked it, but definitely try it as an adult again – you might be surprised how simple but delicious this meal really is. The main ingredients are cabbage and tomatoes, as the name suggests. You can eat it with some chicken or ‘fasírozott’, the Hungarian version of a meatball, or you can have it as a vegetarian dish, maybe with some fresh bread. The cabbage with a bit of a bite and the slightly sweet tomato sauce make a heavenly combination.

Slambuc

Slambuc is the historic meal of Hungarian herdsmen. It was most probably first made in the Hortobágy region of Hungary. People often confuse it with the Austrian-Hungarian dish called Grenadiermarsh; however, the two are not exactly the same. Even though the main ingredients of the dish are potatoes, pasta and some bacon, adding a few tomatoes along with onions, garlic and spices is what makes the dish truly perfect.

If you want to try the recipe at home, click HERE.

Favourite Hungarian ingredients – sour cream