Mar 17 '10
In the beginning, there was only District VI, and it was very good. But then God said be fruitful and multiply and let there be a branch beyond the waters, in District III. And then God said no, still not good enough, bring forth more abundantly what my children closer to downtown may desire, and make it in the image of District III, with every kind of formerly living thing that moveth sliced paper thin, with green herb for meat and freshly baked loves and fishes packed in Styrofoam, outrageously expensive olive oil and Swiss Miss both with and without the little marshmallows, and a reasonably-priced restaurant.
Over the past few weeks there have been a couple of interesting local developments in the area of food retailing. First, according to this report on hirextra.hu, a shop selling farmer's products called Tanyasi Áruk Boltja was recently opened in Budapest's District XVIII. For now the new shop (above) is a very modest stand-alone outfit only selling products from Bács-Kiskun County, but other outlets and other regions are expected to be added, with the cooperation of the farmer's association Magyarországi Tanyákon Élők Egyesülete.
Meanwhile, a store selling "excellent Hungarian products" will open soon in Budapest's District III (Óbuda). As with the Tanyasi Áruk Boltja, the first Kiváló Magyar Áruk Áruháza ("Store of Excellent Hungarian Products") is planned to be the first of many, some of which would be opened in neighboring countries.
If you do your shopping in downtown Budapest, you may have noticed some changes at units of the Rothschild supermarket chain. Among them is the fact that they aren't really called "Rothschild" anymore. Also, they may have gotten even worse than they were when they were called "Rothschild."
One of the funniest quirks of food globalization in Hungary is the fact that, since the word "Auchan" doesn't really slide off the Hungarian tongue so easily, many locals refer to the French-owned hypermarket chain with the bird in its logo as madaras Tesco, or "birdie Tesco." Odd coincidence then that the company now faces a consumer boycott here over charges that a planned expansion of one of its stores threatens some nearby marshland, and thus, one assumes, real birdies.
Mar 16 '10
Revealing to what extent food production has been globalized, a reader of consumer blog Tékozló Homár sent in an image of the packaging for a box of Tihany-brand Camembert cheese. What surprised the reader was that Tihany -- a brand which features the famous Hungarian abbey as its logo -- produces the cheese in the Czech Republic, and until he saw the fine print, he was convinced it was a Hungarian product. Unfortunately for "eat local" or "eat Magyar" consumers like him, the portal revealed that the Tihany brand has been owned by the French since 1993, never mind that Camembert cheese doesn't exactly trace its origins to the hills just north of Lake Balaton.
Mar 12 '10
Boutique Etyeki winery serves food that measures up to its wine
Hernyák Birtok in Etyek is like no other place I have been in Hungary. I was already plotting my return nearly as soon as I walked in the door, had my first sip of sauvignon blanc, and began chatting with co-owner Valéria Hernyák (pictured above). Trying out new restaurants in Budapest - even familiar ones - can feel like hopping in a cab not knowing where you’re headed. And, you see, I have been feeling burned-out by eating out in Hungary (no surprise after spending a few years of going to restaurants nearly nightly).
Of course, Hernyák is officially a winery, not a restaurant. But we were there on a Sunday afternoon when the Hernyák family offers vasárnapi ebéd at what they call their vendégasztal, which focuses on local flavors, and ingredients sourced from friends. It is the perfect antidote for anyone who is burned out on restaurants (or on Hungarian service, for that matter). We arrived at noon and headed through the small production area, down to the tidy cellar to taste a few wines before the soup - porcini cream soup with fresh tarragon and parsley-tinted dumplings - was ready (pictured below).
Even by Hungarian standards the winery is small, producing less than 15,000 bottles annually (from 3.6 hectares of planted vineyards). The winery is purely family-run, Valéria explained, with the exception of outside help coming during the occasional harvest or pruning period. Etyek’s chalky soil is similar to that in Champagne, she said, but the winery focuses on pinot gris, grüner veltliner, pinot noir, and sauvignon blanc (“it is closest to our hearts,” Valéria said). Their signature Birtok Bor - a blend of pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, and chardonnay - is made in good years from grapes grown around the house. Their style is minimalist, and they like to give the wine the time it needs to open up. “The best year is when the winemaker doesn’t have anything to do in the vineyard,” said Valéria.
Mar 10 '10
Review: Ferdinand Monarchia Cseh Sörház, District VI
Among the many reasons why I am a Very Special Person is that (drumroll) I actually like Czech food. No, I'm not making a joke at the expense of Central Europe's most scoffed-at cuisine. Maybe it's because I lived in the Czech Republic long enough (13 months) to get familiar with the local grub, yet not long enough for this familiarity to breed contempt, but when I hear the words dobrou chu' (that's čeština for jó étvágyat) I am still drawn back, like Pavlov's slobbering dog, to the humble hospody I used to frequent near my old office on náměstí I. P. Pavlova. So it was without a single Czech food joke in my head that I headed down for a bit of pivo and jídla at the Ferdinand Monarchia Cseh Sörház, which a few weeks ago became the latest attempt to bring the best of the Czech beerhall and kitchen to Budapest.
Almost exactly a year ago we reported that the three Gloria Jean's coffee shops in Budapest had been closed. At the time the company behind the local franchise, Gourmet Products Vendéglátó és Kereskedelmi Zrt, said it was not going to leave Hungary, but open up locations outside of Budapest with an eye towards an eventual return to the capital. So much for that! According to penzcentrum.hu, the firm has instead initiated its own liquidation. The first BP GJ's - which was on Hősök tere - was among the earliest foreign entrants in the now-booming high-end coffee-to-go market. That branch was followed by others in the Mammut mall in Buda and on Pest's Teréz körút. When it was in growth mode the company said it was planning to open 10 to 15 shops. Next, please.
It doesn't quite make the "three examples and it's a trend" rule, but over the last few days there have been two bits of public controversy surrounding the Tokaj wine region. First, on Monday came the news that Slovakia had sneakily arranged to have the small wine region that sits just over the border from Hungary's Tokaj entered into the EU's official registry as "Tokaj," despite what many here assumed was an earlier agreement that they would only tack similar-sounding adjectives ("Tokajsky" / "Tokajská" / "Tokajské") on to the name of the wines produced there. Even though the Agriculture Ministry said that they assumed it was all just a mistake, the local winemakers' council is demanding that the government take immediate action to prevent the Slovaks from claiming that the wine they call Tokaj is in fact, Tokaj.
Mar 03 '10
A survey conducted by market researcher ACNielsen revealed that every second Hungarian takes into consideration food safety when they decide where to spend their money, index.hu reports. 1 out of every 2 consumers said they would be willing to pay more if they knew the food was safe. 45% of Hungarians believe bio (organic) food is safer than non-bio products, and 58% expressed their belief that Hungarian products were safer than imported items. Of those surveyed, only 9% expressed confidence in the safety of genetically modified food, with 64% convinced that such products are unsafe. Of those polled, 74% felt that food manufacturers were responsible for the safety of their products, with 17% believing it was the government's duty, and 9% that it was the retailer's obligation. ACNielsen conducted this survey in 54 countries and the Hungarian results were similar to those found in other nations.
Feb 24 '10
Recently opened District I restaurant delivers on its promises
As reported on these pages all too often, Budapest is awash with high-priced, high-concept restaurants that fail to live up to their own hype once the oversized plate of undersized food lands on the pristine white tablecloth. And while prices appear very competitive with the eurozone at first glance, many locals cannot afford to eat out, while genuine value for money is elusive for foreigners looking for anything more than a gypsy band and a bowl of gulyás. But despite the décor inherited from the typically overpriced Italian restaurant that used to live here before owner Tamás Laczi took over in August 2009, Apropó in Buda's District I is making every effort to buck this sorry trend.
And gulyás is not on the Apropó menu, which you can look over here. It is not the briefest, but very well put together - which made the decision-making process unusually difficult, especially alongside an exceptional Békési pálinka that boded well for the meal to come. And Apropó did not disappoint.
Feb 22 '10
Longtime readers may have wondered why we haven't seen more from our esteemed contributor Carolyn Bánfalvi. Well, in addition to all her various book projects and children, she and her husband/collaborator Gábor have also been busy with a new events company called Taste Hungary, which (as the name indicates) specializes in culinary tourism and education here in Hungary. And when I say "specialize" I mean specialize. Just consider the event they are hosting this Thursday at Kashmir restaurant in District VI, which addresses head-on a question I know has long baffled local wine connoisseurs, namely: Just how well does Tokaj go with Indian food?
Feb 17 '10
So if you're a regular restaurant-goer in Hungary you probably know that tomorrow marks the 2010 installment of Torkos Csütörtök, or "Gluttonous Thursday," when éttermek around the country lop 50% of the prices of regular menu items. Unlike in previous years, this time around we decided not to give lots of advance PR to the event, for the simple reason that we're not big fans. Aside from the heightened risk of food poisoning due to the sudden increase in covers, as well as the notorious lapses in service, the stories of "missing" reservations and other seedy bait and switch maneuvers by sly restaurateurs, the whole thing just seems like a gimmick, and a disheartening reminder of how relatively overpriced most higher-end Hungarian restaurants are. Also, strictly speaking "gluttony" is about eating more, not eating the same and paying less.
Feb 16 '10
If it wins the upcoming elections as most believe it will, Fidesz will partially lift the ban on the private distilling of pálinka, Kossuth Rádió reports. The law would be modified to allow people to make an as-yet unannounced amount for personal consumption. Distilling your own pálinka is illegal under a law enacted in 2004, and in order to make pálinka from your own homegrown fruit, you would have to take it to a licensed distiller, and only after paying all taxes and fees can you collect what you could have just made at home.
Many Hungarian winemakers are concerned that the Ft 1.3 billion (€4.8 million) collected over the past two years for a common marketing fund will not be spent wisely, index.hu reports. Following the collapse of the winemaker-created Magyar Bormarketing Nonprofit Kft (MBM) late last year, many winemakers have raised their objections to IDMC Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft, who won the tender to replace MBM in January this year. IDMC, according to the Opten company database, functions primarily as an events organizer, is listed as a construction company, and does not even possess its own website.
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