By my count there are now three different annual pálinka festivals in Budapest. The smallest and least exciting of these – the so-called “Pálinka Promenád” – took place a few weeks back, and, frankly, it seemed so small and unexciting that I didn’t bother to mention it. But you can bet your liver, brain and all your other vital organs that I’ll be going to this weekend’s second-annual Budavári Pálinka- és Kolbászfesztivál (Buda Castle Pálinka and Kolbász Festival), which offers all the high-proof fruit brandy your body needs and all the nitrate-rich, high-fat sausage it craves.
Seriously: What kind of evil geniuses came up with this idea, and how can we ever thank them for it? Even the URL of the official website – www.palinkaeskolbasz.hu (“pálinka and kolbász”) – oozes the sort of manic purposefulness that is the hallmark of something not to be missed. The action kicks off tomorrow and runs until Sunday – or until everyone is dead. God Bless.
Note that there is talk of a new delicacy invented at the festival: Chocolate stuffed with deep-fried Mangalica pork crackling/scratchings (“mangalicatepertővel töltött csokoládé”): http://critmiss.tumblr.com/post/208271647/mangalicatepert-vel-t-lt-tt-csokol-d
Not sure if this is an impromptu invention or actually for sale.
Haven’t tried it myself and don’t think I have the iron clad stomach for it, but would love to know others’ opinions.
I note the BBC has a story about pork served with chocolate in the Ukraine ( news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3825221.stm ), so maybe this isn’t cutting edge culinary stuff anyway? There was a story that the Ukranians eat pork fat (look up ‘salo’ on wikipedia) and chocolate all the time “chocolate-coated salo” (salo v shokoladi), but this was apparently an April Fool’s joke.
So does the ‘mangalicatepertővel töltött csokoládé’ really exist (won’t be able to go myself).
I can’t wait till winter for some yummy Szallonacukor
I have seen it at the Pálinka Festival and could not believe the idea of this product.
Willing to try new things but this is definetly a NO NO on my list…