Cluj-Napoca/Kolozsvár is a city on the move, as only a town with three names can be. Part of a booming portion of formerly Hungarian-ruled Transylvania, it is the seat of a young but burgeoning wine industry, a hot-spot with back-packers, and has seen the opening of any number of new internationally-themed restaurants. If you want sushi, you even have a choice between two Japanese places. On a recent weekend jaunt across the Hungarian/Romanian border, I tried it all, but the most fulfilling culinary delight of Kolozsvár is the humble, old-fangled gogoaşa (donut) at Gogoaşa Infuriata (the “angry donut”), on Str. Memorandumului, a stone’s throw from the main square.
Donut is, of course, a loose translation. Don’t expect the multi-colored, neon-bright frosted junk of the Dunkin’ Donuts or Krispy Kreme variety, the former of which had a short-lived go at the Budapest market some years ago. The gogoaşa is more of a hybrid between a Hungarian lángos (savory fried dough) and the sweet fánk, combining the best aspects of both into a sweet breakfast or early afternoon snack. How it is related to the similarly donut-like papanaş apparently common outside of the Hungarian-flavored bits of Romania I don’t know, but after this I’m eager to find out.
What the gogoaşa lacks in presentation, it makes up for in freshness and flavor. Deep-fried dough is then offered with a variety of fillings, including chocolate, vanilla, jam, or salty, feta-like cheese (branza); than dusted with powdered sugar. The result is a hot, greasy, messy concoction that demands over-indulgence, if not outright gluttony. It would be easy to return to the Gogoaşa Infuriata many times over the course of a day, did it not close in the early afternoon.
If you make down to “Greater Transylvannia,” as my expat friends who live there refer to it, don’t be surprised to find a line outside of Gogoasa Infuriata during the entirety of its opening hours, despite the fact that there are three Gogoasa Infuriata outlets in Kolozsvár. At one to two new lei (€0.30-€0.60) apiece, Hungarians, Romanians and tourists alike can agree that it is one of the best budget bites in Eastern Europe. But you might even be able to enjoy some without trekking all the way to Transylvania, as the company’s website says they are actively looking for franchisees.
