Below is a follow-up to an earlier post of a translation of the so-called "Culinary Charter" signed by dozens of Hungarian culinary figures decrying what they see as a crisis in Hungarian dining and food culture, and how to address the crisis. This additional text, which appeared in daily broadsheet Magyar Nemzet, includes several additional points not included in the original charter, as well as quotes from some of the individuals who signed it. In just a little bit we'll be publishing our own "charter." Until then you can comment on the issues raised in this and the previous related post in the thread we've created on the topic over in the Caboodle forums. - The Editors

"One of our politicians has adopted a rhino. Our dining culture is also a rhino that needs to be saved. Let's adopt it!" Thus ended the Culinary Charter that was published in the magazine last week. The letter was signed by nearly 100 people in two or three days, including chefs, confectioners, writers, winemakers, philosophers and journalists. The list of names indicate that people with very different ways of thnking have the same opinion about Hungarian dining culture: They know that something must be done. And something can be done - individually or as a group. Even a dozen of people can do a lot if they work together for a common cause.

In the Basque Country, civilian organizations caring for dining culture have been working for a long time. In other words, a "slow food" movement has been part of local traditions. There are several hundred cooking "circles," while other such groups promote a certain product. The latter can be considered adoption. It means that members of the circle have a certain top-quality basic ingredient produced (for example, an excellent eggplant, or a new vegetable that was until then unknown in the region, or a professionally-made cheese), and then they help get them sold, that is they create a market for quality.

In Hungary, it would be necessary to adopt quality potato types, which may not generate record revenues, but taste good. Other things waiting to be adopted are roasting pigeons (pecsenyegalamb), a good type of chicken or duck, cheese, bread or a quality type of wheat. (There is no flour available in this country that could be used for making high-quality bread.)

Three things are necessary for this: A good basic ingredient has to be found and to be produced by a "trusted" producer who is willing to find customers willing to take a certain amount if it. Restaurants can also get involved in this. (In Germany, a similar movement called Grüne Kiste ensures the life of whole biofarms.)

Alternatively, undiscovered butchers or small meat processing plants could be found that are capable of - and willing to - produce quality craft trade products. For exaple, real debreceni kolbász. (Today, even Austrian and German factories produce better debrecziner than what is available here.)

These are just a few ideas with which our aim is not launching a new pioneer movement for bored, child-minded people. All of this could be the cradle of a family of Hungarian food products that are quality-controlled. Wher by control we do not mean food safety authorities acting with metallic rigor that is completely unnecessary, often constitutes harrasment and creates obstacles for quality. What needs to be guaranteed is steady and good culinary quality. For example like the French label rouge, which is a quality system applied to everything from lentils ro poultry, from sour cream to onions.

There are also other causes that need to be adopted. Well-known public figores could form a group for such an important cause, for example saving the Balaton pike-perch (süllő), the population of which has received such a serious blow that it will not returned to health by itself. Or co-operation could be started to re-populate the Zala River with crabs (which are one of the best freshwater crabs). Other possibilities for those who want to get involved are the publication of books on gastronomy; the foreign education of a young, award-winner chef; the invitation of foreign educators; or the creation of a quality TV program about gastronomy.

The Hungarian Gastronomy Association (MGE) and the authors of this letter will provide a forum and information for all of the above in an online magazine called A bűvös szakás (The Magic Chef) to be launched on July 15. In addition, the MGE will create a foundation for the establishment of a gastronomy center and for the creation of opportunities for further education in the chef profession and related professions.

After the Culinary Charter was initially published, a book publisher announced that it was considering lanuching a series of gastronomy books, including some which have not been published in Hungary, due to fears that they would not be profitable in the country's small book market.

Under the leadership of one of the signers of the Charter, a member of our association, Miklós Fári, a "tomato project" has started at the Agriculture Science Center of the University of Debrecen. The Debrecen group planted seventy old (not developed for industrial production) so-called "heirloom" tomato types. These will be followed by various other vegetables, for example, potato types next year. The University of Debrecen is thus the first to do something against the "decorative plant plague" that has been spreading among gardeners, and in the interest of domesticating quality vegetables. "Something has started here," Fári said. "So much that is is now irreversible."

Tokaj winemaker Márta Wille-Baumkauff, another signer, said: "My French friends have told me that they like eating tradition Hungarian food at families, for example, paprikás csirke, but they don't like going to restaurants, because there it means something entirely different. Unfortunately, if I have guest from abroad, I have to think a lot about where to take them to taste Hungarian cuisine. Recently, we had a pleasent surprie near the Hortobágy Nine-Hole Bridge. I'm happy to see more young people at wine tastings. They are probably going to be more sensitive to taste and gastronomy as well. The improvement of gastronomy is important for winemaking from a strategic point of view, so we must do something. As for myself, I've decided to get in contact with the Újfehértó and Érd research centers and ask for their help in planting excellent quality, disgracefully forgotten types of apples, pears and plums on my land. Of course, it would also be important to ensure that these institutions and our gene banks are conserved.

László Pollok, co-owner of the Csalogány 26 restaurant, is another signer of the Culinary Charter: "As a result of my profession, I travel a lot, and I notice an ever more apparent difference between the European forefront and Hungarian gastronomy. To be precise, I could say that what is called gastronomy here is not it. And, unfortunately, not many people are willing to face this. I didn't buy the restaurant for business profit, but because I want to prove to myself and those who are unbelieving that quality gastronomy can also be viable. We're seraching for good-quality Hungarian products for this purose, but for now - apart from wines - we haven't been able to find many. I bring flour from Transylvania, puliszkadara (corn flour) that is made in a stone mill from an old type of corn from Russia, and beef from Vienna. It would be good if we didn't have to go this far for these products, but unfortunately, the high-quality foreign produts are often even cheaper than the poor-quality Hungarian products. At the same time, the education of chefs, the exam system and all of their circumstances are simply nightmarish. We must step out of this shitty-country status."

Gábor Zsolnay, master chef, educator: "The system of education and preparation for master exams in our profession is foundamentally faulty and is continuously getting worse. However, I believe that for several reasons, reorganizing basic level chef training is impossible at the moment. So, I agree with the Culinary Charter that a sample school is necessary. Outside of the existing system, a school should be established where chefs who have worked one or two years in the profession could receive further training and specialized training in different directions. Today, potenital unemployed people are being trained in this field at many places around the country. We don't respond to the demands of the workforce market with a differentiated education system, but instead create unnecessary paper-qualifiations, often with artificial knowledge, with the aim of maintaining the schools. That means we train managers and assistants for a lot of money, and not good professionals who are needed by the market."

If we ask Hungarian breeders, farmers, bakers or traders why quality is missing everywhere in Hungary, we receive many different answers. But one reason is always mentioned, which is that quality is simply not valued by wholesale, but it is only interested in quantity. And wholesalers believe: "There is no demand for quality here." But we say: "Yes. Yes, there is."