One of the things that is difficult to get in Budapest is a good bowl of chili. Even though quite a few restaurants now serve it as an option, you don't always have the time to go to a restaurant, or, if you're a student, the money. That's where Pick Rt's Chilis Bab Darált Sertéshússal, ("Chili with Pork," around Ft 600/€2.40 at your local supermarket) comes in. Pick, as you might know, is the salami king of Hungary, but they've recently branched out into the field of microwaveable meals, through their Ízek Világa ("World of Flavors") line. While their ready-made meals are of varying quality, this is clearly one of the better offerings.

As far as preparation is concerned, the directions recommend the "traditional" method of throwing the container into boiling water for about ten minutes. Alternatively, the packaging says you can remove the metal film from the top and then toss it in the microwave for a few minutes. However, once I removed the foil from the top, I realized the rest of the tin was metallic as well, and recalled a spark-filled incident with a color-changing Hot Wheels car many years ago. So I opted to empty the chilli into a bowl before nuking it.

Considering that there isn't actually that much chili in one of these packets, I made some rice to eat with it. I know this is sacrilege for most chili-loving Americans, but the Brits do this all the time, and I was hungry. As a result, my plate looked like this before I dug in:

As for as the always-crucial question of "heat," I added some ground chili peppers to make it a bit spicier, but even then it wasn't too hot, meaning the chili by itself is fairly mild. Taste-wise it had promise, although there was something of slightly metallic mellékíz ("side-taste") to the dish, no doubt absorbed from the packaging. Despite that, it was alright, although I do think it could be improved upon, (and the portion size increased).

The ultimate test is whether you'd buy something again, and in that regard I can say I've already gone back for further helpings of Pick's chili, since it makes for a quick meal when you're in a hurry or just can't be bothered to cook or go out. It's not exactly the kind of chili that you can stick your fork in and watch it stand up, but as far as Hungarian non-restaurant varieties go, it's the best you can find at your local store until you get someone to mail you a can of the real thing. In short: