When people mistakenly think of gulyás as a stew rather than a soup, what they are generally mistaking it for is pörkölt (“PUR-CULT”), which gets its name from the word meaning to “roast” or “singe.”
For tradition-minded Hungarians, the pörkölt base is always made from diced onion fried in lard and flavored with paprika. To this can be added any type of meat – beef, veal, pork or poultry – vegetables, mushrooms (gombapörkölt), eggs (tojáspörkölt) or even rooster testicles.
