As you may have heard, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Budapest last Friday to consult with some of Hungary’s leaders. (And to get snubbed by some others). But in addition to all that greeting and meeting, there seems to have been some serious eating. Following a meeting with his Hungarian counterpart László Sólyom (above, back to camera), Sarkozy and Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány had a brief, 30-minute talk at Gyurcsány’s office before they and their cronies headed to Parliament’s picturesque Munkácsy room and got down to the real business at hand.
From what we hear, the menu was pretty standard for an occasion like this, consisting of grilled filet of zander (pike-perch), crispy duck, baked apples stuffed with blueberries, and “fluffed” bread rolls stuffed with mushrooms and kolbász (sausage). More unusual – at least for the guest – would have been dessert: vargabéles (left), a traditional Hungarian “noodle pie” made from baked pasta, eggs, curds or sour cream and sugar. The conspiracy theorist in us says this was a test by Sarkozy’s hosts to see just how Hungarian the man many Magyars call “Sárközy” is. Though by the time dessert rolled around he should have been relaxed enough to play it cool even if he thought it was répugnant, because the lunch also involved several different wines, including Tokaji Furmint, Soproni Kékfrankos and Tokaji Muscatlunel.
