A poll conducted by Market researchers Gfk Hungária and regurgitated by daily Népszabadság has found that one third of Hungarians now eat like westerners (our words), grabbing anything that goes by any time of the day or night. While until recently, the midday ebéd was the main meal of the day, it is rapidly being replaced by the evening vacsora, which will no doubt have dire consequences for the nation’s health and waistline. In just two years, the number of big lunchers has fallen from 72 percent to 64 – and this despite the advice of health champion Fitness Norbi. One of the mainstays of his hugely successful plan is that dieters should eat early and less in the evening. What’s worse, around 10 percent now commit the capital dietary sin by shunning breakfast. Half of Hungarians surveyed still eat three times a day, but the number of those who eat more frequently is increasing. On the bright side, 83 percent of women still like to cook, and a quarter of Hungarians prepare their own meals daily, although the most popular food item continues to be white bread accompanied by traditional salami and kolbász, or simply lard as zsíroskenyér, pictured. Fruit and vegetables, former favorites in leaner times, have slipped way down the pecking order, while frozen TV dinners are gaining in popularity. Unfortunately, no statistics were given on average weekly lángos consumption.
