1 comments about Hungary: Its Fine wines and Winemakers.

1. David Copp's HUNGARY: ITS FINE WINES AND WINEMAKERS is a 'must' for any serious wine library, especially as very few books on the topic explore Hungarian wine history in depth. Chapters pair full-page color photos with details on Hungarian wine makers and regional production and grapes, reviewing Hungarian history with an eye to revealing its major producers, the evolution of the industry as a whole, and its development in perspective of overall Eastern European history.

5 comments about Food Wine Budapest (The Terroir Guides).

1. I purchased this book as soon as it was available. My husband and I were planning our first trip to Budapest. We read through the book before we left, marking all the restaurants we wanted to try while we were there. We slipped the book, already looking worn and ragged with yellow sticky tags hanging out from two sides, into our backpack as we headed to the airport. And that's where it stayed as we walked the streets of Budapest for 11 days, enjoying some of the wonderful restaurants, the great food and Hungarian wines that Banfalvi recommends in the book. Each time we were ready to eat, we pulled out the book, filled with information about where to get good coffee, sweet treats, wine, or a good Hungarian meal.
   Her food-related Hungarian-English and English-Hungarian dictionary was very helpful. Locator maps would have been useful, with numbers used to indicate locations of each place. We did discover, though, that Budapest is an easy city to navigate and it's not difficult to find what you're looking for.
   If you're planning a trip to Budapest, you'll be glad you have this book in your backpack.



2. I travel a lot, and I travel, primarily, so that I can DINE. Accordingly, I've read a LOT of food-related guides, but never one quite as comprehensive, on-the-mark, and as readable as this one. When I first read the book (cover to cover, in preparation for a 2008 return visit to Budapest), I thought that the author must be some older, vastly-experienced travel writer, writing from a long experience with not only Budapest/Hungarian food and wine, but also coming from a broad background of food-writing all over Europe. I was (totally, joyfully) stunned to discover that the author was a young-ish resident of Budapest, and that this incredible guide was her first major published effort. Astonishing! I've read many, many food-related guides for places like Paris, London, Catalonia and elsewhere, and this book is the best one -- by far, bar none -- of all I've seen. I'm still suffering from a sort of happy disbelief at both the quality of the writing and the accuracy of the recommendations. Wow. Wow! The company that published this book should send the author on extended visits to other major cities, to parlay her perceptive skills and style into a series.
   
   In short, if you're headed to Budapest (or anywhere else in Hungary), this is a must-have book.



3. I have been to Budapest many times and thought I knew most of the good eateries. This colorful guide book offers up some tempting new suggestions in city where you can find some of the best fois gras and red wine in Europe. Having recently returned from Paris I can assure you that when it comes to value dining Budapest is hard to beat. Not only is the Hungarian fois better in most cases but it is a fraction of the price one often pays in Paris for smaller portions. For those who love red wines what's not to love about the beautiful vintages coming out of Villany. The author knows Hungarian food and you can feel the love for the country, its people and its cuisine as you leaf through this beautiful edition. Invaluable : Especially now that the dollar is so strong against the forint... Visit now and enjoy the real bargains this city offers up.



4. Carolyn Banfalvi has poured her passion and knowledge of food and wine into this book. It is packed with information including essentials on getting around the city, a select list of further reading and websites, an outstanding culinary dictionary and a great primer on the delicious Hungarian wines.
   
   Even if you are not planning a trip to Budapest, it is worth reading for the information on soups, meats, dumplings, and palinka. The coffeehouses and sweets are documented to great detail. This book will not disappoint. It is a great investment on the rich food culture of Hungary.



5. After 25 years in the wine business and years of food and wine travel I was astonished when, in preparation for a trip to Budapest, I ordered Carolyn's book and after its arrival found I just couldn't put it down.Her descriptions are so complete I feel like I've already been in Budapest instead of just anticipating my upcoming trip. As far as the absence of maps my suggestion is to buy a good Budapest map or just Google Budapest. This is absolutely the best food/wine/travel book about a foreign city I've read!

3 comments about The Cuisine of Hungary.

1. I found an old copy in a library book sale. It is full of old recipes for authentic Hungarian food. In other words, it's a pretty rare bird in the US; no one cooks like this any more with the advent of fast food, takeout, and three-career families.

   I have so far used two of the dessert recipes. They aren't difficult, just time consuming. One cake took me close to three hours, clean-up time included. A big stand mixer is almost required for several of the cakes in here; I would NOT recommend trying some of these by hand unless you have very strong arms and a copper egg bowl.

   OTOH, the results are delicious, and vanish rapidly.




2. If you're at all into Hungarian cuisine, George Lang is an essential. If you don't think you're particularly interested in Hungarian food (and believe me you are missing A LOT) -- this is a great book to get just for the desserts, and specifically the cakes. I've baked many of them and they are to die for. Your guests will not stop talking.
   
   This is slow food as it was meant to be. Same for the baking. Wholesome ingredients, hearty food, light fresh pastry. All are easily made as organic as well. It's also worth noting that the Hungarian stews (goulashes, paprikash, etc.) are extremely well-suited for a crockpot and freeze well. Just make sure you use good authentic paprika as your base.



3. The two copies I ordered, sent by two differe providers, sent copies in more than terrible condition. I am now getting copies from a reliable source. I should have dealt with them in the first place.
   
   Margit Serenyi

5 comments about Magdi's Quick & Easy Hungarian & Other Gourmet Recipes.

1. This is one the greatest cookbooks I have. It's worth every penny. Very detailed, pictures for every step, easy to follow instructions.
   I have tried several recipes from this book in the first week I got it. I just enjoyed surprising my family with easily and quickly prepared great tasting food. My whole family loved the tastes. Our favorite is the Hungarian Goulash. Great taste, easy to make, and finally I got the recipe!
   What I really liked and helped me so much, that the author gives examples of where to shop for the ingredients, even have pictures of these products. The tip corner and the menu ideas are very helpful.

   I truly recommend this cookbook for everyone who wants to try the true Hungarian taste with easy to understand recipes.




2. A great holiday gift idea, or for someone's birthday. This book made me remember my childhood with the wonderful dishes that my mother and grandmother made. I will give it to my daughters and friends to pass down the tradition of tasty & hearty meals that are easy to make, and are sure to become family favorites. The pictures make it easy to see the mouthwatering end result, and the directions are easy to follow. I highly recommed buying it. You will not be dissapointed.



3. I always loved Hungarian food and had it often because some of my Hungarian ex-boyfriends had mothers who always made Hungarian meals. Since I don't hang out with their mothers anymore (which is probably a good thing because I'm married now), all I need is this recipe book to find some really good meals. It's great because all of the steps and pictures are listed out for me. I'm really happy that I found this. I just made the goulash, cucumber salad and paprikas potato potpourri for my husband last weekend and we loved the meal! I think I'll try the Stuffed Cabbage next.



4. I love the book with all the good recepies and beautiful pictures makes you want to cook a lot more.The spiral binding is excellent idea, becouse when you open it's stays open.Simple recepices easy to foloww and save time and energy for me to prepare a good harty meal.The book is fantastick tell you what you need and where to buy it.I am looking forward to receving the new recepies on her website every month.I did tryed olmost all of them and my whole family love my cooking.I love it and I owned to you.Thanks Magdi!



5. Since I AM Hungarian, I was excited to start using this book and it does not disappoint. Lots of recipes in there my mother never cooked and I'm having a ball exploring aspects of my heritage that are new to me. Terrific cookbook.

5 comments about Hungary (Culinaria).

1. This book is authentic. It is not only a great cookbook but also a colorful introduction to the Hungarian culture. I am a Hungarian living in the US and have always had a hard time explaining our ingredients, dishes and delicacies to my friends and when I saw this book I realized that this was the best solution. That was all I needed in my kitchen, so now whenever I serve a Hungarian dish to my guests, I just show the book as an explanation. We always have a good laugh at the pictures and at the stories and memories they bring up, it is a great way to show where and how I grew up - and what I was eating meanwhile.
   
   The recipes are authentic and they cover the variety of the home-made dishes we eat.
   This book will make you want to cook a tasty gulyas soup and a chicken paprikas with noodles... but be careful! You may soon find yourself sitting in a cafe in Budapest trying one delicious pastry after the other, or getting dizzy on a wine-tasting tour near the Balaton or trying to sneak some sausage and pickled vegetables in your suitcase on the way back. :) Jó étvágyat! Enjoy!



2. I'm very happy with this book. The recipes I've made so far reminded me of home. I especially loved
   the creamed spinach recipe (spenot), which turned out just perfect. (I followed the book's recipe to the
   letter.) Not everyone will like this particular dish, but this is what I grew up with and I always loved it.
   I have numerous Hungarian cookbooks--some from Hungary--but this is by far the best.
   
   I'm also impressed that on one of the first few pages there's a picture of carp soup. I'm originally from Baja,
   Hungary, where this soup is served at Christmas at many family's tables. There's nothing I've ever tasted in
   the 50 years of my life that compares to a properly made carp soup--absolutely nothing. I'm so impressed
   that this book gives this dish the attention it deserves.
   
   If you think that carp soup is a joke, do a Google search using the following key words:
   baja hungary fish soup festival
   
   However, don't bother trying to make the soup...
   
   Update: If you feel adventurous, I put together a web page which has the Engish version of the recipe: web.mac.com/ferencho/halaszle/recept.html



3. I love this book and give it 5 stars and I do alot of shopping here on Amazon. But I am outraged at the sellers that have posted their new/used books at ridiculous prices! I unfortunately had to purchase this book at Barnes and Noble because Amazon did not have it and I just happened to look at the "available from these sellers" list.... there is a person selling this book for over $300! The book cost $22 retail! I paid $19.95 for it. I hope that Amazon customers stay loyal to this website but please be careful of "these other sellers" who are just looking to rip you off!



4. Item has been produced in hardcover and softcover editions. The Recipes are basically the same but flexi cover format used in reproducing the original hardcover in softcover format gives a very poor reproduction. There is no comparison in quality between the original hardcover and the later cheaper Flexi=cover format. If you want a real good coffee table book buy the hardcover edition if you can find it. If you cannot find it do what most of of the uncivilised ones do - fake it!!!!You might even be invited to Hungary...



5. This book is a real hungarian book. The food is how my mom makes hungarian food and she was born and raised there. It gives information about where the ingredients come from and about the regions of Hungary. If you want a cookbook that is truly Hungarian with recipes that are authentic this book is for you. I have the hardcover version and it's great!

2 comments about The Wines of Hungary (Classic Wine Library).

1. As Liddell himself says, the situation is changing and this is a snapshot, but an extremely informative one. This book is without parallel in english (and any other language?) and comprehensively surveys the vineyards of Hungary together with a lot of background on the grapes, the soil, the history, the traditions and the problems facing Hungary's wine makers.



2. This is a stellar book on the most difficult of the major wine producing countries to study (up there with Italy and Greece). On key fact is that the Hungarian language is so difficult for English speakers to pronounce. Liddell is my hero for his pronunciation guide in the appendices as well as the other appendices showing production, exchange and conversion charts and more! Now when I read these texts I wish they all contained a pronunciation guide!
   
   So a note to the publishers: please include a pronunciation chart in the next edition of Germany and Austria!

5 comments about The Paprikas Weiss Hungarian Cookbook.

1. This book is very practical. Easy to follow. More importantly its recepies are not experimental, invented Hungarian cerepies but rather REAL Hungarian cooking done in Hungary. It therefore reflects the traditional cooking of the Hungarian people. I would love to buy it for my children (daughters) to familiarize themselves with their ancestors cooking.



2. Just like Mom used to make. Wonderful



3. This book is a collection of standard Hungarian recipes that would be familiar to any Hungarian cook. It includes chapters on soups, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. Each chapter begins with a brief description of the type of dish and its role in the food culture of Hungary, discussing, for instance, what were foods were readily available on the farm. The recipes are provided with both their English and Hungarian names. One helpful feature is that each recipe includes not only a list of ingredients, but also a list of utensils needed for the recipe. In keeping with Hungarian farm traditions, most of the recipes call for butter, sour cream, eggs, and one or more types of meat, especially pork. Virtually all the recipes call for fresh foods, not canned foods or convenience mixes, but there are few exotic ingredients needed.
   
   This book would make a great reference for American cooks who want to create authentic-tasting Hungarian meals. There aren't many fancy recipes in the book for special occasions- -mainly the book is about basic home cooking down on the farm, Hungarian style.



4. You don't get any more authentic than this book. Most other cookbooks are phoney. This is the real thing. I am Hungarian and this is how my Mother cooked and now so am I. You want the real thing...this is it. The ingrediants are easily obtained. The directions are easy to follow and the dish turns out exactly how it is meant to be.



5. The Paprikás Weiss Cookbook is a decent ethnic cookbook from the end of the 70s. Its recipes all are authentic Hungarian "home" fare, with few surprising dishes. (I'm a Hungarian). This also means that it might be an excellent first cookbook for someone who wants to get acquainted with Hungarian cuisine. Classics such as goulash soup, cold sour cherry soup, chicken paprikas, Eszterhazy steak, pancakes or strudels are very well described. Every recipe lists the utensils separately as well, this can be a great help for a less experienced cook. Were it possible, I'd give four and a half stars to this book, it gets four from me due to the lack of interesting regional recipes and the low number of "special occasion" recipes. Nevertheless, I recommend this cookbook, however, I personally like Susan Derecskey's The Hungarian Cookbook and C. M. Czegeny's Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes better.

5 comments about Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks, Expanded Edition.

1. "Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks" by Yolanda Nagy Fintor has a long title. It should. There is a lot packed in it.
   
   As cookbooks go, this is among the most accessible I have read. While many tend to err with a tone too haute cuisine, Fintor realizes she's suggesting ordinary people cook these dishes.
   
   To many Americans asking themselves what Hungarian food is, I can say it is a good, good thing. It will challenge your arteries, but delight your soul. Your stomach will be happy too. Here, you will find recipes proving that.
   
   Fintor explains in a brief introduction a history of Hungarian cuisine. She writes how, despite its present unique place in the culinary world, it began as an amalgamation of French, Italian, Turkish, German and Transylvanian food.
   
   While not exactly useful to the American cook, she has a section on Hungarian language. Now, you can pronounce the dish names when your Hungarian date comes over for dinner. If things work out, you will impress your spouse's family too.
   
   More practical to most readers is her section on how to interpret the recipes, and what ingredients you will need handy. The difference this makes is important, like that vinegar to be used is distilled white, and that butter should be the salted kind.
   
   Keyed into the needs of beginning cooks, Fintor provides some useful tips, a glossary of basic cooking terns (like dredge, dice, trussing, and what roux is).
   
   Recipes are the bulk of the book, with some black and white pictures of dishes. The layout is easy on the eyes. Directions are straightforward. Occasionally, she gives ideas to adapt the recipe to an American context, in case the ingredients are somewhat different. The only significant drawback is the hardcover design, which makes keeping it open while cooking difficult.
   
   The recipe sections are as follows, each with an introduction:
   
   Appetizers, relishes, and sauces
   Salads
   Soups
   Biscuits, dumplings, and noodles
   Poultry
   Meats
   Vegetables
   Desserts
   Breads
   Wines (no recipes, just an introduction).
   
   I fully recommend "Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks" by Yolanda Nagy Fintor. Jó Étvágyat! (May you have a good appetite!)
   
   Anthony Trendl
   editor, HungarianBookstore.com



2. A very good cookbook. The paprika chicken was delicious! The history in the book is very interesting which makes the book worth reading. Worth the money.



3. I love the title of this book and when I saw terms like Grandma and Grandpa Nagy in the introduction, I smiled because, I, too, am a Nagy. That was my maiden name and many of these recipes reminded me of my Grandmother's kitchen in Cleveland, OH. I'm keeping this book with my small colection of Hungarian culture for my daughters and grandchildren.



4. As the owner of dozens of cookbooks, I have to say Yolanda Fintor's 'Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks' is my hands down favorite. The snippets of family stories interspersed with bits of history make this an engaging read on its own. Add in the most delicious recipes you will ever find, written with easy to understand directions, and you get your money's worth and more. With food prices rising and household budgets tightening, this cookbook offers an amazing assortment of flavorful dishes using inexpensive basic ingredients. My favorite recipe is the Chicken Paprika with dumplings. I make a double batch because you can never have too many dumplings. The Stuffed Cabbage is another yummy favorite. Try any of the soup recipes and I guarantee you'll never go back to canned soup again. I recommend the Sour Cream Potato Soup for cold winter days. For Christmas I make batches of kiflis (named Grandma Kish's Crescents in the cookbook) with a variety of fillings - walnuts, apricot and raspberry, and give them as gifts. There's something for everyone in this cookbook from the most finicky eater to the die-hard lover of all things edible. Highly recommended. You won't be disappointed.



5. It has all of the famliy favorites made the same way of my grandmother! This is The best Hungarian Cookbook!!

5 comments about The Hungarian Cookbook.

1. `The Hungarian Cookbook' by Susan Derecskey may be one of the easiest cookbooks I have yet reviewed, as this is quite literally exactly the food I grew up on. My comfort food, as a kid, was goulash, dumplings, Hungarian crepes, strudel, cabbage and noodles, and chocolate walnut cake, each and every one of these dishes made in exactly the same way as described in this book. All of these dishes came to by from my paternal grandmother who emigrated to the United States just before World War I, from a small town in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, forty miles east of Vienna, which is now in Hungary. From this background, I can say with certainty that this is an exceptionally good evocation of Hungarian cuisine.
   
   This is also an exceptionally good evocation of a national cuisine in general, even when compared to some of the leading treatments I have seen recently of the cuisines of Turkey, Lebanon, Germany, and Armenia. It is also as good as many treatments of French and Italian regional cuisines, although it may not be quite as good as the best of these, and it is certainly not as good as Paula Wolfert's classic work on Moroccan cuisine. It is also just a bit less than the classics on national cuisines such as Diana Kochilas on Greece or Penelope Casas on Spain. But, it is exactly all you need to recreate the great Hungarian dishes I remember from my childhood.
   
   Aside from finding recipes for my long lost chocolate nut birthday cake, the first thing which impressed me about the book was the care in which the author pointed out that some recipes were simply difficult to get right the first time. This fact is probably obvious for strudel dough, but it is less obvious with recipes for potato dumplings.
   
   For those of you who may be totally ignorant of Hungarian cooking, its most distinctive characteristics are noodles, dumplings, and soup. Egg noodles and dumplings essentially serve for Hungarians the role of pasta and risotto has for Italians. This is really carb central in that in addition to the white flour, potatoes are also an important ingredient for many dumpling recipes. And, these dumplings are real gut grenades. They are guaranteed to spike your blood sugar in record time.
   
   Since soup is such an important part of the Hungarian cuisine, I paid special attention to the recipes for stock in Ms. Derecskey's book and found them entirely to my liking. They are not long cooking, the vegetables are put into the simmering stock for just an hour, and the author is more careful than most in advising the cook to be very careful not to boil the stock and to skim off scum as quickly as it appears. I usually don't see as much care given to stock making in books on `minor' national cuisines.
   
   Vegetable dishes are always a special interest of mine and this book has several especially good ones. Like most of central Europe, the king of the vegetables was the cabbage. There are several good asparagus and beet and cucumber recipes, but no sign of artichokes or rapini. This is cabbage country, partner. I was also more than modestly pleased with the recipes for salads. I never associated salads with Mitteleuropa, but there they are. Very nice vinaigrette recipes to be sure.
   
   The only thing that puzzled me about the book and its recipes was the author's stating that Hungarians were not especially fond of mature beef. They preferred to cook veal, including braises and stews, which almost seems like a waste when you can let the cow mature a bit and get much more meat for stewing.
   
   While Hungary does not have the great pastry tradition of its neighbor much did rub off while the two countries were joined at the hip up to 1918 under the Hapsburgs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In fact, Budapest was the empire's second city ahead of even Prague in esteem. The star of the Hungarian pastry is strudel, which has a lot of similarities with Greek filo, but it is not exactly the same. I have tried to make strudel with filo and the results are less than perfect.
   
   If you have any Hungarian in your blood, you really need this book. If you are simply interested in reading of world cuisines, this one is a winner. The instructions on making strudel and dumplings alone are worth the price of admission.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. I'm really pleased with this cookbook. Many of the recipes remind me of the dishes my grandmother used to make. I'll admit to adding a bit more paprika to the goulash than the recipe called for, but overall I was very happy with the results, as were my guests.
   I like that the author recommends side dishes and desserts to accompany and follow the main courses. The section on wine is most welcome as I find more Hungarian wines in my local wine shop.
   If you are of Hungarian descent or simply interested in Hungary, this cookbook makes a good addition to your culinary library.



3. I bought my first copy of this book over thirty years ago, and even then had to special order it. In the last couple of years I have bought four more copies for family and friends as many of the recipes are identical to those of my mother-in-law whose family was from Croatia. Any one whose family originated in the Slavic area of Europe, including Austria, may find some family favorites in this wonderful, entertaining and reliable book.



4. Excellent cookbook,interesting addtional information. Recepies close to mum's. A bit of a shame that it contained no creative photographs but that was known at the time of purchase. The real value is in the authentic recepies.



5. I purchased this as a gift for my brother. All of us siblings enjoyed grandma's and mom's real Hungarian cooking and like to dabble ourselves. My brother is a very decent cook but was lacking a nice Hungarian cookbook. As I scanned this one, I noticed many of our family favorites. This is a simple and attractive little book that I'm sure he and his family will enjoy.
   
   I have several Hungarian cookbooks that look and read like History books. While interesting and well written, they are not as easily navigated. This is better for the busy cook who just wants good Hungarian food.

5 comments about Culinaria Hungary (Culinaria).

1. I am so happy with this book! I love that it's split up by region of Hungary and full of the history of the dishes, along with the history of the use of certain ingredients such as bacon, plum puree, spritzer wine, etc. I miss my Hungarian grandmother so much and never paid as much attention to her cooking as I should have...it warms my heart (and fills my stomach!) to have access to some of the dishes she used to prepare!



2. If you are traveling to Hungary, this is a great book to look through. It will help you formulate ideas of places to visit, and help you create a lists of the foods and beverages you may want to try while there. This book is ideal for anyone trying to get in touch with his/her Hungarian roots.



3. I have the hardcover version of this book. Payed an obscene amount for it, but it was well worth it. The recipes are clearly described. I also own Horváth Ilona's book titled "Szakácskönyv," which seems to be very widely used in Hungary, but the recipes are harder to decipher.
   
   Anikó Gergely's book is just spectacular. It has lots of fascinating background information, lots of beautiful pictures, and solid recipes for making authentic Hungarian food. I recently made Pörkölt Csirke (in an Emile Henry Tagine for the heck of it). It came out great.
   
   My other favorite was Spenót which reminded me of the same dish my Mom made when I was a kid still living in Hungary.
   
   If you want to see how obsessed Hungarians are with food, just do an image search on Google for "vásárcsarnok budapest". Keep in mind that this enormous building is in the center of Budapest. You can buy goose liver the size of an American football, or any kind of game you can think of, or fish, or paprika, or garlic, or sausage, salami, etc. If it's edible, they have it.



4. This is as much travel book as cookbook....really a wonderful combination for someone who is going to visit Hungary or just wants to learn more about the country and Hungarian food.



5. I bought this for my Dad who is Hungarian. He lost alot of his old recipes and I thought this book might help him to remember. This book is very informational and a very good read.