How Hungry is Hungary?

Are you from Hungry? Hungry is a beautiful country. I have never been to Hungry, but someday I would love to. Hungry Hungarian…a few sentences you might have heard from a non-Hungarian speaker before. The fact that people usually mix up Hungry with Hungary is a pun Hungarians are used to. But is there a scientific explanation behind it?

This familiar pun only can be used in the English language and other ones with German origin. Hungry in the Hungarian language is ‘éhes’ so this pun cannot be used between Hungarian speakers and in the language as the country is not called éhes in Hungarian but Magyarország (Hungarian [Magyar] + country [ország] = Hungary).

Even though Hungary and Magyarország are entirely different from each other, they actually have the same root. The name comes from the name of the people who lived in the ancient land of Hungary (the Carpathian Basin), the Huns, with their most famous and legendary leader Attila. In medieval Latin language, the term Hungaria was born from the word Hun, which means one Hun person (Hun + garia).

As the English language during the centuries developed from the Latin language, the word ‘Hungary’ was probably born from ‘Hungaria’. In ancient Hungarian language, the term ‘Magyar’ was born as the Huns called themselves (magyarok = Hungarians).

Hun = Magyar

Hungary

Magyarország

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/genetic-study-proves-hungarians-descendants-huns/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Genetic study proves that Hungarians are the descendants of the Huns[/button]

All in all, the terminology of the word does not have anything in common with the enormous appetite of the country regardless of all the traditional and national Hungarian foods and drinks. But someone who has never been to Hungary might not know where to begin. Most foreign people choose Goulash soup when they are asked about the Hungarian gastronomy. It is a type of soup with paprika, beef, vegetables, and seasoning they usually say. Other world-famous dishes in Hungary are the all-time favourite lángos, fish soup and Somlói Galuska which is a type of dessert with nuts, chocolate sauce, rum, and whipped cream.