Favourite Hungarian ingredients – sour cherry

Some Hungarian desserts are famous all over the world – just think of the Dobos cake or the cream cake (krémes). However, the lesser known cakes and pastries are just as delicious. One of the ingredients that appear in several of them is the sour cherry.

Sour cherry is the only fruit for which the Hungarian word we use today, namely, ‘meggy’, has Finno-Ugric origins, suggesting that Hungarians have known about this fruit since before conquering the Carpathian Basin. Hungary has a wide variety of sour cherry trees, producing different kinds of cherries, which could mean introducing the fruit to the European cuisine started in Hungary.

Hungarian strudel

When you hear the word strudel, you might think of the Austrian apple strudel that is also among the world’s 100 most famous foods.

However, Hungarians have their own version that is just as special and delicious. It first appeared presumably in the 17th century, with the first written document dating back to 1696, and spread in the Habsburg Empire in the 18th century.

There are many varieties to the Hungarian strudel. You can make it with a number of fillings, including cottage cheese, poppy seed, walnut, sour cherry and any combination of these.

Click HERE to make the recipe at home.

Sour cherry soup

Sour cherry soup is the perfect soup choice for the warm spring and summer days as it is usually served cold, occasionally with the addition of cream, whipped cream or even vanilla ice cream. Sour cherry soup is a known dish in the neighbouring countries, too, such as Austria, Slovakia or Poland, but it also made its way to America and Canada, thanks to Hungarian emigrants. Recipes vary from household to household, but it is a safe bet if you try and follow THIS recipe.

Cognac sour cherry

Cognac sour cherry is an old Hungarian bonbon, first made in 1886 by Emil Gerbeaud, descendent of the famous confectioner dynasty. It is actually not too difficult to make at home, although it does take long until you can get a taste of the finished product. However, all you need is some sour cherries, cognac, fondant and chocolate. The sour cherries are meant to soak in the cognac for about four weeks. Then, you have to make the chocolate shell, add the sour cherry and the fondant, then let it set for about a week. The upside of making it at home is you can vary the amount of cognac and fondant, and you can try making the shell from white chocolate, too, for example.