Popular dishes of the Lake Balaton region

Lake Balaton will be one of the central venues of the 17th FINA World Championships and the FINA World Masters Championships, since the open water swimming events will be held in Balatonfüred. Thousands of guests are going to visit the city and its surroundings, and they will have the opportunity to get to know the best dishes of the region. Let us recommend 10 typical dishes one should definitely not miss when visiting the region.

Jókai bean soup

The great Hungarian author Mór Jókai loved Balatonfüred, he had a mansion in the city, where he wrote one of his most famous novels The Man with the Golden Touch. Jókai used to visit the best restaurants of Füred, and his favourite food was bean soup with pettitoes. The soup which was named after him, however, is not exactly like the one he liked to eat: classic Jókai bean soup contains pettitoes and sour cream as well.

Bakony-style betyár (rascal) soup

The dishes of the Bakony (a mountain north of the Lake Balaton) can be found in the menu card of most restaurants of the region. People who visit Hungary would usually like to try the famous goulash soup first, and this is one of its variations. The secret of the Bakony-style betyar soup lies in the veal which is savoured by smoked bacon, mushroom, different kinds of vegetables and a little bit of dill. Jóska Sobri, the famous rascal of the Bakony would love it!

Balaton-style fish soup

It goes without saying that fish soup is one of the typical dishes in the region. The Balaton-style fish soup contains a lot of different kinds of fish such as carp, catfish, crucian carp, seabream or brown bullhead, creating a delicious dish. Red and green paprika, potato, onion and garlic are all vital ingredients as well, if you prefer spicy foods, you can also add some hot paprika.

Roast zander

Zander is a very popular species of fish in the Lake Balaton region, it is a must try! It can be made in many different ways, but the best choice is to ask for a fine roast zander in a restaurant. A little bit of salt, flour, red paprika and some cooking oil: that is all you need to prepare this beutiful dish.

Balaton-style breaded carp

Hungarian families traditionally eat breaded carp on Christmas Eve, but if you visit the Lake Balaton region, you should not miss it at any time! It is very tipical of the Balaton area. Just like the roast zander you do not need too many ingredients to prepare it, all you have to do is to sit in a pleasant restaurant and decide which garnish you choose with the fish: rice, French fries or potato salad with mayonnaise.