Being Hungry in Hungary

One of the biggest changes I’ve experienced over the last two months in Budapest has been my eating habits. “Picky eater” is an understatement when describing my diet pre-college. You would likely be shocked if I told you how I limited myself, mostly out of stubbornness.

College helped me to expand my food repertoire some but I still had a long way to go. I didn’t have the push that I needed to really make a difference beyond an isolated meal here and there. That is, until now.

Perhaps it’s being in a foreign country, respecting the culture, or finally caving in to curiosity. Whatever it is, it’s working. Since leaving for my semester abroad I’ve eaten pork, salmon, soups, and more vegetables than ever before.

Salmon breakfast at Centrál Kávéház

The Hungarian diet is not easy for those who don’t eat meat, but it is livable. I had never eaten pork before I came here (and I still don’t plan to eat it more than necessary), but the few times I have had it here I’ve actually enjoyed it! Still, the vegetarians in my group always have alternative options and get by fairly easily.

I’ve had an amazing bagel with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and leafy greens at Café Alibi; fantastic pumpkin cream soup from Leves (which also happens to be the Hungarian word for soup, pronounced “leh-vesh”); and soups, pork, and homemade doughnuts (Hungarian: fánk) in Transylvania.

I have easily eaten more vegetables in the past month than over the last five years combined. Despite difficulties with the stove burners in the common kitchen, I enjoy cooking for myself on occasion and will add a handful of veggies to most of my meals. I’ve grown mildly attached to peppers – especially the white paprika (the vegetable version of the red spice)! Only to be expected in a country known for its production of paprika.

The university dorm is on a street lined with restaurants, among which are some of my favorites so far. Like most cities, I could easily eat out every day that I’m here and not repeat locations.

Some of my favorite simple to-go options include: Wokzilla (Asian food for sit-down or to-go), several gyro places, Ráday Fánkterápia (American donut shop), and Budapest Bagels (which is exactly what it sounds like). My favorite gelato option by far is Gelarto Rosa near St. Stephen’s Basilica (and yes, that is the correct spelling of Gelarto Rosa). What’s better than delicious gelato in the shape of a rose??

For sit-down places, one of my absolute favorites is Púder Bársínház and their chicken dish served with a wheel of goat cheese on top and white rice on the side. I eat there about once a week on average...

Chicken dish at Púder Bárszínház

I’ve also (finally) found a couple of decent Italian restaurants: TG Italiano and Pizza Eataliano are a couple of my reasonably priced favorites so far. I have yet to experience the renowned Comme Chez Soi or the Zeller Bistro, but I’ve heard from others in my group that they are both musts while we’re here.

Of course, there are plenty of traditional Hungarian dishes! Honestly, I’ve only had a few: stuffed cabbage and goulash in Transylvania; langos in Szentendre and in the Budapest Central Markethall; and csirke paprikas (chicken paprikash) from... well, most restaurants.

Langos from Budapest Central Markethall

Dessert is a whole other topic but my favorites restaurants for them so far include: Ruszwurm Cukrászda, Nándori Cukrászda, Café Vian (especially their cocoa crepe with apple cinnamon filling), and Centrál Kávéház. All are great places to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Desserts and hot chocolates at Ruszwurm Cukrászda

Apple pie from Café Vian

Cocoa crepe with apple cinnamon filling from Café Vian

Opera cake and a latte from Centrál Kávéház

Whatever the meal or time of day, there are a ton of food options all over the city. One thing’s for sure: you will not go hungry in Hungary.

Not Dracula’s Transylvania

This weekend’s CIEE excursion was to the town of Kalotaszentkirály in the region of Transylvania, Romania for three nights. Several students know people who have participated in this program previously who would tell us that it was a very rural village and the trip was tough and exhausting but that we absolutely had to go. And they were right (even if we didn’t get to see Dracula’s castle)!

We got up before the sun on Thursday morning to be at the bus for 6:30 a.m. and prepared for a long journey. The stop at the Romanian border was pleasantly quick considering they had to individually register 26 of us and we were not complaining. From there it was another hour to the Transylvania border.

Once we reached our intended region, we stopped at the Körösfeketetó Fair, the biggest and most famous weeklong fair of the Transylvania region. It was essentially set up like a flea market with a mix of traditional items, authentic antiques, clothes and shoes, and odds and ends. A rain shower surprised us and we hurried us back to the bus for the final leg of the trip as everyone finished shopping.

The village of Kalotaszentkirály was far more modernized than we were led to believe, but it was definitely more rural and closer to the vision many of us had of “Eastern Europe” than what we have found in Hungary. The Transylvania region was a part of Hungary until the Treaty of Trianon in 1920 so, despite being in Romania, most people we encountered spoke Hungarian.

We split into groups to stay with host families in the village, most of whom spoke only Hungarian. It was the ultimate test of what we’ve learned in our language class so far. The host families were incredibly hospitable and we will all miss the home-cooked meals we were treated to throughout the weekend!

Friday we went to the salt mine in Turda (Salina Turda) where we tasted the salt from the ceiling, yelled into the echo chamber, and rode boats in the lake at the bottom. The mine was active from approximately 1075 until closing in 1932.



It reopened in 1992 as a tourist attraction with a sort of amusement park (which is far more profitable than mining salt by hand). The park includes the boat rides, a Ferris wheel, and games such as mini-golf and billiards.



From the mine we decided that the weather was nice enough to follow through with a hike. We went to a mountain that was more like a cliff and climbed our way up (and back down). It was like walking through seasons – we went from sweating and stripping off as many layers as appropriate at the start to freezing and bundling up in the rain at the top.

The views as we climbed were incredible and it felt amazing to reach the top, even though we were in a cloud and could not see a thing. It was a tough hike that took a little over three hours total but everyone agreed that it was worth the effort and exhaustion despite not having a view from the top!

St. Michael Roman Catholic Church

Reformed Presbyterian Church

Saturday we went to Kolozsvár (Cluj in Romanian) where we visited the Reformed Presbyterian Church that (Hungarian) King Matthias gifted to the city in thanks for their help and hospitality towards his mother when she gave birth to him there in 1443. It was a very plain looking church that contrasted greatly against the very ornate Saint Michael Roman Catholic Church we saw next.

After having a little free time in the city, we went back to the village to witness the invitation to the Harvest Ball hosted by the local youth (around 15 to 20 years old). This consisted of the youth in traditional clothing (boys on horses and girls in a carriage singing) and one boy dressed as a “clown” on a donkey yelling out the invitation. He said if you didn't show "may the legs of your bed break" so obviously we had to go.

Before the ball we went to a small market town where we watched a man make chess pieces. We proceeded to spend as much of our Romanian leu as we could to avoid having to exchange the currency again.

That evening we went to the ball, where we watched the youth perform and we danced the night away – first with folk dancing, then more of a club style. I got to dance the last folk dance with one of the locals (who, thankfully, spoke English so he could actually tell me what to do)! It involved a lot of spinning and it was a blast!

We were supposed to make another stop on our way back to Hungary but the rainy weather made it impossible so we headed straight back to Budapest. We were all sad to say goodbye to our host families (and their cooking) but we are all happy to be back in our own beds. It’s home sweet Hungary!