Usually around this time of year, I’m traveling with my aunt and godmother somewhere east of here, where it’s quite cold (and quite perfect for lots of stops as we explore for coffee, pastry, and snacks). This year, I actually visited London instead, but I started thinking of our most recent trip to Budapest and wanted to share a few of my favorite tastes.
First is flodni, an emblematic pastry from Budapest made of layers of apples, walnut paste, poppy seed paste, and plum jam, each layer sandwiched between a thin sheet of flaky pastry.
The one up top is the famous one made by Raj Rachel, but I actually preferred this version from the kosher bakery Fröhlich in the Jewish Quarter.
We also tried some fancier cakes, like the Dobos torte from Gerbeaud. It’s worth it to spend an afternoon at this traditional European coffee house, where the dining room is as elaborate as the cake.
Gerbeaud was also where we sampled this poppy seed and blueberry layer cake, complete with a tiny macaron on top.
But Budapest has some brag-worthy savory dishes as well. While it’s famous for goulash, that’s not the be-all and end-all of the savory Hungarian cuisine we sampled. This plate of thin pork medallions and fried potatoes was a lovely dish we tried in the Jewish quarter.
We also sampled some really lovely cheese from the Christmas market. The chewy cheeses (a bit like a smoked mozzarella) were rolled around different fillings like red onion or a Boursin-like herbed cheese.
I couldn’t help but buy a hunk of this little cheese that was wrapped around itself like a cinnamon roll.
But by far the best taste I tried was cholent, the traditional Jewish bean and meat stew with egg. According to a chef friend of mine, it shares some of its roots with cassoulet, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s just as delicious.