Among traditional Hungarian dishes there is one vegetable dish,- that we consider to be typical Hungarian: it is pottage (főzelék). Pottage is a thick soup made of vegetables. While in many countries pottage is made of different kinds of vegetables mixed together in a pot, in Hungary only one kind of vegetable is used for one dish (except “finomfőzelék”, -where you mix peas and carrots). Another specialty you can realize in Hungary is that different kind of thickening methods are used to prepare pottage. These are:
– roux/rántás: toasting flour on lard or oil
– “habarás“: mixing flour with sour cream
One of the most popular kinds of pottage is pumpkin pottage (tökfőzelék), and only the white pumpkin can be used to prepare. It is truly amazing that this tasteless vegetable creates a fantastic meal with a little seasoning. As it is a commonly prepared dish in Hungary, in many markets and market halls they sell prepared and planed pumpkin, just like this:
So, here comes the receipt:
Pumpkin Pottage (Tökfőzelék)
Ingredients:
0.5 kg prepared pumpkin (cleaned, peeled and planed)
1 big chopped onion
1 tablespoon of lard/oil
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of vinegar
3 dl milk
fresh dill
salt
Preparation:
– Heat up the lard and add the onion, stir fry until transparent. Add the flour and roast to have a bit of color (roux/rántás).
– Add the pumpkin, milk and about 6 dl water, so it is all covered with the water. Let it boil for about 30 minutes, and the pumpkin will become soft and the whole pottage will thicken from the flour.
– Add the spices: fresh dill chopped, salt, sugar and vinegar, and cook another 5-10 minutes, then add more seasoning if needed.
It can be a garnish to all kinds of meat, chicken or fish meals.
Enjoy!
If you wish to taste some Hungarian specialties, please visit our culinary walking tour.