Gastronomy: Budapest Food Tour

A good resource to consult before a trip to Hungary is “Food Wine Budapest” by Carolyn Bánfalvi, which has sections on everything from pickles to pálinka. Better yet, reserve one of Bánfalvi’s culinary walks in Budapest.

Our guide, Vidag, led us through Budapest’s Central Market Hall, procuring delicacies such as paprika-spiked sausages, mulberry wood-smoked cheese, and lángos (fried dough topped with sour cream, shredded cheese and garlic). From there, we went to a chocolate shop for sour cherry and plum pálinka truffles, and to a local “fast food” restaurant serving delicious fare such as cream of celery soup with cheese, and blood sausage with fresh horseradish. We finished the tour with a selection of tortes in a small patisserie, followed by a wine tasting in the cellar of a nearby bar. Vidag helpfully recommended places where we could continue our explorations of Hungarian food and wine.