Experiencing true Hungarian cuisine in the villages and hamlets across most of Europe is not as easy as one might think. In fact, real Hungarian is a rarity on a scale right up there with Croatian in its sparseness. Maybe this is a gastronomy fact a little eatery we just dined at can change though?
Just opened in our village of Schweich, Germany, Hungaricum is a novelty sitting alongside the traditional German eateries here. After we dined there the other night, I did a bit of unofficial research into Hungarian food in Germany, and as it turns out this brand of gastronomy really is pretty rare. Even in Berlin, there only seems to be 8 or 10 restaurants that even offer mixed menus with Hungarian recipes. But before we get off track, let me introduce you to the cuisine itself.
When Only Stew Will Do
As you might expect, Hungarians are known for their love of stews, steaks, roasted pork, and other meaty treasures of that bountiful agrarian land. Traditional Hungarian (or Magyar cuisine) features such dishes as Goulash, stuffed peppers, cabbage rolls, and Fatányéros (a sort of mixed sampling grill on a plank). Simple and rich, by definition, this cuisine is all about home-style cooking. Readers may also be interested to know that Hungarians are not just masters of Goulash. A wide variety of other wonderful stews such as Pörkölt, paprikás, plus flavorful sausages, or kolbász are common too. Let me tell you, as a southern boy from South Carolina, the fatty meat flavors of Hungary remind of home. Romania and Hungary seem to share a mastery of these, but in a more aromatic and spicy sense. But enough about the technicalities, let’s review the unique Hungaricum for future stew eating ecstasy for Schweich and Trier visitors.
Like most places in central Europe, Schweich and the surrounding Trier area have no shortage of restaurants. What has been missing, however, is the diversity one might find in larger cities, or closer to the preferred cuisine’s origins. For an instance, Hungarian is far more prevalent the further east one goes in Europe. As for the Germans, by and large, they’re used to and hard wired to dine on their sausages, schnitzels and pommes, and not much else. Thus it’s no surprise the venue that Hungaricum now inhabits has successively been occupied by a Greek restaurant, and most recently a fine Italian one.
Across the street, a typical (and popular) German restaurant/hotel arrangement has applied the local grub thumbscrews to competitors. Excuse the tongue-in-cheek here, but we’re great fans of diversity, and this German hamlet can surely use a bit of seasoning, at least in my gastronomical view. As for Hungaricum, an excellent stew pot filled with venison is just what the palate ordered, and probably what competition demands too. For the love of a great wild boar or deer cooked just right, many a German dinner guest might make a shift to Hungarian.
Dinner for 4: Two Big‘Uns & Two Little’Uns
Mihaela (the wife/partner) and I took along our son Paul Jules, and his little friend (first dinner date) Yara to sample a brand new Schweich restaurant. We were met first by a 3 meter long table surrounded by jovial Hungarians enjoying a feast of some kind. Escorted to our table by a delightful and charming blond waitress (who turned out to be the owner’s daughter), all our party was immediately impressed to find the place over half full. I assure you, this is a feat neither of the former owners ever hurdled in their months and years of operation. The typical suspects all present, beer and wine and soft drinks ordered, Mihaela’s first “aha!” moment came when she noticed the place served real Pálinka, a spirit anybody could use to identify a Romanian at 200 meters. Beer (other than Bitburger - oh boy) for me, and Hungaricum was already half way to impressing our crowd, once and for all. (note: Bitburger is the German equivalent of Budweiser - far too bitter, and way over produced to be really good for me - okay I am a beer prude, I admit)
For those of you who’ve never dined in a typical German restaurant, Hungaricum might just seem a bit loud for dining, even by American diners visiting Applebee’s on the weekends. I assure you however, by German standards the friendly chatting and glass clinking of the Hungarian crowd we sat among, was anything but disturbing. In fact, it’s just this sort of “homey” and casual atmosphere that makes such places attractive for us. If friendly were a dish, then the owner and staff of this mid-sized dining establishment undercharge for this menu item. “You are from Budapest,why that’s fantastic, I’m from Bucharest, we’re practically neighbors - cheers!” And so forth, and so on. But down to brass tacks, the food.
The Meat of the Matter
For the kids we were delighted to find the owners had opted to include a children’s menu replete with your typical fried fish, pommes, and kiddie comfort food. Let’s face it, sometimes a night out in peace with the kids just munching, it justifies parental guilt over healthy foods once in a while. We did taste the schnitzel and the fist the little ones gobbled, only to be able to comment on their freshness compared to. Yes, even the cheap kids menu was created with an earnest eye toward good food sense - the meat was super fresh and tasty. Besides, Wiener schnitzel (called Bécsi szelet in Hungary) is traditional for Hungarians too, lest we forget the traditions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Starters for me, amounted to what could have been a feast for the average person. A Goulash soup served in the little soup pot you see in the image above, mimicked the traditional bogrács or cauldron locals cook in, and fulfilled any stew/soup craving I may have had. To be honest the starter was too much, and even Mihaela commented; “You’re not going to eat all that and a steak too?” She foretold the future before diving into a perfect rendition of Fatányéros mentioned above. We sampled one another’s courses just to make sure we weren’t dreaming. Yes, real Hungarian made it all the way to a village in western Germany. Time for the mains, only Mihaela was too stuffed to do more than taste mine.
While Mihaela and the children muddle over the remnants of their meals, I partook of a Phil Butler tradition, seeing if a restaurant knows how to cook a filet of beef. I won’t get into my own history of Filet Mignon adoration, but my theory of decent restaurants always seems to hold true. That is, if a chef cannot cook a filet, chances are he or she can’t cook anything else well either. And to this, Hungaricum proved capable and then some. I won’t go so far as to say the Rinderfilet nach Budapest Art (€20 and worth it) was the best I ever had, but the ample cut was unique in presentation, for its adherence to Hungarian style, and for ultimate taste and satisfaction. Served with a delectable combination of green peas, mushrooms, and goose liver, if ever I had a protein (and iron) enriched meat dish. I generally hate sauces or toppings applied to prime beef, but this steak was once of few exceptions. Yes, I am a steak prude too, you'll have to sue me. Rare, tender like a cowboy stomped on it for a week, steak has to be right or nothing is.
All in all I’m of the opinion the beergartens and schnitzel houses of the Tier region have a new competitor in Hungaricum. It remains to be seen whether or not friendly will fly in a place where big smile and hand movements startle the locals nearly to death. Somehow, after having been accepted for my southern boy “howdeys” and waves myself, I see the potential for these Hungarians too. If meat dishes, a bit of variety, and genuine hospitality make the difference, that hotel/restaurant across the street will lose some seats, and especially when Hungaricum opens their own Hungarian beergarten in Spring. For that opening, I'll reserve a seat to tell you about then.
Hungaricum - Ungarisches Restaurant: Brückenstraße 30, Schweich, Germany 54338, Phone: 01517 1250940
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