Monday, October 11, 2010

The Secrets of Hungarian Goulash

Recently, I was surfing the net looking for an authentic Hungarian goulash recipe. I found all kinds of recipes but they had little or nothing in common with the real Hungarian goulash. So, what is a Hungarian goulash? In short, it is a meat stew with paprika as a main spice, and tomatoes and peppers. It is distantly similar but not the same as the Italian ragu or is it written ragout? Either way, I'd like to share my wisdom with you, such as it is, so you can surprise your friends and neighbors with your gourmet cooking and dazzle them with your knowledge on all things goulash.



History of Goulash
First, little bit of goulash history. There are two claims to the goulash fame, one by Hungarians (duh) and the other by the Turks (hmmm?). Let's take the Hungarian claim first.

The Hungarians claim that goulash first saw the light of the day on the steppes of Central Hungary some 500 to 600 years ago or even earlier. That was the time when herds of cattle grazed on the grassy steppes of Central Hungary. The herds were called "gulya" in Hungarian (pronounce gooya) and the shepherds tending to the herds and roughly equivalent to the American cowboys were called "gulyás"in Hungarian (pronounce gooyash) hence the anglicanized name goulash. Because they were out there on the steppes all the time the herders needed food that is easy to prepare and does not require constant attention while cooking.

Before we go any further let's look at history. Tomatoes and peppers which are a "must have" ingredients in Hungarian goulash today were brought to Europe from America by the Spanish colonizers after 1500 so before the beginning of the 16th century these ingredients were not used in the goulash if goulash was cooked then simply because they were not known. Furthermore, since paprika is dried pulverized peppers it did not exists prior to the middle of the16th century either. Paprika was brought to central Europe by the Turks sometime after 1600.

So, given these historical facts we must conclude that the real authentic Hungarian goulash as we know it today originated sometime in the middle of the 16th century or later. Goulash cooked prior to the discovery and importation of tomatoes, peppers, and paprika was in all probability a stew with beef or other meat, vegetables such as wild onions and carrots, and probably potatoes.

How was the goulash prepared once tomatoes, peppers, and paprika were available? The herders took a bogracs (kettle in Hungarian) and put in whatever cut of beef they had on hand, cut up in small cubes, with a little bit of lard or beef fat. Then they added vegetables they had on hand, mostly onions, leeks, parsnips, and carrots, all cut up, of course, and tomatoes and peppers. They also added sweet and hot paprika, and salt. They put the kettle over the fire and voila, 3 hours later they had something to eat. It was goulash and they didn’t even know it.

Turks claim that goulash is their invention. During the siege of Budapest, capital of Hungary, the Turkish soldiers needed a simple meal and they called their stew "gulas" (pronounce goulash). This Turkish word is formed from two words "gul" and "as" literary meaning "meal for soldiers". Hungarians who were allowed to eat with the Turks loved the stew and the rest is history. You decide who is right.

To complicate the matters, Czechs and Slovaks both believe that they are the capital of the goulash world. There are lot of different goulash versions being prepared in these countries. The main ingredients in Czech or Slovak goulash are beef, onions, salt, and black pepper. But there are variations using all kinds of additional ingredients. And, as we will learn later in this article, these goulashes may not even be goulashes.

Now, how to make Hungarian goulash. Here is an authentic recipe from Hungary from the Balaton area of central-east Hungary. Needless to say there are literary hundreds if not thousands of variations on the theme but this recipe seems to be the real thing.

Word on ingredients
Before we start with the recipe a word on the ingredients. To make a real goulash that tastes like it was made in Hungary you need to use the right cut of meat. Although any meat can be used these days only beef is used. The beef must have some fat and some soft cartilage, therefore, the best cut of beef for goulash is from neck, shoulders, or better yet from shank. The soft cartilage forms a sort of jelly like sauce that is crucial to the taste of the real goulash. You can also use beef chuck from shoulder as a good substitute.

Onions may be any onions at all other than red onions. What is important is the ratio of onions to the meat. Use too much onions and the stew will be sweet. Not enough and it will not taste right. The best ratio is 2 parts onions and 3 parts meat. yes, you read it correctly, 2 parts onions is a lot of onions but do not panic. Yes, the onions will fill the pot but they will reduce to a quarter of their volume when sauteed. The meat may have more fat than you are willing to eat so cut it off. Weigh the meat when cut up and weigh the onions when peeled. The onions are sauteed to a nice light brown or golden color. This takes about 10-15 minutes. The sauteing of onions needs lot of attention and lot of stirring. This is the only part of the goulash that needs your tender loving care. Do not burn the onions or your goulash will taste burned and bitter.

Paprika must be the Hungarian paprika for an authentic taste. Use sweet and hot Hungarian paprika. Under no circumstance are you allowed to use pepper cayenne, Tabasco sauce or anything similar.

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs. (40 oz.) beef cut to one inch cubes or little bit smaller
1 1/2 lbs. plus a bit (26 oz.) onions, minced
2-3 T lard or oil
3 peppers, one red, one green, one hot, diced or minced into small pieces. You can use several dried hot peppers as a substitute for the hot pepper
2 tomatoes, diced (may use 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes with no salt added)
1 T Hungarian paprika, sweet
1 T Hungarian paprika, hot
4-6 cloves of garlic, mashed
2 T tomato paste (or ketchup in an emergency situation)
1 T salt
2 t black pepper (freshly ground is best)
2 t caraway, ground
1 T marjoram, roughly ground, not the one that is pulverized
2t Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 C water
flour or roux for thickening of the sauce (if the sauce is not thick enough)

The quantity of spices is a personal choice. Put in initially a quantity that you normally use and increase to taste. Use the above quantities as a guide only.

Use deep soup plates or bowls for your goulash and eat with a soup spoon. You may garnish the goulash on each plate with slivers of onion or leeks.

Cooking Process
Heat lard or oil in a large pot or kettle.
Add onions and saute on high until golden brown. If they start sticking to the pot, add lard or oil.
Add meat and saute on high for about 8 minutes or until the meat is browned. The pot should be filled at least half way with the natural juices from the meat.
Add peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, black pepper, paprika, caraway, Worcestershire sauce, and enough water to completely cover everything in the pot. Cover and simmer on very low heat for 3-4 hours until the meat is very tender and "melts" in your mouth.
Adjust spices and paprika to taste. Cook for several minutes.
The goulash should have the consistency of thick soup. If it is too thin add flour or roux and cook for 5 minutes. Word of caution: when using flour mix it first with little water and get the clumps out by whisking if necessary.
Add garlic and marjoram and cook for 5 minutes more.

Warning
Be aware that adding flour or roux to goulash is a crime or at least a heresy in Hungary and that the Hungarian Goulash Police may put you on their black list. Authentic Hungarian goulash has no thickener.

Sides
Real Hungarian goulash is served with rye bread (available at your local German delicatessen or bakery). If you can't find German rye bread you can substitute French bread such as baguette or French rolls. Do not use the soft rye bread from your local supermarket. That bread is an insult to all real bakers.

The goulash should be spicy and on the hot side. In good Hungarian restaurants the goulash is served in a small kettle with sliced hot peppers on the side so the guests can adjust the heat to their liking.

If you made goulash too hot and you need to quell your mouth and throat do not drink water as is commonly done. Water will only enhance the heat in your mouth. Instead, eat some soft bread. It will soak the spices from your moth and will clean your pipe all the way down.

Now for the drinks to accompany your Hungarian goulash. The shepherds drank "palinka" or plum moonshine with it. I'm going to go out on the limb here and assume that you either don't make your own plum moonshine or you are fresh out of it. In that case serve either heavy lager beer or heavy Burgundy wine with your goulash. The lager beer should be the real thing such as Pilsner Urquell, Czechvar, St. Pauli, DAB, Warsteiner, even Heineken will do. Lest you want to insult and ridicule the goulash eating world, do not serve the American version of a lager beer whatever you do. The American beer flavored soda is best left for the kids and Granmas. Water is a no-no for reason mentioned above.

What makes Hungarian goulash a Hungarian goulash
Real Hungarian goulash must have paprika, tomatoes and peppers in it. If it does not have tomatoes and peppers it is a "pörkölt" (pronounce perkelt). So, most of the goulash recipes you find on the internet are actually pörkölt . Pörkölt is usually served over potatoes, gnocchi, spatzle, or noodles. Dumplings are usually served with pörkölt in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Germany. Pörkölt is incorrectly called goulash in these countries hence the confusion as to what exactly is goulash. There are two more stews in the goulash family: "Paprikas" (pronounced paprikash) and "tokan" (pronounced "to" as in Tom and "kanye" as in Kanye West only the letter "e" at the end is silent). "Paprikas" is different from goulash in that the water and spices including paprika are added to the sauteed onions, cooked about 5 minutes and then the meat is added. Big difference, right? Culinary experts think so, so who are we to argue. "Paprikas" may also have more paprika in it than goulash. The meat in "paprikas" is usually chicken or venison but you can use any meat you want. "Tokan" is the same as goulash except there is no paprika. The main spice in "tokan" is black pepper.

And now you know the whole goulash story.

And you thought I was just an ATC maker, shame on you.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You do know that tomatoes were brought to Europe around 50 years before potatoes, right?

Unknown said...

hello! the recipe looks amazing but could you please explain the units of measure? is T a tablespoon and t a teaspoon? does C stand for a cup?? Thank you!