Scenes from Hungary

Home cooks in Hungary share their secrets with an American starting a family in Budapest. Read the article by Carolyn Bánfalvi »

Assorted pickles for sale at Budapest's central market.

The author's husband Gábor (black shirt) and her in-laws sit down at the home of Mária Keresztes Kovács in Kecskemét to a lunch of chicken paprikash, fruit soup, cucumber salad, and szilvás pite, or plum cake.

The tools of the trade.

Paprikás csirke, chicken paprikash.

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An assortment of Hungarian charcuterie served with bread, onions, and peppers.

Mária Keresztes Kovács, a home cook in Kecskemét, Hungary, cups a handful of paprika.

Assorted pickles for sale at Budapest's central market.

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Mária Keresztes Kovács and her husband László cooking chicken paprikash.

Zsèrban sült sertés oldalas_, braised and fried pork spareribs, served with fresh peppers and tomatoes.

Csülkös bableves, Hungarian bean and ham soup.

Tepertős pogácsa, rolls with cracklings and prune jam.

A thick cornmeal and smoked ham filling is rolled in blanched cabbage leaves and braised in a paprika-spiked tomato sauce in a comforting dish from Hungarian home cook Edit Szabó Gézáné.