Dispatches from Hungary
Food, Wine, Travel, and Culture from Hungary
Sziasztok!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved cookbooks. When I was in high school I taught myself to cook fancy recipes from the beautiful glossy food magazines that I devoured every month. Then I worked my way through my mom’s cookbooks, until I started following my own interests and acquiring my own. My cookbook collection is still constantly (and dangerously) growing. Naturally, when I moved to Budapest and became interested in Hungarian food, I bought every English-language Hungarian cookbook I came across, and started a collection of Hungarian cookbooks and food books. As my Hungarian started to improve over the course of my life in Budapest, I started checking out the pre-war cookbooks (published from the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century) that I would sometimes find at the many antikváriums (antique book shops) clustered on Múzeum körút.
These books are such treasures, each with hundreds of recipes that are untouched by modernity, war, or the Communist era. Flipping the pages of these mostly forgotten books I find recipes for lost and forgotten dishes, such as crayfish cheese and apple doughnuts from Szakácsmesterségnek Könyvecskéje by Miklós Tótfalusi (published in 1698, this is the oldest cookbook in the Hungarian language). Or fish pate and sweet-and-sour wild duck from the Szegedi Szakácskönyv by Rézi néni (1876), who was a very popular cookbook author of her time.
Browsing through the thin, crinkly pages of these books is fascinating: a glimpse of the Hungary of the past. But also heartbreaking to think of how many recipes now only exist as artifacts of history, and as words on crumbling yellowed pages. During the four decades of Communism, so much harm was done to everything from agriculture and village life, to families and foodways. These ancient books show so many very different facets of Hungarian cuisine than as we know it today.And they really brought home to me how rich Hungarian cuisine is (or, how rich it used to be).
As I started adding some of these vintage cookbooks to my overflowing shelves, I luckily discovered a source for accessing digitized versions of many of them. Nothing beats flipping through hard copy books, but their tables of contents are not the most user-friendly for modern-day readers. And these books are heavy tomes—hundreds of pages long, each with hundreds of recipes (often more than 1,000) in them. So it’s hard to fully grasp all that they hold. With no recipe headnotes, no photographs (obviously), and very few illustrations, the books are very much focused on providing complete pictures of the repertoire of the cuisine at the time. So, it is a gift to be able to instantly search the digitized versions for specific recipes or ingredients.
That’s how I came across this wonderful walnut tart recipe, which turned out so well that I am sharing it here. After harvesting our walnut trees this fall, we had so many walnuts, and I needed something delicious to make with some of them. So I searched through some of these digitized antique cookbooks until I found a recipe that called to me. As soon as I read this walnut tart (diós lepény) recipe in the Képes Budapesti Szakácskönyv (Illustrated Budapest Cookbook) by Józefa St. Hilaire (and several other contributors), I knew I would be baking it that very day. There is no headnote describing the dish, but from reading the recipe, it sounded to me like it would be really similar to a dessert from Auguszt Cukrászda (the Fény utca location, in particular) that I have loved for years, called diós resztelt szelet (sautéed walnut slice). I haven’t tasted this dessert in quite awhile, but I used to order it every time I went to Auguszt. In fact, I would go there just to order it, since it was that good.
The Képes Budapesti Szakácskönyv was one of the best-selling cookbooks of its time, I discovered. It is 543 pages long (imagine publishing a cookbook like that today!). It also includes many planned menus for different occasions; recipes for cosmetics, scents, and medicines; and instructions on place setting, serving, and other housekeeping tips.
An ad for the book describes it this way: “Edited by Mrs. Antónia Zemplényi Szabó with the assistance of experienced housewives from across the country, this cookbook—thoroughly Hungarian in every detail—is an essential aid for every housewife. It caters just as well to the needs of a modest middle-class household as it does to the most sophisticated one. Containing nearly 1,500 recipes and other culinary instructions, and illustrated with four color plates and 53 wood engravings, the book is priced at 4 crowns for a durable half-cloth binding, and 4 crowns 80 fillérs for a deluxe binding.”
According to a 2022 article by Enikő Gurzó in Magyar Nemzet, it was long thought that Józefa St. Hilaire was a pseudonym, until historian Zsuzsanna Gálffy discovered St. Hilaire’s will, and matched its signature to the signature in the cookbooks. Gálffy discovered that the author was born in Pécs and later moved to Budapest with her much older husband. St. Hilaire, who was of German descent, wrote in German. “Józefa's cookbook was mostly read by the urban population, mainly the German-speaking bourgeoisie, but also by the Viennese, as it was distributed throughout the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy,” wrote Gurzó. “Zsuzsanna Gálffy said the enormous success of the cookbook is due to, on the one hand, its logical structure, as the dishes are arranged in thematic chapters, and then in alphabetical order within these. And on the other hand, to the fact that it describes the preparation method of each dish in more detail and precision than other cookbooks of the era.”
The first edition was published in 1820, and it “contained fashionable dishes of the era, and was considered a basic work in the Habsburg Empire,” according to Gurzó. It “remained popular even after the author's death, and it was expanded and adapted to the needs and units of measurement of the time.” The edition I have was published in 1901 and was the sixth printing. So, I don’t know if this walnut recipe was published in the original edition, or if it was a later addition.
Initially I was a bit worried about how the recipe would turn out in a modern kitchen, and with such sparsely written instructions (unlike the recipes of today, which tightly hold the hands of the readers). I tried to prepare the recipe as it was, without making too many unnecessary adjustments. But I did have to make educated guesses on some things, such as oven temperature and timing. I only made a few minor adjustments to the recipe as it was written, which are explained below.
“Are you going to make this again?,” asked my mother-in-law, Kati, after she ate a piece. Definitely. As I hoped (and expected), it really did resemble that walnut pastry from Auguszt that I have had on my mind for so long.
Cook’s Notes:
Regarding the dough, St. Hilaire instructed to “work the butter into the flour using a rolling pin; do not touch it with your hands.” I tried to do this, but the rolling pin method did not really work for me. I knew the dough would come together quickly and easily using my hands (like a pie dough), so that is what I did. She instructs to “add enough sour cream to ensure the mixture is sufficiently moist.” But the dough was already very sticky, so I skipped the sour cream.
The recipe instructed adding a layer of raisins on top of the walnuts. I skipped the raisin layer for two reasons: my daughters hate raisins, and the Auguszt dessert that I was hoping this would resemble, did not have raisins. I’m sure raisins would have also been good, but it was perfect without them!
The author mentions that this recipe can also be made with almonds. That sounds like a fine version worth trying next time.
Other minor changes I made to the ingredients: I added 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom. I doubled the amount of orange and lemon zest.
I chilled the dough in the freezer before adding the filling, and before putting the whole pan in the oven. St. Hilaire wouldn’t have had this option, but since this was such a sticky dough, I think it was beneficial.
St. Hilaire says to use a “medium” baking pan. The one I used was 20 x 28 cm. So, if you are located in the US, you can use a 11 x 7 inches (28 x 18 cm) pan.
Here is the recipe, which I have re-written and expanded on with more detailed instructions and clarity, for modern cooks to get the best results. This recipe reflects the minor changes that I made to the original instructions.
Walnut Tart (Diós Lepény)
Adapted from the Képes Budapesti Szakácskönyv (Illustrated Budapest Cookbook) by Józefa St. Hilaire and several other contributors (1901, 6th edition), this is a sticky, citrusy walnut filling sandwiched between two layers of flaky, buttery shortcrust. A little piece of this rich and crumbly walnut tart is perfect with a mid-morning (tíz órai) coffee or tea. St. Hilaire notes that this pastry is “valuable because it keeps well for a long time.” I can only guess whether that is true or not, because the entire pan was gone within a day when I baked this.
Ingredients
For the dough:
2 sticks + 3 ½ tablespoons / 280 grams butter, chilled
2 ¼ cups / 280 grams flour, plus extra for rolling out
½ teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon white wine
For the walnut filling:
3 ½ cups / 420 grams shelled walnuts
2 oranges, zested
2 lemons, zested
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
2 ½ cups / 280 grams sugar
¾ cup / 200 milliliters water
1 egg yolk
Method
Preheat the oven to 180° C / 350° F.
Make the dough:
Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces, and add it into the flour mixture. Rub some flour onto your hands. Using your hands, rub and mash the butter and flour together, until the flour is well combined and the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. You shouldn’t over-mix this.
Add one egg yolk at a time, and then the wine. After each addition, continue to mix with your hands to fully combine everything.
Squeeze the dough together into one smooth piece, and then divide it into two pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap, and place them in the freezer while you make the walnut filling.
Make the walnut filling:
Lightly crush the walnuts. You can do this either using a mortar and pestle, or by placing the nuts inside a plastic bag and using a rolling pin to crush them. You don’t want to crush them too heavily, though, just so they break up into smaller, but still intact, pieces.
Place the walnuts in a mixing bowl, and stir in the orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, and cardamom.
In a medium sauce pan, add the sugar and water and cook over medium heat, stirring lightly until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the walnut mixture, and cook until the mixture has thickened (about ten minutes), stirring frequently. Set aside to cool down for a bit, while you prepare the pastry.
Prepare the tart:
Sprinkle flour in the baking pan. Take one piece of dough out of the freezer. On a very well-floured surface, roll the dough out to fit the pan. Place the dough in the pan, and spread the walnut filling over it. Roll out the other piece of dough to the same size, place it on top, and put the pan in the freezer for about 20 minutes before baking.
Lightly mix the egg yolk with a fork, and brush this on the top of the pastry with a pastry brush. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown color. Let the tart cool down before slicing into it.
Taste Hungary
We were included in this piece on Tokaj for the New York Times a few months back (and forgot to share it)!
If you are interested in a very last-minute trip, we have space left on our December tour (December 6-13) “Winter in Budapest – Christmas Sparkles, Chanukah Candles, and Holiday Feasts.”
Reading, Watching, Listening
There is always lots of news happening in Hungary these days, but the big news last week was the opening of the secret Communist era police files by the Hungarian government. In an online database, the files are now searchable for everyone. The files, however, are very incomplete. Many are missing, and have either gotten lost or destroyed during the past 36 years since Communism ended. The files released so far contain about 60,000 names of secret informers. More files are scheduled to be released in February. Releasing these files has been really controversial. Some say that it should have been done 36 years ago, and some argue that society isn’t ready to know these secrets, which undoubtedly have affected many Hungarian families.
In the midst of the opening of the secret files, I have not been able to stop thinking about a book I read earlier this year, The Acts of My Mother by András Forgách. The book, though partly fictionalized, is based on Fogách’s real life trauma of discovering his mother was an informant for the communists, and not only that, she had been spying on her own family. Worse, he only found out by reading through stacks of secret files, after his beloved mother had been dead for many years. The book, his mother’s story as he imagines it, is him coming to terms with this legacy. Over the past week everyone in Hungary has been talking about these files, and social media has been flooded with stories and opinions. I just keep thinking back to Forgách’s painful story, and about how these files will never tell the true stories of what happened, how some of the informants may have been coerced or forced to do what they did. And for many people it is too late anyway.
A worrying report from some paprika growers in southern Hungary. “While cheap imports from China and parts of South America are squeezing producers, climate change is making paprika production more difficult and costly, according to Robert Braj, an adviser at Dutch-owned BWA Kft, one of Hungary's top food-seasoning manufacturers. (I always make sure that the paprika I am buying is actually Hungarian. In some shops they only sell Chinese-made paprika, and sometimes the packaging is purposely confusing, made to look Hungarian while the actual paprika does not come from Hungary.)
Eating, Drinking
The 11 Best Restaurants in Budapest Right Now, according to CondéNast Traveller.
For great sushi in Budapest, try Kicsi Japán Sushi, located in the Corvin negyed area. Located on a busy non-descript corner next to a gyro restaurant, the place has just a few tables (inside of what was formerly a Japanese grocery shop), and a sushi bar where the chef/owner prepares everything. For the past few years this place has been my daughter Róza’s birthday meal request, and it never disappoints.
When my parents recently came for a visit we ate many meals at Róma Ételbar, a cozy little lunch-only spot near my apartment. They love this place (as do we). When we moved into the neighborhood (22 years ago!), we were thrilled to discover this tiny eatery around the corner. When the original owner (Cica) retired a few years ago, a few regular customers took over ownership, and gave the place a very light makeover. Luckily they didn’t make many changes to what is most important: the menu. This is simple, delicious traditional Hungarian food, on a small menu that changes weekly.
Upcoming Happenings in Hungary
The Verzió International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival is happening now, for the 23rd year. From November 16th through 25th you can catch the films at several Budapest arthouse cinemas, such as Művész and Toldi (and a few countryside cinemas), and on some occasions the directors will be present. This year there’s a focus on films by and about the Roma community (including Papa).
Between November 27th to 29th, dozens of contemporary art galleries, art studios, and other spaces will be participating in Budapest Art Weekend, with the goal of bringing contemporary art to more people. Entrance is free.
November 22 is the next Maker’s Market event (in time for Christmas shopping). Maker’s Market brings together local makers (80 are scheduled to be there), in many different fields (print, ceramics, fashion, jewelry, food, and more). I always love this chance to support local artists and entrepreneurs, and to find unique handmade items.
Budapest these days … misty, drizzly, and dark. But with lots of pretty light shining through the fog.
Experience Hungary With Us
Explore our 2026 and 2027 destinations and trips; book one of our daily wine tastings, food tours, or wine day trip; or plan a private journey in Hungary! Contact us at [email protected].
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