Christmas foods in Hungary

In Hungary the fasting diet is combined with a varied menu. In the past meat was always pork at the festive table, beause pork is a forerunner, which, according to popular belief, it was an evolution.



Nowadays these folk traditions do not really prevail, as the Christmas menu in so many places made from poultry. E.g. dishes made from turkey which is mainly due to the Anglo-Saxon effect.

Some foods like beans, peas, lentils, pumpkins, poppies or fishes bring lot of money and wealth according to a belief. Walnuts, apples and garlic are also an essential components of the festive table and of course the cabbage which is consumed by all social group.

 
Cabbage
In the Cristhmas menu cabbage is also popular but not only in our country but in Germany, Latvia and in Russia. In Hungary, cabbage is primarily made into stuffed cabbage at Christmas, using fresh park from the December pig slaughter. Stuffed cabbage has many variations, as it depens on different landscapes, different habits and as a saying goes : ”As many houses, as many costums”.

Dishes from fishes
Fish used to be the part of fasting food during the holiday, but nowadays it does not matter so much as it can happen on any day of the holiday. There are nations where various fish dishes are also indispensable at the festive table. Salmon is typical in Finnland and Russia, where part of the Christmas menu is the so called-salmon blini. Pancake stuffed with salmon and caviar.
Fish soup is typical in Poland and Hungary. Spanish eat bream, Portugese consume salted dried cod, and Swedish people consume lutfisk, which is a buttered-onioned pickled carp.

Poultry
Among the poultries, turkey can be considered a symbol of Christmas. English people consume it with chestnut cream which makes the turkey sweet. Hungarians are also consume turkey or goose with braised cabbage on Christmas Eve.