Hungary for vegetarians

Hungarian food is not the most vegetarian-friendly in the world, we have to admit. That said, Hungary can definitely offer you some delicious vegetarian (or even vegan) surprises.

The world famous gulyas can be found in vegetarian style (hús-mentes, literally “without meat”). Soup and Lecsó (stew) made with no meat and with main ingredients like mushrooms, carrots, etc. abound even in the meatier of restaurants.

Especially Budapest, being an international and multicultural city, it’s not difficult to find restaurants, cafes and dining spots that cater well for vegetarians and vegans. Some of the most popular ones are: Darshan Biopont, Napfényes Ízek, Eden or Hummus Bar, but you can find a couple of extensive lists on BudaVeg.com (which also offers accommodations and tips specific for vegetarians) or HappyCow.net.

And in case you should get tired of Hungarian cuisine there’s also plenty of Indian, Japanese and International restaurants, all offering a wide choice of vegetarian dishes. Bon appetit!

Photo of the week: Budapest in Winter

Walking around a roasting Budapest these days it seems strange that just few months ago it was so cold here..

Túró Rudi, the Hungarian national snack

What’s that thing that cannot be missing in your fridge? Milk? Orange juice? Butter? Fruit? Ask Hungarians (and expats in Hungary) and most of them will answer: Túró Rudi. The perfect snack for any time of the day.

Túró is a basically a cheese, a soft, white unaged cheese extremely popular in Hungary, and Túró Rudi is a bar of that cheese but with an outer coating of chocolate wrapped in the very recognizable white and red polka dots wrapping. As a snack it is quite healthy, as the chocolate coating is quite thin, and the Túró cheese has a low fat content (apparently about the same as yogurt) and no salt added.
Túró Rudi is extremely popular, and is definitely something unique to the Hungarian culture. If you pay attention you can see the distinguishable red polka dots on white background wrap everywhere in Hungary: being unwrapped tram, buses, and trains; waiting to be picked on supermarkets shelves; and unfortunately even littering the streets. Blame it on the chocolate coating, but Túró Rudi is something that everyone enjoys, even tourists tasting it for the first time.

Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix 2009

Bernie Ecclestone, president and CEO of Formula One Management, mentioned on the Monte Carlo Grand Prix 1983 to his Hungarian friend Tamás Rohonyi that one event of the championship should be held behind the “iron curtain”. In the summer of 1983 a telex arrived to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating Mr. Ecclestone’s suggestion. On August 10th 1986 the first race of what would become a “classic” was held.

The appointment for this year is between 24th and 26th July, 2009. The location is still the Hungaroring circuit, located in Mogyoród, not far from Budapest (directions here).

The fact that the track is in a natural valley means that about 80 percent of the racetrack is visible from any point, making it one of the best circuits to see the race live. A great tradition that makes this appointment a must for all Formula One fans is that the Public Pitwalk may be visited by everybody holding a valid Grand Prix ticket from 16:00 to 19:00 o’clock. This year this unique chance will be prolonged until Thursday, 23rd July. That’s just one day before the first training session!

It’s no wonder that – also due to the very central European location – fans come flocking from all over Europe; mainly Germany and Austria, but also as far as Finland. If you were planning to see one Formula One race live this year, make sure is the Hungarian Grand Prix!