“The enlightened King Matthias I and his Queen Beatrice turned eating into dining and gastronomy into a hobby for the nobility. Beatrice had been a princess in Italy before her marriage and introduced her husband to pasta, garlic and onions among other Italian foods that had been unknown in Hungary. Thanks to King Matthias I, fine china and trained chefs were already on hand when the Turks descended upon Hungary in the 1500s and occupied the country for 150 years.”

from The Cooking Class in Budapest

With a long history of fertile soil and abundant wildlife, the cuisine of Hungary embraces all the possibilities in preparing food. A short list of the well known dishes would include Paprikash, chicken or vegetables seasoned and colored by Hungarian paprika. Gulyas, a slow cooked beef stew, beloved with homemade noodles. Soups are essential to life and made with vegetables, herbs, beans or meat and fish based. Hungarian soups can be delicate or substantial enough to be the meal.

Cabbage is the king of vegetables for its nutrition, shelf-life and versatility. Sauerkraut may be the most popular cabbage preparation but cabbage is also loved stuffed, in strudels and layered with meats.

In The Cooking Class in Budapest, Bernadette, Drew and the Attorney are eating lunch in a small hotel restaurant in Tokaj before taking the next hazardous step in their plan to try to find the hidden art. Everyone is apprehensive. The Attorney recommends to Bernadette the Jokai Soup as well as a novel by the author Mór Jókai he thinks will appeal to her as it features a smart and brave heroine. She enjoys the hearty bean soup with vegetables, smoked meat flavored with vinegar and sour cream. Afterwards she feels fortified as possible for whatever lies ahead.

Here’s an article about the Hungarian author and his wife who was an excellent cook, as well as a photo and recipe for Jokai Bean Soup from the Daily News Hungary.