8tlas

A pain suisse isn’t Swiss but French apparently. It’s like a pain au chocolat except with pastry cream and chocolate chip filling. Although this one has pistachio cream? Not sure yet…

Hungarian fruit soup (gyümölcsleves, DYÜ-mulch-leh-vesh) in Budapest. This is raspberry. Sour cherry, blueberry and strawberry also appear to be common. It’s more of a summer thing (it’s cold). Unfortunately for me but probably not for almost everyone else, it’s not in the least bit savory which would’ve been super interesting.

I tried to find the most paprika-y things I could in Hungary. This is what I found: halászlé (HAUL-ass-lay), fisherman’s stew that’s most associated with the southern city Szeged near Serbia; and pörkölt, typically a pork stew, but this one has beef and a red wine (vörösboros marhapörkölt), which I had in Budapest.

Budapest, Hungary: this is cabbage noodles, or káposztás tészta. It’s a bit hard to find since it’s more of something that’s eaten at home. It’s caramelized cabbage tossed with noodles and a healthy dose of black pepper.

Bucharest, Romania: I love Romanian soups. This is borș de perișoare, meatball sour soup, made sour with borș, a liquid made with fermented wheat bran.

Bucharest, Romania: papanași, probably the most Romanian of desserts. Cottage cheese donuts topped with sour cherry jam and sour cream. 😋

Bucharest, Romania: Tochitură moldovenească — Moldovan pork stew flavored with garlic, paprika, and wine, topped with an egg and sheep’s cheese. The “chi” is pronounced “kee” and the ă’s are uh’s.

Austrian liver dumpling! Very livery. Floating daintily in beef broth.

Is this the most bitter drink in the world? I learned about the super bitter liqueur malört when I lived in Chicago — this is that, but without the alcoholic fun. It’s also sweet and has a mild sort of cinnamony flavor. Trinidadians say it cools the body and the bitter taste is refreshing. I think I have to try something half a dozen times before deciding whether I really like or dislike something, and this is maybe my fourth time… 🤔😋

Kashk-e bademjan — sautéed eggplant smothered in kashk, a dairy product similar to sour cream. Topped with mint oil, walnuts, and fried garlic and onions.
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