Hungarian strudel is not only a dessert, but also one of the most famous home-made cakes in Hungarian gastronomy, a symbol of the knowledge of the housewife and family traditions. This article describes it, how the classic strudel is made, which are the traditional fillings and which spices provide the real Hungarian flavour.
What are the varieties of Hungarian strudel?
The main characteristic of Hungarian strudel is the thinly stretched pasta and the generous filling. Traditionally baked in long rods, it is served sliced and sprinkled with icing sugar. Nowadays, the pastry is also made using homemade and ready-made store-bought dough.
The best known versions:
- Apple strudel: grated apple with cinnamon, sugar, breadcrumbs
- Cottage cheese strudel: sweet cottage cheese filling, often with raisins
- Poppy seed strudel: ground poppy seeds with sugar, milk or sour cream, lemon zest
- Strawberry strudel: fresh or preserved sour cherries, sometimes with nuts
- Strudel with cabbage: salted, steamed cabbage with sugar or black pepper
- Pumpkin and poppy seed strudel: grated pumpkin with chopped poppy seeds
What is the speciality of Hungarian strudel and how is it made?
The speciality of Hungarian strudel is the in a stretched, extremely thin pastry which is traditionally pulled until it can be "seen through". The dough is kneaded from flour, water, a little vinegar and oil, and after resting on a table covered with a tablecloth, it is stretched to a hair-thin dough. Stretching requires a great deal of experience, as the dough tears easily.
The rolled out dough is basted with melted fat or butter, then the a generous, often succulent filling (e.g. cottage cheese, apples, poppy seeds or cabbage) are placed in a longitudinal strip along one edge. The dough is then carefully rolled up.
Grease the top with lard or melted butter, and cut into long sticks golden brown in the oven. The baked strudel sliced and served sprinkled with icing sugar. The end result is crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside - that's what makes Hungarian strudel really unique and lovable.
What spices are used to flavour strudel?
The characteristic smell and taste of Hungarian strudel comes from the spices used in the fillings. The seasoning is moderate but contributes to the homely flavour.
The most common are:
- Cinnamon - in apple, cherry and pumpkin strudel
- Vanilla sugar - especially for cottage cheese filling
- Grated lemon and orange peel - refreshing aroma
- Szegfűszeg or nutmeg - for poppy seed or Christmas strudel
Most strudel is sweet, but never dominated by sugar. The cabbage strudel is usually made with salt and pepper.
How is cottage cheese strudel made?
A cottage cheese strudel the classic Hungarian favourite. The filling is made from sweet cottage cheese, eggs, icing sugar, vanilla and grated lemon zest. Raisins are often added.
We Hungarians are very fond of cottage cheese, but foreigners find it hard to get them to try it at first. The reason is that for them, the slightly sour taste of cottage cheese is unusual. In most countries, products like cottage cheese tend to be salty or neutral in taste. Thus, cottage cheese strudel with a sweet filling is a surprise to them.
How is apple strudel made?
Apple strudel is best when sour apples are used. A variety of spices can be added to the grated, lightly candied apples. Typically, cinnamon, lemon zest and juice, and raisins are added for flavour. But some add ginger, ground nuts or cloves.
How is cherry strudel made?
You can also start with fresh, stored for the winter or even with cherries. The filling is good if it is a little "crunchy", i.e. has some moisture. This requires the housewife's experience of how much crumbs or semolina are needed to absorb the sour cherry juice from sugared sour cherries. The filling is flavoured with cinnamon and cloves.
How is poppy seed strudel made?
The filling of the poppy seed strudel is made from sugared ground poppy seeds, mixed with lukewarm milk or sour cream, then flavoured with vanilla and lemon zest. In some versions, raisins or grated apples are also added. After baking, the result is crispy dough and a juicy poppy seed interior.
Poppy-seed strudel also tends to get a mixed reception from foreigners, because the taste and quantity of poppy seeds and their relationship with sweetness is often unusual for them.
What is the cultural role of Hungarian strudel?
Hungarian strudel is not just a sweet, but living gastronomic tradition, which preserves a piece of village, family and festive life through the generations. In the old days, meadow making was a community event: an indispensable dish at weddings, farewells, Sunday lunches or harvest festivals.
The dough was often made jointly by several women, who covered the table with a sheet and stretched the dough very thin. Strudel also symbolised the skill of the housewife: the thinner the dough, the more skilful she was.
Today, strudel is often a nostalgic experience and, with its "homemade" connotation, is particularly attractive in restaurants, at fairs and family celebrations. Nowadays it is made in many modern versions, with fruit and vegetables.
So Hungarian strudel is not only a food, but also identity, memory and experience.
Sources of the pictures: szepjuhaszne.hu, Sótájm, Money Centre, FarmPorgram, Flickr, Femina, Nosalty
Hungarian