Főzelék

Say what now? főzelék? (pronounced fur-zel-lake) What’s that when it’s at home? Well, that’s kind of the point. You’ll rarely find főzelék in a restaurant, though I hear the new generation of Hungarian chefs are starting to bring this epitome of home cooking into their culinary world. So what is it? It’s a way of cooking vegetables, but one which slightly varies depending upon what vegetable (or pulse) being used. It literally means created by cooking, and in the vagaries and madness of Hungarian grammar, the main component of the dish is added as a prefix creating a new word. So a lentil based főzelék becomes lencsefőzelék , a white navy bean based one becomes babfőzelék, green bean is zöldbabfőzelék, and a spinach one is spenótfőzelék. Ordering főzelék won’t get you anywhere – you need to know which főzelék you want.

As you may have gathered from previous posts, Hungarian food tends to be quite rich and hearty and is anything but plain. Same principles apply to vegetables. We’re not going to serve you boiled vegetables and beans. We’re going to add smoked bacon, lard, paprika, garlic, vinegar, salt, sugar, dill, bay leaves, and caraway. And sour cream. Of course sour cream. We’re Hungarian. It’s mandatory. It’s a dish born out of necessity, taking a cheap (homegrown) vegetable or pulse and adding flavour and additional protein in the form of bits of sausage or bacon, if you have it, and serving it up in hearty portions to fill up your family’s tummies as cheaply as possible. If you’re a bit more flush, it becomes more of an accompaniment to a chop or piece of chicken but often it was served in a bowl with a hunk of bread to mop up the savoury sauce. főzelék was a bit of a lifesaver for me and my house mates when studying in Leeds. We could get super cheap veg at the local market and főzelék was what I made most weeks. The method of making a főzelék involves the retention and use of the cooking liquid, and means all the nutrients and vitamins are retained and not chucked away down the drain.

It’s a style of cookery pretty much exclusive to Hungary, but I’d love to study its entomology in more detail. The lentil főzelék in particular bears a strong resemblance to the dahls of the Indian sub-continent, using split red lentils and garlic to make a savoury paste thickened with a roux and finished with (the classically Hungarian touch) of vinegar and sugar to balance the flavours. Hungary has long been home to a roaming Roma population, who may have originated from India and whose cookery techniques have been absorbed into the Magyar food traditions, alongside Jewish and Turkish influences. The addition of a cooked brown roux or in Hungarian, the rántás, as a thickener at the end of the cooking process is derived from classic French cuisine but also found in German Swabian dishes and other central European recipes. Hungary’s position at the literal central crossroads of Europe, and its long history of expansion and absorption of other cultures and populace into their empire, has resulted in a really interesting food style. My grandfather spoke fluent Italian because he was sent to school in the Austro-Italian Tyrol on the border of what was then Hungary’s empire. Italian cookery techniques also make their appearance in Hungarian dishes, which I’ll discuss in another post. Have a look at this map – it shows the reach of Hungary pre 1914, following the treaty of Trianon in 1918, Hungary was stripped of 2/3 of its land and ended up with more Hungarians living outside the new borders than within. It explains much about the Orban attitudes prevalent in today’s Hungary, the loss of this territory is still a thorn in many Hungarians’ sides.

Back to the főzelék. Each is different but has common denominators – the vegetables or pulses are gently simmered in liquid with additional flavours, then thickened with a roux and finally seasoned to reflect that quintessential Hungarian blend of sweet, savoury and sour taste. Today’s post features Savanyú krumplifőzelék but I will be returning to this again. Not least because I need to tell the story of my sister trying to hide spinach főzelék in her napkin. The dining room needed redecorating…

Savanyú krumplifőzelék or sour potatoes

This is going to another of my vague recipes based on watching my father make this and how I still do. Take enough potatoes to feed your crowd – let’s say 4 baking size ones will feed 2 generously and we know now that Hungarians like to be generous, peel and cut into chunks – not too small because you want them to keep some integrity and not turn into mash, so maybe into 6 pieces depending upon size of potato. Put in a pan with enough room to allow additions later on. Add cold water to just cover the potatoes, add a sprinkle of salt and 2 bay leaves. Put on the lid and bring up to a slow simmer until the potatoes are cooked through but not disintegrating. Do not drain.

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Whilst potatoes are cooking, take a small frying pan and melt a good tbsp of lard/ bacon dripping or solid veg fat over a low heat. Add 2 heaped tbsp of plain flour and stir well. Cook this roux or rántás until it is biscuity coloured and it smells faintly nutty. Keep stirring it so it doesn’t burn. Your potatoes should be done now. Take them off the heat and tip in your roux. You may need to stand back a bit as it will bubble up (hence needing a larger pan). Stir well but gently so you don’t break up the potatoes too much. Put back on a low heat to thicken. You will have a pan of white sauce covered potatoes. Add a small carton of sour cream, and a good shake of white vinegar (at least a dessert spoon), and plenty of pepper and salt to taste. Remove bay leaves and pile into a bowl. Serve piping hot, with or without an additional sprinkle of paprika. Delicious with a bit of bacon on the side. It’s something that really shows off the flavour of the potatoes, so choose a well flavoured variety – I find the Désirée works well. It’s hard to convey just how delicious this is. It’s so simple and takes about 15 minutes to make from start to finish. Creamy, sour, potatoes. What’s not to like?