STRUDEL!

Hungry/Hungary- Yes, they are different but maybe not, if you are hungry. You say potato and I say potatoe.
see video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcROnrpkQws

Eliabeth Amalie Eugenie (SISI) 1837-1898 was the Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary (married to King Fraz Joseph I). Sisi was an interesting person and the subject of many songs, dances, operas, ballets, films, TV and books! She fell in love with Hungary on her first visit in 1857 (although she lost a daughter to typhoid on that trip). The Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 created the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary. Ava Gardner played Empress Elisabeth in the 1968 film Mayerling with Omar Sharif. There was also a 1991 French-German film. An indirect reference to Elisabeth is made in the 2004 film Phantom of the Opera when Christine wears a ball gown and diamonds in her hair, modeled after Sisi attire and hair in a famous portrait of her. A 2022 film Corsage focuses on her life and premiered at Cannes and the actress that played Sisi, Vicky Krieps, won the Best Performance prize. Other films were based upon various periods of her life.

Chimney Cakes- All we will say is that we did not eat one here (even though this is the ”original”) but had our share in Prague (see detailed posting there).

ELSOPESTI! STRUDEL HOUSE! “When in Rome….”
Strudel originated in the Austrian Empire with the oldest known recipe from 1696, though its layered pastry roots trace back to Turkish baklava during the Ottoman influence in Central Europe. Hungary is known for the best … or so they say. In the 19th century, the Parisian Ritz Hotel featured a "Rétes Hongrois" on its menu and sent its pastry chefs to Pest to learn the authentic preparation methods. It was once an aristocratic dish and now a staple for every home to be enjoyed at any time.

Strudel House of Pest is a family-owned restaurant, and the building tells their story of family developed strudel business. They track the all-time strudel consumption in the restaurant on an electronic board! What type of filling? Anything you want. They sell: sweet (apple, cherry, cheese, poppy seed, walnut) or savory (cabbage, spinach) fillings. There are regional versions of filling such as Sweet Bean Strudel which is a unique specialty from the Sopron district in western Hungary, featuring a sweet paste made from puréed white beans and Cabbage which is a very popular savory strudel made with braised or caramelized cabbage, often seasoned with pepper or caraway seeds. This version is associated with Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine in the region. We ate Makos Retes (poppy seed traditional) and Almas Retes (classic apple). The secret: The dough must be thin, using a special hungrian flour (high-gluten and coarse).

Interesting history includes the cultural aspects including it was a symbol of skill. Traditionally, a girl's ability to stretch the strudel dough paper-thin (so that a love letter or newspaper text could be read through it) was a symbol of her homemaking skills and a prerequisite for marriage. In bygone days, making strudel was often a social, communal event at village gatherings, weddings, baptisms, and harvest festivals, with several women working together to stretch the large sheets of dough on a tablecloth-covered table. Rétes remains an important part of Hungarian celebrations .

Want to try making Strudel? It takes about 3 hours from start to finish, always served warm Nothing to it, see the EASY steps in the posting. Oy veh. OR go to the Strudel House!Read more