Wednesday, October 21, 2009

What Hungarians Drink

Earlier in the day, Magyars have a European-style passion for coffee. Cafes (kavezok) abound, serving the usual array of coffees, teas, espressos, lattes etc.

Later on, when something a bit stronger is needed, they turn to:

- Beer. Most Hungarian beer is pretty terrible, but there are a wide range of imported German, Belgian, and Czech beers.

- Wine. I haven't had much Hungarian wine so I can't really comment. Apparently Georgian wine is excellent, and when the Russians invaded the imports stopped. Some people talk about this wine-less period as if it were a war itself.

- Palinka. Strong fruit brandy, generally made from apricots, peaches, cherries or plums. Usually the aroma of the fruit used is very apparent.

- Unicum. This is Hungary's national bitter, and it is terrible. A dark, soupy medicinal-tasting potion for the truly intrepid.

1 comment:

Dad said...

Is Palinka any good? Is it like Slivowitz, the plum brandy?