The Food of Hungary competition is being held for the fifth time this year. The theme is truly Hungarian, as it includes grey cattle, and even Sándor Petőfi.
The Food of Hungary cooking competition was launched in 2017 and is becoming increasingly popular and well-known. At that time, history was the reason for the organisation of the competition, and the realisation that For sixty years now, no truly iconic Hungarian dishes have been created. In fact, since the World Expo in Brussels, which is associated with dishes such as the Budapest sirloin steak, Csáky roast beef, Somló dumplings and Kecskemét peach pudding. There are, of course, many reasons for this, and it is not the reasons that are important, but the facts.
Photo by Étrend Association of Hungarian Chefs
In recent years, domestic gastronomy has mostly followed foreign trends, with ingredients from beyond our borders taking the lead in many cases. Innovation is, of course, the Culinaria is also a key priority. Progress is inevitable, but in the meantime, home-grown food has been marginalised.
István Asztalos Étrend Association of Hungarian Chefs President
„Years ago, there were many people who used to say how Hungarian cuisine was. There were people years ago who argued about whether Hungarian cuisine existed. And we said and still say today, let's start thinking about what Hungarian cuisine will be like.”
Photo by Étrend Association of Hungarian Kitchen Chefs: István Asztalos
The philosophy behind Hungary's food
It's a very nice trend. International cuisine is very important. Let's learn, let's take the things that are good and incorporate them into our own cuisine, but let's cultivate our own cuisine.
Freedom of knowledge begins when we have the knowledge and start using it. But using it should not be the same as copying it.
The path the association is on and the Food of Hungary competition are intended to promote good cooks. They believe that a chef can only be really good if he or she has all the qualities. To have the right knowledge of raw materials, the knowledge of technology, you even have the cultural knowledge. If this can be traced and reintroduced into the public consciousness, then there may be a future for domestic cuisine.
The combination of paprika, garlic and cumin seeds is ours, and there are many characteristics of Hungarian cuisine that should and can be built upon to make a dish Hungarian. It is the philosophy behind the preparation of a dish that makes it truly Hungarian.
István Asztalos
„Our job is to raise awareness of the chefs to use their knowledge, the knowledge they have produced at home ingredients, even in combination with international trends, but still trying to translate them into our own language and culture.”
Photo by Étrend Association of Hungarian Chefs
Food of Hungary competition
Entries for the competition are open until 19 November. Entrants have until 12 December to work on their recipes and then submit them, along with pictures of the dishes they have prepared. Each year, they will nominate two ingredients that must be used, thus supporting their original objective. For this year's call for entries as raw material grey cattle and wet milk butter, and importantly, it must include an organic or ecological product with a national trademark. The dish can consist of four elements, one of which must be a stew or sauce.
The aim is to create honest food that comes from the heart
This year, due to the cooperation with the MSZTE - Grey Cattle Association - a compulsory element has been added to the competition. It included the submission of a recipe for a dish to be served as a cold starter, made from grey cattle meat. Although this will not be judged, only by the MSZTE, it is an important innovation in the preservation of Hungarian traditions and a kind of product development.
The semi-finals will take place in January, depending of course on the number of teams, because last year, for example, 33 teams competed, but only 12 will make it to the final.
The theme of the competition
Each year the competition is also based around a theme. As 2022 is the year of Sándor Petőfi, the slogan is „Hungarian up!”. The food must be linked in some way to Petőfi's work. This could be in the name or in the way it is served, but the cooks must associate in some way with the poet's ideas and writings.
Hungary's food final
March 2022 the final will take place. Based on last year's experience, a lot of exemplary dishes made it to the finals, so this year, as in the Olympics, grades have been introduced. Thus, those who make it to the final are basically winners, as they can receive a gold, silver, bronze or diploma, and the dish with the most points will be the absolute winner, i.e. the „Food of Hungary 2022”.
Photo by Étrend Association of Hungarian Kitchen Chefs: István Asztalos
„This is a competition that anyone can win”
Everyone has the chance to win the competition. It's up to him to cook the food according to the system, on a level playing field, and to be the best on the day. The contestants, unless they are friends, do not know each other, as only the fancy name of the dish is communicated. The judging panel is updated every year so that it is not always the same people who decide, and the judges do not know the maker of the dish or the team, they only see the numbering of the dish. This makes the competition completely authentic and, in addition to these safety features, each team can delegate a judge. If there are more than one judge, the jury itself decides the seven people who will select the finalist teams. #
Source: Airchef / Tamás Budafoki
Source:Étrend Association of Hungarian Chefs
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