Hungarian Christmas Foods
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- HUNGARIAN CHRISTMAS FOODS - For vlogmas episode three, I visited the beautiful Budapest Christmas Market to look for special foods Hungarians eat at Christmastime. The market is full of delicious foods but I was in search of treats that are saved for this festive time of year.
I asked a friend of mine, who is from Budapest, the first thing she thought of when she pictured Hungarian Christmas and she said, without hesitation, bejgli. Bejgli is a rolled pastry with a flaky exterior and creamy filling. It’s traditionally made with poppy seed or walnut. I opted for the walnut variety. It tastes really fresh and I liked the contrast of the smooth centre with the crunchy walnuts. It definitely tasted like Christmas and I wasn’t surprised that it’s a seasonal favourite. Marc said it reminded him of pumpkin pie! Don’t miss trying this at the Budapest Christmas Market or anywhere else at this time of year in Hungary.
The next Christmas treat I tried is called mézeskalács. These are cookies which are very similar to traditional gingerbread and you may see signs in English that translate to as much. But they don’t taste exactly like the gingerbread I know from home. These are extremely lightweight and feel light as a feather in your hand. They have the same spicy ginger taste but don’t have the density and chewiness of normal gingerbread. They’re more airy and flaky and, I thought, had a more neutral flavour overall. They’re special at the holidays and are known for the intricate and detailed decorations which are painted on with icing. I almost felt a bit guilty eating it - not guilty enough to stop me though!
The third very traditional Hungarian Christmas food I hunted down is simply called ‘Christmas candy’ or 'parlour candy' or, in Hungarian, szaloncukor. They are wrapped candies that look so cherry and bright that they’re also used to decorate the Christmas tree. Edible decor is always a good idea! I tried three flavours: cherry, orange, and honey. They were all delicious but honey was my number one favourite.
I loved making this video and sharing all the traditional Hungarian Christmas foods with you guys. I hope you enjoyed it as well! I’d love to know what you’d most like to try if you were at the Budapest Christmas Market OR tell me your favourite Christmas food where you're from. Leave a comment and let me know!
Subtitles available in English, Hungarian and Spanish! Click the 'CC' button (bottom right).
MY VLOGMAS 2017 SERIES
This December I’m doing Vlogmas on my channel! Vlogmas is usually where you daily vlog each day of December leading up to Christmas. I’m doing my own version where I’ll upload new videos three times per week on my regular schedule (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and each ‘episode’ will be Christmas themed from my travels in Europe! I’ll be exploring Christmas markets - and trying all the special foods - in 6 different countries and learning about unique and sometimes crazy-sounding Christmas traditions. I absolutely love this time of year. I’m looking forward to experiencing all the different ways people celebrate and sharing it with you.
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What's your favourite festive food?
Stuffing for sure
My mouth instantaneously watered upon reading that! Talk about a Pavlovian response....! Clearly, a favourite of mine too.
Turkey and gravy!
Broccoli bake (shhh...secret recipe).
hahaha clearly
I'm Hungarian, and this video was just so lovely! 😊❤
That's wonderful to hear, Benjamin! Thanks!
@@EileenAldis will like to be in hungry one day
I'm from Hungary, living in London. I just started watching your videos and I love them. I always love it when a foreigner likes Hungarian food. The only downside that every time I watch these videos I'm hungry and homesick, but keep making them. I'm gonna start watching what you make in other countries.
I'm sorry you're feeling homesick but happy you're enjoying our videos :) London is great but you must miss Hungary a lot. I know it's not the same but hope you can at least find a good Hungarian restaurant..
I'm part Hungarian, irish and, British. For the life of me I was looking for a specific holiday dish that is not in the video. But the food looks delicious. I would love to go there someday.
The walnut pastry thing and the gingerbread looks amazing and I like the cherry and honey to all people of hungary A Happy Christmas and a safe new year please be careful keep safe and warm I love you God will show us his love and light don't give up have faith in God he loves us all once again I love you
I can only imagine how gorgeous and festive Hungry is around now! :)
I am hungarian! My favourite christmas food is bejgli. Merry Christmas!
Thank you! Merry Christmas and happy new year to you too! You have a beautiful country and I loved visiting :) Glad I got to try the bejgli!
Eileen Aldis Thank you and Happy New Year!
Me too, bat the mákos beigli
The decorated gingerbread cookies looked yummy! The long arm basket was so cool! Keep the videos coming!!!
Being Hungarian, watching the video, I really miss having my favorite dessert, which is makos. It is the poppy seed begli. I also remember putting marzipan on our Christmas tree.
Nice!! Poppyseed and Walnut roll!! Bunch of other good Christmas goodies.
The Bejgli looked delicious, when you said it tasted like Christmas, I wanted a bite . Also that honey chocolate candy, yummy. Loved this video .🌲☃❄❄
I am happy with having the same name with you. Thank you for this video. It seems I really attached with the happenings of Christmas season here at Hungary. 💕☺️🇭🇺
Magyar etel a legjobb a vilagon !!!!!!
Az olasz
Your videos are so atmospheric, informative and inspiring. Love them! ❤️
Thank you so much! ❤️
We have a lot of people descended from Central and Eastern Europeans where I’m from, so we have that first sort of food at Christmastime. We call them nut/poppyseed/apricot rolls or just kolach. Even people who aren’t descended from Central and Eastern Europeans (like my mom) have their own recipes for it. I never cared for it much myself, but I can see how they would be appealing to some.
I wouldn’t mind trying those cookies or candies, especially the ones with honey. Hungarian food is delicious.
Anything orange + chocolate sounds good to me! But the honey and chocolate sounded ahhmazing. Thanks for sharing these treats!
I love orange and chocolate as well! Love finding a Terry's chocolate orange in my stocking :)
Yes the Christmas candy was always my favorite when I was a little boy I used to open up the rapper eat the candy and wrap it back up and they never knew it was gone until Christmas Day
Hey Dave! Sounds like you were a child genius and I'm going to steal that tip for hiding any secret Christmas snacking ;)
I am eastern European by heritage.My Mom used to make Bejgli and I haven't had it for a while, but I do remember it's sinfully good. It's best with a glass of milk
First of can I say that I love the music! And you were thinking the same thing I was regarding the ginger treats...they're almost too gorgeous to eat!! But they can taste gorgeous as well :) And they'd probably be the first of the three you presented that I'd try. Yes, a delicious..and another delightful video! You are really rocking your vlogmas Eileen!!
Thanks for the Video. I'm going to the Budapest x-mas market this year for the first time. I'm trying all those foods.
Love that Bejgli! I love all the baking! I'm frosting a cake as I watch!
Ooh that sounds like fun! Bet it looked lovely!
Everything looked really good but the bejgli looks so, so delicious!
It was worth the hype, as they say! My friend was super excited about it and I wasn't disappointed. Marc thought it tasted like pumpkin pie!
Eileen, next time you should try the other bejgli, the one with ground poppy seeds filling. It is so delicious. May I recommend you a drink? Hungarian people love to drink in wintertime mulled wine. This wine is mostly white wine seasoned with sugar, ginger, lemon or orange and
cinnamon. We drink it hot, it warms your body and soul. I'm waiting to see your other videos. Thumbs up, I've subscribed. :)
oh men... bejgli is so fu@kin' cool
you two have a special talent for making me hungry in Hungary,sorry couldnt help myself. Fondue and eggnog by no means necessarily together
So many good eats! Loving the videos Eileen!
Thanks a lot, Adam!! This market was one giant feast 😍
Beauty personified.
Indeed,the Bejgli,gulash is delicious.
Agreed 😋
The hungarian gingerbread feels different because its mostly made with honey. Some even translate it to honey cake. Not all of them are soft, btw, traditionally its supposed to be super solid because this too was used as an actual decoration on the tree. Many edible decorations were used throughout history in hungary. Saloon candy and gingerbread were just the most popular ones.
As for gingerbread, they aren't just for christmas, you can actually see stalls filled with them at any festival and fair and holiday. I lived in the gingerbread manufacturing capitol of Hungary and it's SO HARD to decorate them so they would last for a long time!
Thanks for sharing this! Makes me hungry reading haha. Curious have you seen our other videos on Budapest? They're here: bit.ly/budapestplaylist :)
I love the Poppy seed ones!!!
Yum!!
Can I just say first of all that I love the music :) And you were thinking the same thing I was regarding those ginger things...they're almost too gorgeous to eat!! They would probably be the first of the three I'd try.
Yes, a delicious and another delightful video. You are really rocking Vlogmas Eileen. I can't say it enough!!
Thanks so much, Scott!! So happy you're enjoying this vlogmas series! The gingerbread looked like little works of art and I kept thinking about how many hours must've been spent baking and decorating them. I found solace in the fact that they're baked to be eaten though haha :)
Marc is the music man so no surprise he picked the guitar cookie. All looks good to me.
Yeah, that cookie was perfect for him :)
Wow that Christmas market looks amazing! And all that food looks 😍 I don't think I have a favorite Christmas food 🤔 I should find one! 😂
It was amazing and there was delicious food everywhere you looked! It really felt like an over the top Christmas feast as you walked around. If you pick a favourite Christmas food let me know haha! ;)
Oooh, how nice video!!!❤😍
went to Christmas Markets in Budapest , Vienna and Prague.
But i have to say the ones in Budapest serve the best mulled/ hot wine! (Forralt Bor).
the Hungarian mulled wine is fruitier than the ones in Vienna and Prague. Which are more sour
Markets in all those cities are fantastic! We thought the food and drinks in Budapest were definitely above average. Nothing like a cup of mulled wine in the dark of winter. 🎄
@@EileenAldis Absolutely!
My grandmother's from there she made them pastry so good
Wow, homemade would be wonderful 😋
I used this vid, and the slovakia xmas vid for one of my English classes in Budapest. My students like your vids.
Hey Matt! That's so cool and makes me really happy to hear! Thanks so much for sharing our videos with your students. I feel honoured and very delighted that they enjoyed them :)
Hi Eileen, I'm Hungarian and I just saw this video on a website for teaching English! Now I'm desiring for some candy! 😀 Greetings!
Thanks for this video. Being half Hungarian myself I dream of visiting Budapest one day. Until I do this was a great alternative.
How cool that you have Hungarian roots! Budapest is a wonderful place and we made more videos there I'm looking forward to sharing. It's a gorgeous city full of history, amazing architecture, delicious food, and an overall feeling of grandeur. We loved it!
Sziasztok , magyarok ❤️
A seriously tasty video guys! Ginger cookies and wrapped chocolate candies……Love it!
But hey…..How ‘bout the guy with the long arm..and the BOAR goulosh!
I liked the fancy icing on all the treats best! You have a tough job for sure! Merry Christmas!
I knew you'd notice the boar goulash! The candies are so pretty that it's no wonder they double as tree decor. Trying all these treats was a tough job but, as they say, someone had to do it ;) Merry Christmas to you as well!
Szeretnek bejgli!
My grandma always made this for X-mas and Easter. I'm about to figure out how to veganize it and make some myself 🎅❣
Short and sweet
Very nice and cute video, I am glad to find your channel :)
Bejgli is the best festive cake, but just with poppyseed cream stuffing ;) (okay, I like it with walnuts too, but poppy is my fav). Everyone know this as a chritmas cake, but my grandma (rip) always made it at Easter too. I miss her and her bejgli. I didn't eat it since she passed away.
Other best hungarian festive foods are:
- Halászlé: Fisherman's soup = fish soup, it tastes like goulash, just made with good quality hungarian carp instead beef, and less vegetables (I don't like it :D).
- Töltött káposzta: stuffed cabbage, cabbage leaves stuffed with miced pork, bacon and sausage (not my fav but I eat it sometimes)
- Rántott ponty - fried fish from carb (nope :D), dish is Majonézes kruplisaláta - potatosalad with mayonaise and red or white onion (this is hilarious). Sometimes Franciasaláta - french salad (carrot, apple, cucumber, potato, corn with a mayonnaised sour cream)
- Mákos guba vaníliasodóval - it's called poppy seed dough with vanille pudding, but it's made from pieces of crescent.
So these are the really old traditional festive dishes, but nowdays the followings are popular too:
- Húsleves or Újházi Tyúkhúsleves - mostly made from hen (hen=tyúk) richly with many kind of vegetables. Or you can made with pork or beef too (if you don't know what meat is you called it simply just húsleves - i prefer it from beef). This is the most common soup here, you can find it on every Sunday lunch menu of the 90% of hungarian families.
- Marhapörkölt nokedlivel - beef stew with dumplings.
- Vörösboros vaddisznópörkölt - wild boar stew, simmered in red wine. This is my absolutely favourite. Best I ever eat.
- Gesztenyés pulyka - roasted turkey with chestnut stuffing
- Harcsapaprikás túrós csuszával - catfish stew or catfish paprikash (with famous hungarian paprika spice), túrós csusza=square pasta with curd cheese, fried diced bacon and sour.
- Kocsonya - it's a jelly from húsleves=chicken soup - I NEVER taste it because I think it's the most weirdest and awful hungarian food I ever met (other is pacal..don't ask) :D But many people like it.
- Almás rétes - apple strudel ♥ or any cake made with apple, applesauce is festive here.
I hope I could tell some interesting for you :)
Thanks again for the hungarian themed videos, I like they very much :)
Regards from Budapest
Oh I almost forgot! My mom used to make a tasty dish next to the meats at Christmas, it's Rakott zöldbab = green bean casserole. Minced pork with green beans on top with sour cream and sometimes cheese. Not so special but we love it :)
Wonderful
Glad you enjoyed it, Sandra!
A videó végére nagyon becsípett a sok szaloncukortól vagy a sok forralt bortól. Ezerrel mosolyog!:-)Happy the girl!
love the cookies
This isn’t really a “Christmas Food” but I went to the Czech Republic in 2023 and tried Kürtőskalács, they are really delicious and a Hungarian food! So delicious 😊😊😊
Yummm! I bet you'll recognize more of the foods in this Christmas market series! There's nothing like eating these foods after dark, in the cold, surrounded by lights and music. Nothing like it. 😊
@@EileenAldis I bet, I may go to a Christmas market this year and really hope I do. They are really truly special ❤️
Interesting
Bojler eladó.
Great video guys!
Thanks so much! Sorry we missed seeing you! Next time ;)
Hi happy holidays, your videos is it great
Thanks, Fernando! Happy holidays to you as well :)
I wanna go!!
Awesome! Please have all the foods for us... ;)
im hungry now. LOL i would love to try ALL of them! ~s
I feel like this video needs a warning: may cause hunger! ;) They were delicious and the whole market in Budapest was just FULL of tasty looking treats to sample. Loved it.
You can get the Szaloncukor (Christmas Candies) from Magyar Marketing in the U.S.
Poppy seed and nut roll my favourite
Delish! And I love the way the roll looks too :)
My grandparents are from hungry my grandmother made popesed all that
Hey Katherine! Thanks for sharing that. Homemade by your grandmother sounds delicious. Lucky you. We've made a lot of other videos about Hungary if you're interested by the way. Here's the playlist link: th-cam.com/video/MX2F13JJt9o/w-d-xo.html Hope you enjoy :)
I WOULD LOVE TO EAT THE COOKIES...MMM GOOD.
They were beautiful and the man who sold them to me said he'd prepared them all himself! :)
Poppy seed bejgli is the best.
It’s delicious!
Bejgli is the best! :) Next time also try the zserbó and the kuglóf.
Yes, it's delicious! Loved it :)
Hungarian Americans make bejgli with chocolate.
Ironically, in the states, the easiest place to find it is at Kosher Jewish bakeries where they sell it year round bc many Jews came from Hungary but are completely unaware it's a Christmas food.
budapest...great
I loved visiting Budapest ❤️
Nos faltó tanto de probar en Budapest
Hay tantas cosas maravillosas que probar, ¡imposible probarlas todas! :)
you two have a talent for making me hungry, in Hungary,couldn't help myself sorry...honestly Fondue and eggnog...by no means necessarily together
haha don't worry, I couldn't help making that joke either...albeit maybe not in a video ;) Fondue and egg nog are great but, agreed, not together! Marc doesn't like egg nog which means more for me!
gotta try kocsonya
We tried a bunch of other foods in other videos if you'd like to see: bit.ly/BudapestPlaylist. I love Hungarian cuisine.
Az a Beigli evés... Isteni!
Im from hungary to
can we find rice in hungary? Sorry, I am from Indonesia. we eat rice..hehe
Yes you can, we eat rice as well don't worry.
@@ebreszt-ok925 haleluya,..thanks. Terima kasih.
bejgli nyami thats a good idea
Sorry, I don't know what nyami means.
oh sorry i am Hungaryan NYAMI is yum
No és a Forralt bor-t nem kóstoltad?
Jajjjj… 😕 I miss my childhood in Hungary …
hey Mimi! Do you live outside Hungary now? Curious what your favourite Hungarian food is?
Hey Eileen! Yes, I live in the US now.. Hm… Favorite Hungarian food… Ok, this is embarrassing, but I think it’s just … Zöld borsó fözelék 🙈 They served this in schools back then. It is so delicious !!!
@@826mymy Sounds good!
Well, come back than.
What about Kolache? Never heard of Begley.
I didn't have kolache but looks delicious.
These two are like brother and sister, where the bejgli is the brother and kolache is the sister. The bejgli is harder, thicker and the kolache is lighter. Both are delicious. Both are made with wallnut or ground poppy seeds filling, but there is a simple kolach baked with raisins.
What, no hurka?
You mean like blood sausage? I didn't see any but there were lots of different sausages and I wasn't looking for them so definitely could have missed. I'm not usually a fan but I know lots of others are!
I WILL EAT EVERYTHING!!!!
It was all delicious, Margo! :)
Where this amazing place located?!
Do you mean the Christmas Market? It's in Budapest and, yes, it's AMAZING.
Eileen Aldis Yes, Christmas market could you type the addres?!
The main market is the Budapest Christmas Fair at Vörösmarty Square and the other market is in front of St. Stephen's Basilica. Hope that helps!
Darabra árulják a szaloncukrot? Why isn't that edible christmas tree decoration international?
You are very cute and your BF looks like a nice guy!
aww thanks! He's the best ❤️
Cuando regresas a Mexico ?? :)
¡No estoy seguro, pero espero pronto ...! :)
Do you plan to come Turkey?
Would love to come to Turkey but not sure when!
Ami MAGYAR az csak jó lehet.
Sorry, I don't understand.
As for Hungarian merchandise, it may be good!
Try this too:
hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kürtőskalács
We did! It was delicious. You can see it in this video: th-cam.com/video/2DS2qYSi-jU/w-d-xo.html and also in this video: th-cam.com/video/TddRLv0EVVM/w-d-xo.html
Azt a kurva milyen lehúzós árak xdddd
biztos azért, mert olcsó a stand bérleti díja
I was in Budapest I was not impressed with the people Nor goulash I did love the scenery the culture behind Budapest I did not feel safe at night I did love the four seasons Hotel But I will try it again thank you I love your videos
Èn magyar vagyok :)
My Hungarian :)
in case of 'bejgli' you forgot to mention raisins... normally golden raisin goes into poppy seed rolls and dark goes into walnut rolls... you must have gotten really obese by the end of this Budapest trip 🤣
These foods are not good and there is a lot of sugar in them.
Eat bitter foods than.
Typical woman......eating all the sweets and stay away from anything else :D
Ööö no