Goulash

Goulash is a hot dish which originates from Hungary. Its name is from the Hungarian word guly?s, which in turn is derived from gulya, "herd of cattle". In some regions of the United States, the term goulash can be used interchangeably with hot dish and casserole.

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Goulash is made of beef, onions, capsicum and paprika powder.

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It is hard to find an authentic goulash in Hungary, and it is close to impossible to get one outside Hungary - unless of course you are invited to a family's house who knows how to cook it properly. What people now - incorrectly - refer to as "original Hungarian goulash" could be anything containing beef and various vegetables, sour cream, or any kind of pasta. Naturally, these show little or no similarity to Hungarian guly?s, which is most accurately defined as a soup. In contrast, the food that most people outside of Hungary call goulash is in fact closer to the Hungarian p?rk?lt (approx. stew).

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Guly?s is much easier to cook and requires less attention, thus it fits occasions when there are many hungry people and a busy cook. Basically, it is a paprika-powder soup or broth, flavoured with sliced onions and capsicum, with beef. Caraway seeds are also added for extra flavour, and is highly recommended by Hungarian cookbooks. The onions and capsicum are first saut?d, then paprika-powder is added and fried for a short time along with the caraway seeds. Then water is added. Chopped beef - preferably rump-steak, but any kind is suitable - is then added to the cold-water mixture, and then the whole lot is gently raised the boil, and simmered for at least a few hours.

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Occasionally, one might read a recipe book, or see a chef on television purporting to know how to cook "real" goulash. Often these chefs will be seen adding tomatoes to the mixture, browning the meat first, adding stock-cubes or even thickening the mixture with flour. Such methods have, however, nothing to do with the original guly?s recipe.

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Finally, it is also common, especially among German varieties of goulash, to add kn?deln, a kind of dumplings, only a little smaller and less "fluffy". These are prepared by mixing flour, eggs, salt and a little milk into a paste, then spooning small amounts of the mixture into the boiling goulash. A traditional guly?s may also contain potatoes.

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