Buda + Pest: Sour Cream + Paprika

Sour cream and paprika are two quintessential ingredients in Hungarian cooking. Before this trip, I never knew that Budapest is actually 2 adjacent areas – Buda (hilly) and Pest (flat plains, housing two thirds of the capital city’s 2 million population), separated by the Danube river.

The most famous attraction in Budapest is the Castle District, which is in Buda. A lovely restaurant in this Castle District is Arany Hordó Étterem. I had the catfish stew (pictured above) which is a traditional Hungarian dish. It was delicious, served with Hungarian noodles, even garnished with a tiny red chili pepper (very spicy) and a slice of green chili pepper (less spicy but deliciously crunchy). And of course, the stew is made with paprika and topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Another famous place in this district is Ruzwurm, a must-visit recommended by one of my readers. Famous for its cakes and pastries, the Ruzwurm Kremas (cream cake), featured here above is heavenly. There was a French couple beside us and they were absolutely raving about it, passionately pointing to a picture of this cake in their French guide book. If the French can rave about a dessert, it'd better be good!

Another renowned dessert in Hungary is the famous Gundel crepe (Hungarian pancake), made famous by the stately Gundel Restaurant in Pest, and patronized by Pope John Paul II, Queen Elizabeth and other dignitaries. This famous Gundel crepe, shown here on the right, is filled with a mixture of walnuts, raisins, lemon peel and served with a generous helping of dark chocolate sauce and a side of orange jam. Absolutely heavenly!