Hungarian Goulash

I've always liked a good beef stew, especially on cold winter days. The Hungarian goulash is one of the best options — a real hearty stew with strong, bold flavors. There are many variations of goulash. It can be made with veal, pork, or even chicken. In the US it's common to make it with ground pork or beef over macaroni pasta. In Germany it's served as a soup with potatoes. Even the term "goulash" itself is sometimes confused with other Hungarian dishes.

Hungarian Goulash variation dishes

So, let's start from the beginning — what exactly is goulash? Goulash or "gulyás" is a beef stew or soup made with bell peppers and potatoes, seasoned heavily with paprika. In Hungary, you can find both versions — soup and stew. It's important to know the variations before you order what we call goulash, because in Hungary you might get something you didn't expect.

If goulash is served as a soup, it'll come with beef chunks floating in it. If it's a stew, the sauce will be thicker and with more vegetables. 90% of the time when you order goulash in Hungary you'll get the soup. For the stew you'll need to order the Pörkölt — I'll elaborate more on that dish below.

There are a few variations in Hungarian cuisine on our sense of goulash. True, they're all seasoned heavily with paprika, but there are still some differences. Let's make some order... Paprikas or Paprikás is also a paprika-based stew, however it's usually made with chicken or veal and served with sour cream on top. In many recipes online, goulash and Paprikas are considered the same dish — they're not. There's another version you might confuse with goulash, called Pörkölt, which is similar to goulash in many ways but has less liquid and no tomatoes. You can think of Pörkölt as goulash stew cooked much longer than the soup, so most of the liquid has evaporated and you're left with just a thick, hearty stew. Another difference is that the meat is diced a bit bigger than in goulash, and there are no potatoes, or fewer potatoes. There's also another version called Tokány. It's similar to a ragù in texture and much drier — in this dish we use strips of meat seasoned with oregano and black pepper.

Guidelines for the Hungarian Goulash

If quoting the master of goulash, George Lang:

"The more parts of beef and beef innards are used, the better the gulyás will be. Of course, lard, bacon and chopped onion are absolute musts."

Like any beef stew, I look for a rich flavor, and the goulash stew is no different. I use chuck steak cubes and marrow bones to get the aromas I want in the stew. I also recommend oven-baking the Hungarian goulash for at least 4 hours, which lets it develop the texture, the deep flavors, and reach its full potential. In my goulash I don't use bacon — I find it affects the final flavor way too much. I prefer marrow bones to get those deep flavors and the fat content this stew needs. Any way you look at it, the Hungarian goulash is a rich, comforting stew — so get ready for a good nap afterwards, and bring enough bread to wipe out the sauce. You'll need it.