Goulash, Gulyás, Gulasz, or Guláš. It's all delicious.

Friends from America were in town a couple of weeks ago, and one night we enjoyed dinner in our home before they hopped back across the pond. Culinarily exhausted from an epic four hour preparation (!) of Julia Child's Bouillabaisse two days earlier for the family, not counting the time spent in search of fresh mussels in a landlocked country, I sought a relatively casual Austrian-ish menu for this dinner.

The cool autumnal weather called for a warm and hearty main course, and my favorite butcher suggested Goulash. Goulash is Hungarian in origin, and after all, they were the other half of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! Perfect!

Hungarian Goulash photo courtesy of the Internet

"Gulyás" is the Hungarian word for "Herdsmen," and the dish is thought to have originated about 150 years before the Ottomans invaded. (This being an important point.) Herdsmen, having access to a great meat source, would create stews that could sit in a kettle all day and endure harsh weather conditions across the Hungarian Puszta (plains). But the stews did not contain paprika!

The paprika actually comes from the New World (namely, Argentina!), and made its way up through the Balkans along Ottoman trade routes. The Ottomans carried the dried pepper spice with them on their invasions, and after their defeats the Austrians took the coffee and kebabs; and the Hungarians, the paprika. So now you know.

In the late 1800s Goulash was made a fashionable menu in Vienna, the Emperor wanting to perhaps "spice up" otherwise dullish Viennese cuisine? The provinces followed suit...the Czechs and Slovaks added caraway seeds and bread dumplings to their version of Guláš; and the Poles tossed in their beloved mushrooms and called it Gulasz. Even the Viennese fancied up this "herdsmen's stew" with sausages, salt potatoes and a fried egg, and rebranded it as "Fiaker Goulash" (Coachman's Goulash).

So where does the concoction known as, "American Goulash" sit on the Goulash Family Tree?  Well, there is beef and paprika in the mix; the rest, elbow macaroni, tomatoes, and, cheese?  Must be a distant cousin several times removed.

American Goulash photo courtesy of the Internet

The evening began with Liptauer and Krustenbrot. In researching the origins of my planned menu (call me a food nerd, I do not mind), I learned that Liptauer, the much-loved paprika-infused soft cheese spread that is a staple at every Viennese heuriger (wine tavern) is, well, not all that Austrian. Its origins lie in Slovenia, a country that once was part of the former Empire. 

But whatever. Together with our American friends, we enjoyed a supper of Austrian beef goulash with Hungarian paprika and Slovak Halusky on Polish dinnerware; and served with a round of Czech Pilsner beers, naturally. With a little French cutlery and Bulgarian table linens thrown in for fun!

(Eating) New York, New York: From American to Zabars

That I would eat well while in NYC was a given. Any cuisine I desired was not more than a few subway stops away; within walking distance of my Queens apartment I could choose from Guatemalan, Turkish, Indian, Pakistani, Jamaican, Asian, Southern or chic-chic Hipster food, or default to whatever the day's special was from the "Healthy Guru" grocer (really, more like a Whole Foods pop-up) in the storefront of my building. 

Onigiri, freshly grilled to order, drizzled with Sriracha cream and wrapped in seaweed. $3 street food at its finest.

The Coney Dog. A surprising and oh-so-tasty find near Rockefeller Center.

Our breakfast in Central Park on Saturday morning, chorizo and potato wraps from a Spanish food truck.

 Moroccan lamb skewers and mint tea in Midtown.

Smorgasburg Brooklyn was a highlight for the two of us on Saturday. Set in the East River State Park and with spectacular views of Manhattan, we had but one small complaint with this "Woodstock of Eating," that being the sheer number of choices! Like kids in a candy store...

"Naked" (sans roll) Maine lobster, sprinkled with lemon and best enjoyed with craft root beer.

 Grilled short rib topped with a bone marrow and roasted tomato salsa.

 Barnstable oysters, shucked fresh at the table.

 Pierogis and pickles...though, the pierogies were not quite up to my standards.

Deep fried sardines with aioli.

 We even sampled, and loved, the Faux Gras!

 Fresh made steamed pork dumplings and tea one early morning in Chinatown.

 Lunch at a diner tucked behind Lincoln Center, a burger topped with grilled onions and iced tea with ice!  Rather old school, and rather delicious.

 Real Mexican tacos from the taco truck at the New York Botanical Garden, and an iced hibiscus flower lemonade.  The truck was the culinary part of the Frida Kahlo exhibit, an excellent complement to an equally excellent exhibit.

 From a Farmer's Market at Herald Square, a made-to-order Greek Salad was the perfect dose of vitamins and energy I needed to shop the afternoon away; and from the Union Square insanely-organic Farmer's Market, a ridiculously overpriced and ordinary-tasting grilled cheese sandwich. No doubt the cheese came from a cow that was milked while listening to classical music by a hemp-fiber wearing farmer in a gender-neutral barn made of recycled timbers, that's how over-the-top this market was.

Sometimes take-away was just what I wanted. My absolute favorite spicy sesame tofu comfort food from Whole Foods; Pad Thai from the place near my apartment; and of course, snacks from Zabars to nosh on while walking through Central Park.

Jack and I criss-crossed Manhattan with our culinary trekking, snacking on Saltenas, Argentinian beef Empanadas and even "Jewish Grandmother Chicken Pot Pie,"  loving every delicious bite. One meal, though, was especially anticipated: Pastrami on Rye sandwich from a favorite Jewish deli. The epicurean pinnacle of my week.

A Little Bit of NYC in Wien

How coincidental that I, barely over jet lag from an eight-day across-the-pond hop to NYC, found myself (with my favorite guy, of course) at Vienna's first Street Food Truck Festival yesterday! 

The location for the event was Ottakringer Brewery, Vienna's oldest (since 1837), though now a bit modernized. The weather could not have been nicer, a welcome respite from the very warm temperatures in NYC. 

Vendors from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia motored into the plaza for the weekend event. Lots of retro and vintage food "trucks" with a fair variety of offerings. Intrigued by the notion of a vegan, "American" style hot dog from Jenonne upon entering the festival, we decided on a taste test.

The look on Tony's face sums up our reaction to the faux hot dog. We're omnivores, and always open to food that tastes good be it animal, vegetable or mineral. This was not food that tasted good. And, why is it that vegans are always attempting to make over real food? Could it be that vegan food is just not that good?

Needing an emergency palate cleanser, the nearby Nürnberger Bratwurst stand came to the rescue.

 The famous grilled brats in a pretzel roll and topped with mango curry mustard. Sehr, sehr, gut.

 He's still not quite over that vegan dog, though the Ottakringer was helping.

The aroma of grilled meats and curried this and that blended nicely with the folk artists.

 If there was a food theme, American hot dogs and hamburgers would have taken the prize.

We have seen Le Beef in Slovakia, but have not yet tried the burgers. Judging from the long queues, however, the burgers must be worth the wait.

Hy-Kitchen is a Vienna truck offering, guess what, burgers!

A little more Americana, with bacon and eggs from the Weber truck. They were also grilling delicious-looking ribs, though we did not sample.

 What did we decide upon for our main snack? I went with the chicken burrito from Mucho Gusto, a truck out of Salzburg. Muy delicioso!  Tony kept the sausage theme going with a New York Coney dog from Mel's 50s-style Rolling Diner, also from Salzburg.

 We freely admit we're terrible with selfies.

Millie the Vintage Caravan and its waffle kabobs with salted caramel drew quite a following, but we were tempted by the cannolis from Gnocchi Fungarn, an Italian food truck from Hungary.

 We shared the two perfect cannolis, slightly sweetened with rose water and candied oranges. Italian sweets from Hungary, who knew? Though, they do share the same flag colors...

To Street Food Truck Festivals!  Looking forward to next year!

I Needed Paprika

Both children are home, the pantry is bursting with provisions, yet...I used the last of my Paprika for a rub I was preparing on Sunday.  Two options on an otherwise schedule-free day presented themselves: 1) add it to the next grocery list; 2) take a spontaneous half-day trip across the border to the Birthplace of Paprika, Hungary. What would you do?

Along the Austrian-Hungarian border there a few palaces and castles that we haven't yet seen, and in the time it took to reach the A4 I had mapped a route. Our first stop was Schloss Halbturn, built as a hunting lodge for Emperor Karl VI.  Now it sponsors special art exhibits and hosts weddings and other celebrations. Tucked down a lane shaded by Linden trees, it made for a lovely first stop.

 Bouquets from the previous days' wedding, charmingly at rest.

The Austrian flag is striking, I think. The design for the flag dates to the early 1200's and Leopold V, Duke of Austria's return from the battlefield. Though his battledress was soaked with blood, the area under his belt was white. There you have it.

Inside the palace was an exhibit of 1900-1930 design in Austria, everything from decorative pieces to clothing. Most enjoyable.

Pretty, pretty glass.

Along this route we whipped past a sign reading, "Isrealitische Freidhof" and made a detour. The customary signage is for a "Jüdische Freidhof." The gate was locked, though it was possible to peer over the walls. Nearly 400 Jews were deported from this town as early as 1938.

Old Jewish cemeteries around here make me sad, as it's not likely that many descendants are visiting.

 Storks!  I never tire of seeing these magnificent birds.

 Nearing the border with Hungary we found abandoned border patrol barracks, stripped to the foundation.

The House of Esterhazy was the premier landowner of the Kingdom of Hungary and they were in good, very good, standing with the Habsburgs.

France has the original Versailles. Bavaria has its version, Könighschloss Herrenchiemsee, and Hungary has Esterhazy Kastely, its "Versailles" and one of holdings of the Esterhazy Family. The palace is the loveliest shade of pink, and the gates are my favorite of all palace gates I've seen.

During WWII the Esterhazy Family scattered; after 1945 the Hungarian government confiscated the property for its use. A foundation established by the wife of the last ruling Esterhazy Prince now helps preserve the cultural heritage of the family.

Making our way home we spied Burg Forchenstein in the distance. This, too, is an (Austrian) Esterhazy holding since 1622, except for a couple of hundred years when the Habsburgs held it. 17th century home exchange, if you will.

The castle sits on a hilltop, and even has a moat!

As the afternoon was waning we did not tour the interior, but have noted its Adventmarkt for a return visit. 

Oh, and I did purchase the Paprika at a farm stand near Esterhazy Kastely, right before dropping in a local Etterem for the lunch special of deer stew. My kind of grocery run.