Goulash was, and still is, a very popular dish among herdsmen in Hungary. The word gulyás originally meant only “herdsman”, but over time the dish became gulyáshús (goulash meat – a meat dish which was prepared by herdsmen). Today, gulyás refers both to the herdsmen, and to the soup.
The cooked and flavored meat was dried with the help of the sun and packed into bags produced from sheep’s stomachs, needing only water to make it into a meal. It is one of the national dishes of Hungary and a symbol of the country. They made it in a cast-iron kettle hung above open fire, out in the fields.
Originating from the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, goulash is also a popular meal in Central Europe,Scandinavia and Southern Europe.
Even in Hungary every other housewife or chef has its own way of cooking it by adding or omitting some of the ingredients, or changing something in the preparation process, however they would all call their gulyás the most authentic.
Authentic gulyás is a beef dish cooked with onions, Hungarian paprika powder, tomatoes and some green pepper.
Potato and noodles (csipetke in Hungarian) are also added according to some recipes.
Hungarian goulash is neither a soup nor a stew, it’s somewhere in between. In the restaurants you will find it at soup.
This peasant dish got on the noblemen’s and town folk’s table only towards the end of the 19th century. In the second half of the 1800s it became very important to protect treasures of Hungarian culture, the language and the gastronomical delights, as part of the movement to emphasize Hungary’s national identity and independence from the Austrian Habsburg dynasty’s rule.
Restaurants started to put goulash on their menus too, and by the second half of the 20th century, the soup became the number one dish of Hungary that every tourist coming to the country must try.
My recipe won’t give you the perfect Hungarian goulash, but it will come very close. I was so surprised that I managed to make it so good. I was expecting a complete desaster, as I you all know I am not a good cook.
Ingredients:
– 700 g beef shin or shoulder, or any tender part of the beef cut into 2×2 cm cubes
– 5 tablespoons olive oil
– 2 medium onions, chopped
– 5 cloves of garlic
– 1 parsnip, diced
– 1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika powder
– 1 glass white wine
– 500 g potatoes
– 1 glass tomato sauce
– 1 tablespoon mustard
– ground black pepper and salt according to taste
– 2 fresh green peppers
– 1 bay leaf
Directions:
Heat up the oil in a pot and braise the chopped onions with the mustard in it until they get a nice golden brown color. Sprinkle the braised onions with paprika powder while stirring them to prevent the paprika from burning. Add the beef cubes and and sauté them till they turn white and get a bit of brownish color as well.
The meat will probably let out its own juice, let the beef-cubes simmer in it while adding the grated or crushed and chopped garlic (grated garlic has stronger flavor), some salt and ground black pepper, the bay leaf, pour water enough to cover the content of the pan and let it simmer on low heat for a while.
When the meat is half-cooked (approx. in 1,5 hour, but it can take longer depending on the type and quality of the beef) add the white wine, parsnip and the potatoes, and some more salt if necessary (vegetables tend to call for more salt). You’ll probably have to add some more (2-3 cups) water too.
When the vegetables and the meat are almost done add the tomato sauce and the sliced green peppers. Let it cook on low heat for another few minutes. You can remove the lid of the pan if you want the soup to thicken.
Cooking Without Limits 
Looks more like boeuf bugonyon (I can’t spell French words, but whatever) than goulash. Goulash has pasta.
There is goulash with pasta and goulash with potatoes.
The word you are looking for is Boeuf Bourguignon 🙂 And I thought it looked more like curry!
This sounds do delicious even though I’m vegetarian. I’ve heard of this dish 🙂 I have a former supervisor whose last name is Gulyas 🙂 she must be of Hungarian descent
I could eat goulash every day. Your pictures are perfect.
Thank you
Reblogged this on Sarah's Attic Of Treasures and Our Neck Of The Woods and commented:
From Sarah: This is post is all about GOULASH. Not just how to make it but IT’S HISTORY as well. You will read about Hungary, It’s herdsmen, and it’s people. It was a peasant dish. Now it is know world wide. Or close to it.
One of mine best recipe. Thank you for sharing.
You are welcome
Thanks for stopping by page and ‘liking’ a post of mine. Your post here, on GOULASH definitely caught my eye. Looks delicious and is a variation I was otherwise unaware of. I’m glad I stopped by your page.
Thank you
After you liked one of my posts, I had to come out and check your blog! I’m so glad I did!! I’m in love with all your pictures, and I can not wait to try out some of your recipes 🙂
Thank you
This looks amazing. Have you ever used beef neck in your recipe? I’ve taken a fondness to it – tender, succulent morsels. They stew very well and help build a rich, savory soup base.
Thank you. Good to know about beef neck
Hi, Gabriela! Goulash is one of my favorite dishes. I’m thinking of posting a recipe of it myself. You have it all! Writer, Chef, Photographer — each skill very, very well done! I’m scared to do merengue, too! Great blog!
Thank you.
So appetizing, I love
Thank you
Hi, we are planning to try Goulash using this recipe. Just one question, what is the size of the glass for tomato sauce and white wine, in mililiter or ounce? Thank you very much!
It’s 200 ml for both. I used the same glass.
Thank you!
My favorite dish for the fall weather! Great photography!
Thank you
Lovely dish, so good. Thanks
You are welcome
This looks like one damn delicious goulash! Dinner sorted – goulash.
Thank you
First of all: it’s very nice and it looks absolutely yummy 🙂
I live in Hungary and my wife is hungarian, and the gulyàs is more like a soup, what you did I think it’s more similar to what in Hungary is called “pörkölt” (which I usually prefer to the gulyàs).
Then, hungarians use absolutely their smoked bacon, often homemade (and often too much smoked for my taste), you didn’t use it here. And for me it’s not a problem at all 🙂
Anyway, your recipe looks very good, those cubes of meat looks very inviting 🙂
Thank you. That is good information
Great photography.
Thank you
Oh I want to try making this! Thanks for the inspo!
You are welcome
Until now, I can’t make it hahahaha… Good on you. I must learn from you 🙂 thank for stopping by my blog also
You are welcome