MAGYAR HUSVET

 On a rain-drenched afternoon, ensnared in the gloomy embrace of foul weather, I'm thinking of distant times:
of my childhood, my parents, my two Hungarian grandmothers. I'm thinking of gentle, sunny springs and intriguingly festive Easters. I'm remembering delightful meals, unique food that seems to have vanished with the curse of time.

I've compiled a haphazard array of images that resurrect the essence of distant Hungarian Easters. 

Magyar husvet

Vintage Hungarian Easter card

Easter meals always consisted of traditional meats - ham, lamb, roasts, sometimes sausage.
Sonka, barany, sut, kolbasz.

(my Hungarian is very "rusty", but I'll persevere with the words I remember).
Meals were enhanced with plenty of eggs, most often deviled eggs, potato pancakes, egg cheese, vegetables, horseradish, and a wide variety of breads.
Braided bread, sweet bread, wreath cakes, and of course Easter egg bread.

Why is horseradish presented at the Easter table? Because, like onions, it produces - and is symbolic of - tears.

Husveti sonka, ordogi tojas, retek
Easter ham, deviled eggs, radishes

 

 

egg cheese, tojassajt

 

 I don't recall how my grandmothers made egg cheese, but the ingredients are very simple - mainly eggs and milk.

I found several varied recipes on the Internet.
One used a cup of sugar. Another preferred to sweeten it with a small amount of honey. One recipe required baking the cheese in the oven, while another specified no baking at all.
The final result is a mild concoction, sort of like parmesan - but it can be made sweet or savory.

Palacsinta and burgonya palacsinta are popular at Easter and all-year 'round. Pancakes rolled thin like a crepe, and potato pancakes. 

palacsinta (left) and burgonya palacsinta

 My mother made great potato pancakes, and my father made perfect palacsinta - rolled very thin.
Potato pancakes were always served with sour cream. The palacsinta was filled with a sweetened combination of cottage cheese and sour cream, and topped with jam or fresh fruit.

Kenyer
Easter breads

Edes kenyer, sweet bread       Fonott kenyer, braided bread

Edesseg
Sweets

Poppy and walnut torta     Apricot kolaches
 

Suti
Cookies

Gorgeous Hungarian Easter cookies

Mezeskalacs
Gingerbread

Easter eggs