I am of Hungarian descent, know a lot of that nation's history, and also even MORE about it's foodstuffs, recipes, the people whose last names are attached to Hungarian dishes, and the fact that the great French chef, Escoffier has an Hungarian second in command, from whom he stole and took credit for certain Hungarian dishes, which are now claimed to be French. ;^)
When we first went to Maxim's for dinner, we were offered a "speciality of the house". When the potato dish arrived, I was hard put to control my almost hysterical laughter. WHY? Because this supposed, grand speciality, was nothing more than what my family and I had/have been making for 1oos and woos and 1oos of years and what we've always called "GERMAN FRIED POTATOES". We've always considered it to be "PEASANT FOOD" ( which isn't an insulting term ), we all LOVE it, and not only is it 100% HUNGARIAN ( and why we call it that is beyond me )and mine is better than what I was served at maxim's. :-)
If you're interested, though it's probably out of print, I'll gladly give you the title and author of a book all about the history and uses of paprika.
I would be interested in learning more about the history of Hungary. I’m very impressed with President Orban.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, it seems as if the Eastern European countries are familiar enough with tyranny that they are rejecting leftists and embracing more conservative governments.