Hunglish.orgThe Turks may not occupy Hungary anymore but they do occupy some space on the restaurant circuit. Plus, eating Turkish food is a cheap cuisine to gorge on and so a taste of the past remains.
Written by Scott Savoie
The Turkish Empire settled into the Carpathian Basin after the Battle of Mohács. The Turks stayed for about 150 years before being expelled with the help of Prince Eugene of Savoy (no known relation to the author).
Before they left, however, the Turks established a number of great fast food restaurants all over Budapest. These places offer up succulent reconstituted meat and meat byproducts at a very affordable price.
Late at night, after one has been drinking, a strong biological craving for grease develops. This desire is universal. In Budapest, you can get a meat sandwich in a pita for about 500-600 forints. This is about 2 euros.
For another 300 forints (another euro or so), one can get a baklava. This is a sweet greasy confection made with nuts, honey, and sometimes chocolate. These types of restaurants also offer healthier fare than at your typical fast-food places. For example, they often have salads and vegetable dishes on offer; I don’t know if they are any good or not, as I never touch the stuff myself. People ask me if this is authentic Hungarian food and I believe the answer is, “It is now.” This is how Hungarians have been feeding their munchies since the Battle of Mohács and the Turkish occupation.