Articles by Initial Letters

Hungarian cuisine: Jókai Mór and Hungarian culinary tradition: Jókai the ethnographer, Jókai the gourmet. Jókai Mór (Komárom, 1825 – Budapest, 1904) was a Hungarian novelist, dramatist and revolutionary. Most Hungarians have heard of ‘Jókai bean soup’ – but this article is not about this dish – rather it describes eating habits of Jókai’s day, his relationship to food, names some of his favorite dishes. As a writer Jókai considered ethnography a ‘colleague’; he was amongst the contributors to a series of handbooks presenting various ethnic groups. He wrote chapters on eating customs, table settings, stove types, the indoor heating/cooking ovens of the Hungarian plains, legendary restaurants. He recognized the importance of culinary identity and gastronomy as an organic part of a national culture. He listed 36 typical Hungarian dishes he felt should be written down. Jókai was a gourmet, one who truly enjoyed his food. He lived the typical middle class life of his time: people basically ate what they could produce on their own farm. In 1853 Jókai used the honorarium earned from one of his works to buy a house and garden area on Budapest’s Svábhegy – where he set up a complete farm with full-on garden, orchard, vineyards and farm animals to feed his family and guests. He wrote, ‘the basis of a happy marriage is the kitchen, the food – in that my wife is unsurpassable…’ Also described is Mrs Jókai’s coffee…not only was coffee freshly roasted every day, but the manner of making coffee was extraordinary. One started at 5am to make the coffee and fresh brioche for breakfast. By ethnographer Juhász Katalin.