Besides having a memorable sound to the word, goulash seems to be what many people know about Hungarians, or think they do.
It's as if there is one recipe for the dish that all Hungarians know, and given a little variation, based on how much a "pinch" is to one cook rather than another, it tastes a certain same way.
It's as if it's all we eat.
WRONG!
GOULASH is a term used for a meat stew or soup, thus a variety of textures and thicknesses, and flavors, which tends to have a brown -orange color from paprika (red orange) and tomatoes though there are recipes that do not include these stereotypical ingredients.
Possibly back in the 9th century (most likely before then) when the Hungarian- Magyars were yet settled, and lived as cattle herders, sheepherders, and marauders, they dried meat and stuffed it in sheep stomach carriers for preservation. Add water, put it over heat, stir a little, and you had the closest thing to today's foods that are sold dried and turned back into soft food with liquid and the heat of a camp fire. You Know - like we do Raman noodle soup in the microwave.
GOULASH was food you could TRAVEL WITH, a premade quick and nutritious meal.
Just about ANY ingredient can be included in a GOULASH including potatoes (which thicken the soup or stew), peppers, onions, dumplings, sour kraut, kidney beans, sour cream, beef, pork, or mutton, sausages, wine and beer, seeds and herbs.
While GOULASH may have a Magyar origin, many other countries in the region have variations of the term that sound and look to be and taste a whole lot like the Hungarian, meaning that this is a dish that has many ethnic and regional variations.
MOSTLY GOULASH IS COMFORT FOOD.
Are you hungry yet?
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