Goulash

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Goulash

For the style of dealing hands in the card game bridge, see goulash (bridge).

Goulash is a spicy dish, originally from Hungary, made of beef, onions, red peppers, and paprika powder. Its name comes from Hungarian gulyás, the adjective of "gulya," meaning cow.

Goulash is a popular dish in Hungary and its neighbours in central Europe and the Balkans, and is widely known in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered a simple home meal, because it requires little attention after initial preparation, and because it uses more affordable cuts of meat. Nowadays, it is also often eaten at restaurants, because its long cooking time makes it impractical for working families to prepare at home.

Goulash is most often prepared as a stew. Meat is cut into chunks, seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika, and then browned in a pot with oil. Shank, shin or shoulder is used — goulash derives its thickness from tough, well-exercised muscles rich in collagen. Sliced onions, hot red peppers and garlic are added. After the meat is browned, water or stock is added and the stew is left to simmer for several hours to thicken. Some finely diced potatoes may be added to provide starch as they cook, making the stew thicker and smoother. Other herbs and spices may also be added, especially bay leaf, thyme and ground caraway seeds. A small amount of white wine or a very little wine vinegar can also be added near the end of cooking to round the taste.

Some cooking books suggest using flour or cornstarch to thicken the stew, but this produces a starchy texture and a blander taste. Others suggest using generous amounts of tomatoes for colour and taste. A small amount of tomatoes in the stock that is used, or a drop of tomato puree, may improve the taste and texture, but goulash is a paprika-based dish and the taste of tomatoes should not be discernible.

Goulash is served with boiled or mashed potatoes, polenta or dumplings, or alternatively as a standalone dish, with bread.

Also: goulashes

Other dishes

There are several other dishes with goulash in their name.

Goulash soup (Hungarian gulyásleves) is a soup made with same ingredients, but with more broth. Sometimes sausage slices are added.
Goulash can also be cooked with mutton, to make mutton goulash (Hungarian birkagulyás)
Gipsy goulash, (Serbo-Croatian ciganski gulaš) is augmented with vegetables. Green and red bell peppers and carrots are most commonly used. Sometimes one or more other kinds of meat are added, e.g. pork loin, bacon, or mutton.
In partisan goulash, Slovenian partizanski golaž, favoured by Slovenian partisans during the Second World War, and still regularly served at mass public events, most meat is replaced with quartered potatoes. It's not as thick as goulash, but thicker than goulash soup.
A quite different stew, prepared with pork and sauerkraut is known as Székelygulyás, "Transylvanian goulash" in Hungary, and as "Szegedin goulash" in many of its neighbours.

Other uses

In English, "Goulash" is occasionally used to mean any mixture of diverse things.
"Goulash Communism" is often used to describe the maverick brand of Communism practiced by Hungary during the Cold War, characterized by some degree of political freedom within the Hungarian Communist Party as well as limited economic freedom and freedom of speech, inspired at least in part by the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

External links

Steve Holzinger: Goulash, A Rose By Any Other Name...
One possible way to cook The Hungarian Gulyásleves (Goulash Soup).
Who Put the Paprika in Goulash ...and Other Hungarian Soup Tales
For goulash recipes, see the Cookbook:Goulash

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Other dishes

Other uses

External links