Reviews
Thank goodness someone has finally done it. Hungarians are so passionate about their food and wine: tourists and expats want to be passionate about Hungarian food and wine. But with so much choice and temptation, it’s hard to know where to start. Carolyn Bánfalvi is a journalist, culinary school graduate and a gastro-angel; her sizeable book ‘The Food and Wine Lover’s Guide to Hungary’ is an intelligent, detailed and honest culinary guide to Hungary.
Over 11 chapters Bánfalvi waxes lyrical on every aspect of Hungarian gastronomy, and indeed gastronomy in Hungary. All you have to do is walk up Váci Street or Andrássy Avenue and you are bombarded with tantalizing wafts of cuisine; Hungarian, fusion or otherwise. This book will help you sift out the steak from the sausage, making life that little bit easier.
The first chapter, ‘Hungarian Food’, covers more or less every Hungarian favorite in 50 pages. From pig killing to Túró Rudi, Bánfalvi sheds light on local foods with characteristic charm and a vat of extensive research. The ‘Fact and Myth’ sections are particularly interesting: “Hungarian food isn’t all about paprika,” don’t you know?
The restaurant reviews are spread over two chapters: ‘Hungarian Restaurants’ and ‘International Restaurants’ (the latter covering anything from Azerbaijani to Indonesian to vegetarian cuisine). The chapter preceding it, ‘Restaurant Basics’, covers all those questions you have when you first dine out in Hungary: etiquette, when to eat, prices, the bill and so forth. It also contains a nifty ‘Restaurant Translator’. Bánfalvi has visited every restaurant and café mentioned in the book, and describes each one in terms of food and wine quality, service, price, location and of course offers all the relevant contact details.
Aside from the extensive restaurant reviews, the book also covers food and wine shops, local markets, top breakfast spots, ingredients and dishes and an introduction to Hungarian wine as well as other local drinks. One of my favorite sections, ‘Visiting the Wine Country,’ offers essential information on the Hungarian wine regions– perfect inspiration for a wine-tasting mini-break! To top it all, there’s an extensive Hungarian culinary dictionary – meaning that you’ll have all the vocabulary you need to navigate your way around a complex Magyar menu. You’ll be impressed and once you’ve bought a copy, I guarantee that you won’t book a meal out without consulting it first (I don’t!).–Joanna Singleton, Funzine (April 23, 2009)
If you’re into food and wine, let Carolyn be your guide. Carolyn Bánfalvi has written an incredibly comprehensive book on Hungarian gastronomy that clues you in to the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the ‘Magyar konyha’. It’s really a ‘must read’ if you’re planning on really digging in to Hungarian food and wine. Jó étvágyat!–Budacast
Want a taste of Hungary? If you’re planning a trip to Budapest or are looking for information about what to eat and drink in the city, you may want to pick up a copy of Carolyn Banfalvi’s book called “Food • Wine • Budapest.” This insightful guide features extensive information about restaurants, cafes, pastry shops, tea houses, wineries, markets, and various other food related establishments. The book begins with a great introduction to Hungarian food along with its historical origins and background. From there it contains various sections entitled a Hungarian wine primer, what else to drink, restaurant basics, Budapest’s markets, specialty food & wine shops, essentials, and lot’s more.
There’s also a full culinary dictionary translated both in English and Hungarian (just a few of the helpful resources for travelers on the go). Although, it can be said that Hungarian food is mostly unknown abroad. It is now taking on a new renaissance and is quickly becoming a recognizable cuisine.
As author Carolyn Banfalvi’s says in her book, “There’s a lot to do, see, eat, and drink here, and there’s a reason so many expats suddenly realize that they’ve stayed years longer than they planned.” Whether you are looking to spend several months in Budapest or just passing through, this guide gives you everything you need to know to enjoy the best foods of this dynamic and affluent city. I know I will be bringing this handy little guide with me the next time I visit Budapest!–The Hungarian Girl (April 20, 2009)
Great Guidebooks for Traveling Foodies: When you’re traveling abroad, a good guidebook can often make the difference between a memorable trip and a mediocre (or even bad) vacation. And since you have to eat every day, accurate and informative guides to the foods of the foreign countries you’re visiting should be on the top of your list. Who wants to end up eating nondescript fast food near the train station when right around the corner is a really good mom-and-pop restaurant that serves up tasty local cuisine at reasonable prices?…
Don’t go to Budapest without carrying along a copy of Carolyn Banfalvi’s Food Wine Budapest, the best culinary companion you can have (except someone else to pick up the check). Banfalvi’s book is the most comprehensive and authoritative English-language guide for people who want to discover the delights of this capital city’s excellent cuisine. This nicely illustrated guidebook includes chapters on the basics of Hungarian cuisine, specific Hungarian ingredients, and local culinary specialties; wines and other alcoholic beverages; restaurants, coffeehouses, and pastry shops; indoor and open-air markets; and specialty food and wine shops. Banfalvi also conducts food-and-wine tours of Hungary.–Sharon Hudgins, Sally’s Place
The Food and Wine Lover’s Guide to Hungary named one of the four most interesting English language books about Hungary: Hungarian gastronomy is world famous – you should not leave the country without tasting the most delicious foods and wines! Carolyn Bánfalvi’s book tells you what the traditional goulash, the stuffed cabbage or the slambuc are made from, what food and wine festivals await you throughout the country, and what are the most famous wine regions in Hungary! This book is indispensable for a gastronomic tour in Budapest, as it introduces the offering of the best restaurants and cafés, their specialties and prices – moreover, it also makes ordering easier with its bilingual gastronomic dictionary.–National Institute of Higher Education (Országos Felsooktatási Felvételi Iroda)
One might say that restaurant guides are overabundant these days. Crack open any number of tomes or make a few clicks, and you’ll know exactly the spot to enjoy the best spaetzle in Innsbruck, Austria, or where to grab the best khao kha moo in Chiang Mai, Thailand. But what about those looking to explore food culture beyond the restaurant? Getting to the heart of regional cuisine can be a tall order, but The Terroir Guides ably examine the interplay between markets, local food artisans, winemakers, and chefs on a town-by-town basis, taking the reader from field to plate and making a great companion for any food-obsessed tourist. The Food Wine books have so far covered Budapest, and the Italian Riviera and Genoa; both volumes are packed with local history, food lore, and useful translations. –Sherman’s Travel (Winter 2008/2009)
To food lovers, it’s obvious. Food-ingredients, techniques, and traditions-are a clue to culture. And since we all eat, food connects us in our common humanity. If you can’t experience a meal at the table, a good book will at least fill in some of the details. As the iron curtain has been pulled aside, travelers and residents are discovering the food traditions of Eastern Europe. Author Carolyn Banfalvi suggests starting with Hungary. It’s cuisine has been shaped by royal marriages that introduced signature ingredients like chestnuts, sour cream, and vinegar; by Turkish occupiers who brought the coffee culture, and refined by the Hapsburg’s court cuisine.
And since the fall of Communism, Hungarian restaurants and food purveyors are rediscovering wine and food traditions from Tokaj wine to Mangalica pork. In fact, Eastern Europe’s first television program devoted to food is Hungarian-Paprika TV. Banfalvi is an excellent guide, encouraging, detail-oriented, and enthusiastic. She describes Budapest as a city of boulevards, smokey cafes, green parks and bustling markets. Armed with her explanations of restaurant culture, neighborhood descriptions, and tips on buses and trams, you’ll be able to navigate between Buda and Pest, to find just the type of market, bakery, cafe, or restaurant you’re looking for.
“Many good things hide behind the difficult to master Magyar language,” so Banfalvi provides a food glossary translating from Hungarian to English and English to Hungarian. You’ll be able to prowl markets and decipher menus to get just what you want, from the freshest csereszyne (cherries) to the flakiest retes (strudel). Once you’ve mastered retes, don’t stop. In her chapter on coffeehouses, Banfalvi describes the lush variety of Hungarian desserts, from elegant Austrian-influenced tortes to palacsinta, home-style crepes filled with curd cheese, jam, walnuts, or chocolate. Every cake has its place and Banfalvi describes the coffeehouse culture so you can enjoy every crumb. Choose restored gilded rooms like the Central Kavehaus where you can linger over a single cup, or the retro-Soviet eszpresszo cafes with their vinyl chairs and plastic ashtrays.
But don’t miss the restaurants. Banfalvi directs you to cafes and restaurants that are authentically Hungarian, warning you off generic international trend spots. Learn the key phrase, mit ajanl-what do you recommend, and you’ll be off on a feast that might include crispy roast pork and red cabbage, pickled vegetables, goose liver, veal paprikash, and of course, gulyas. Banfalvi delves into the cultural context of this internationally-known dish, pointing out that the word means shepherd, giving you a clue to its origin, a kind-of Eastern European chili of beef and paprika. She parses its fine points, noting that it is most authentically a brothy soup, while porkolt is actually the stew we think of when we say goulash.
In chapters on wine and beer, markets, specialty foods and shops, Banfalvi explores local history and traditions, using food to explain a place as much as the place shapes the food. Who knows, you may find that the photos, the attentive descriptions, and Banfalvi’s local expertise draw you out of your barcalounger and onto an airplane.--Claudia Kousoulas, Appetite For Books
I love The Terroir Guides. They give me everything I want. They’re a tactile pleasure, compact, meaty. They’re lovely to look at, elegantly laid out, mutedly and tastefully colored…positively overflowing with the Who, What, Where and How even an intrepidly independent traveler should know…The Little Bookroom has a knack for putting guidebooks into print that are as useful as they are beautiful. –Wine News
Like a lot of central European cuisine, Hungarian food has had its share of bad press in the past. Now it’s undergoing something of a culinary renaissance. Proof of this, if it were needed, comes in the form of Carolyn Bánfalvi’s new book, Food Wine Budapest: A Terroir Guide. The first of its kind, the guide takes the guesswork out of Hungarian eating, offering pointers on where to get the best mangalica pork and strudel, how to pair the local Tokaj wine with food, and how to choose between the myriad varieties of paprika on the market. Essential reading if you’re visiting the country this summer.–Bthere! (inflight magazine of Brussels Airlines) (July 2008)
Most guidebooks to Budapest relegate the Hungarian capital’s culinary attractions to a chapter buried behind weighty sections on history, detailed hotel options and practical information. Food Wine Budapest: A Terroir Guide, by Carolyn Banfalvi, concentrates on gastronomic pleasures. It is, quite simply, the best guide available today to the culinary renaissance of the city and region in the post-communist era. Banfalvi profiles some of the best restaurants and wine bars in Budapest, but also includes cafés, pastry shops, specialty food shops and markets, as well as the traditions behind their offerings. Helpfully, she includes extensive translations for the names of wines, foods and cooking methods as well. This is the first book in a new series called Terroir Guides, which promises to explore cities or regions, focusing on the way local influences are reflected in food and wine. The Budapest guide sets a high standard for those that follow.–Laszlo Buhasz, Globe and Mail (June 21, 2008)
It was a smooth flight with an abrupt ending. I had the feeling that the pilot had daydreamed a bit, woke up, looked down and seeing the airport immediately below pointed the nose down. The angle was steep, but no one seemed to notice so I went along with the flow. So it was, with the rush of landing on an aircraft carrier, that I arrived in Budapest. I was there for wine, of course, and after a quick lunch at a traditional Hungarian restaurant we were off in a car for the long drive out to the Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region in Northeastern Hungary, home to the legendary sweet wines of Tokaji, in this case the sublime wines of Oremus.
This was my first visit to Hungary and, while anticipating the culinary adventure I was thrown into a new and unfamiliar food culture. I could handle a menu in Western Europe, but as I gazed at the menus here nothing rang a bell, nor did it to my compatriots, one of whom ordered two courses at a dinner one night. His first course arrived, which was a beautiful and delicious smoked trout. After a short wait his main course arrived, which was two beautiful and delicious smoked trout. Thankfully he loved smoked trout.
After several days of fabulous sensory overload in the cellars of Tokaj, my wife and I headed back to beautiful Budapest for a small vacation. Armed with the few travel guides we could find we ate badly at tourist restaurants for the rest of the weekend. As usual, the guidebooks and concierges fail the devoted gastro-tourist.
The big travel guide books, Zagat included, badly let down the traveler that seriously wants to seek out the best local food and wine, but I was recently introduced to a wonderful set of guides for travelers that are as serious about wine and food as seeing the next cathedral. Publishers The Little Bookroom offer a collection of guides that will lead you to the best tables in town. Their two current releases, Best Wine Bars and Shops of Paris by Pierrick Jégu with photographs by Caroline Rose and Food Wine Budapest, by Carolyn Bánfalvi with photographs by George Konkoly-Thege, which is part of The Little Bookroom’s The Terroir Guides series, will make any gastro-tourist salivate. This latter guide took me wistfully back to Budapest where having this book would have made a tremendous difference in our experience of that beautiful city.
Best Wine Bars and Shops of Paris can be tossed in a backpack or purse and the extensive list of wine bars is conveniently listed by arrondissement so you can easily find a great glass or bottle of wine as you wander about the city. It’s light, fun and packed with pictures. Food Wine Budapest, while bigger and heavier, is still backpack size, but contains far more information. In addition to being a guide book, it also is a thorough primer on all things culinary in Hungary, which means that you can depend on not ordering the same dish for first and second course like my friend did. This is a must-have for anyone on their way to Hungary. Guides like these make travel a delicious adventure.–Craig Camp, The Wine Camp Blog (June 11, 2008)
FOOD WINE BUDAPEST by Carolyn Banfalvi ($24.95)–The food scene in Budapest has burgeoned really only in the last three years, and Carolyn Banfalvi lovingly chronicles the full extent of it, from a culinary history and guide to modern winemaking (which has made tremendous strides) to both the traditional and trendy new restaurants that now dot this marvelous old city. Well put together on heavy stock, with fine, evocative photos.–John Mariani, Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet Newsletter (June 8, 2008)
*Mariani named Food Wine Budapest as one of the “Best Food and Drink Books For Summer”
Carolyn Bánfalvi’s Food Wine Budapest: You can easily kill a week in Budapest, but until now, good food guides written in English about the area were scarce. Carolyn Bánfalvi’s new book, Food Wine Budapest, is part of the beautiful “Terroir Guides” series, and fills the gap nicely. It has neighborhood guides, a primer on Tokaji wine, tons of good restaurant recommendations, and pretty pictures. I hope to one day meet Carolyn over a plate of goose liver pâté with stewed pears at the journalist-themed joint Firkász Kávéház-Étterem (translation “hack,” although Bánfalvi is anything but).–Lessley Anderson, Chow Pick (Stuff We Like) (May 28, 2008)
A brand new publication written by Carolyn Banfalvi, an American expatriate living in Budapest. Covers pretty much everything related to food and beverages, coffee houses, restaurants, wine bars and wine shops in this exciting city. Excellent photography gives you a good flavor what to expect. Detailed addresses make it easy for you to explore the culinary wonders of this illustrious city at the Danube River or the Duna, as the Hungarians lovingly call the main geographic feature separating the hilly Buda-side from the flats of the Pest-side. This guide was long over due.–Blue Danube Wine Company
Non-English Reviews
Book review in an Israeli newspaper (in Hebrew!) (pdf file)
Rendszerint izgatottan és kíváncsian kérdezgetjük a nálunk megforduló külföldi vendégeinket, barátainkat, mi hogy ízlett nekik, s mennyire elégedettek a gondosan megtervezett esztrád programmal. Mert pár nap alatt szeretnénk komolyat és vicceset, fővárosit és vidékit, anyait és apait megmutatni, és mint a lelkes nebuló a felelet után, várjuk az értékelést.
Különös bukét ad a történetnek, ha egy nálunk ragadt amerikai gondolja úgy, hogy összefoglalja és bemutatja mindazt, amit egy food and wine-lovernek tudnia kell Magyarországról. Nagy érdeklődéssel lapozzuk föl a kötetet, vajon mit tart fontosnak, milyen éttermeket ajánl, milyen borokat iszik egy külföldi újságíró, és közben végig ott motoszkál bennünk az aggodalom, nehogy valami sutaság, bénázás, méltatlanság kerüljön a szerző szeme elé (mert sajnos van rá esély bőven).
Carolyn Bánfalvi azonban módfelett tájékozott. Nem kalandvágyó turista, hanem egy gasztronómiai képesítéssel és újságírói gyakorlattal rendelkező magyar-amerikai házaspár időközben családanyává lett tagja, aki immáron 9 éve keresgéli az izgalmas és autentikus helyeket, ízeket. Sőt férjével közösen vállalkozást is építettek tájékozottságukra: a Taste Hungary piaci, boros és gasztrotúrákat szervez szerte az országban.
Az éttermek listája szépen tagolt, kategóriákra osztott: a Cheap Launch Spotstól az Eclectic Hungarianig meglepően széles és korrekt vendéglőlistát böngészhetünk, benne az elmaradhatatlan Kádár Étkezdétől a Csalogány 26-ig (de itt a Klassz, a Maligán, a Bock Bisztró, a Gerlóczy Kávéház, és megint egy másik kategóriából a Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő, a Menza vagy a Zila).
Nincs ez másképp a piacok és a delikátok esetében sem: a Fény utcától a Culinarisig megannyi lelőhelyet vonultat föl Bánfalvi, leleményes és sokszínű ajánlatokkal örvendezteti meg az olvasókat. Az angol nyelvű kötet kiváló segédanyag lehet a magyar olvasóknak, ha szakkifejezésekkel, elkészítési módokkal, kulináris mondatfutamokkal szeretnének angol nyelven villogni, remek ajándék az említett külföldi barátoknak, de ami a legfontosabb: újabb fölfedezésre váró helyekre kaphatunk abszolút bennfentes tippeket.–Emese Kálmán, Gusto (Winter 2009)
Kulináris utazás Magyarországon: Ha már kifogytunk az ötletekből, hogy mivel lepjük meg külföldi barátainkat karácsonyra, akik esetleg már unják a Budapest és Magyarország nevezetes látnivalóit bemutató angol nyelvű albumokat és úti könyveket, akkor itt egy remek ajándék. A The Food and Wine Lover’s Guide to Hungary (A magyar ételek és borok kedvelőinek kézikönyve) című kötet a magyar konyha berkeibe, a magyarok étkezési szokásaiba és magyarországi borvidékekre kalauzolja el az olvasót. Carolyn Bánfalvi, az 1999 óta hazánkban élő, angol nyelvű gasztronómai szakújságíró egy személyes hangvételű kulináris kézikönyvet állított össze, amelyben nemcsak megismerteti a külföldit a budapesti éttermekkel, kávéházakkal, piacokkal és speciális boltokkal (pl. sajt-, sonka-, csokoládé-, borszaküzletekkel), hanem gasztronómiai túrákra is invitálja. Legyen szó egynapos kirándulásokról (pl. Szentendrére, a Dreher sörgyárba, az agárdi pálinkafőzdébe), vagy vidéki gasztronómiai és borfesztiválokról (halászlé-, birkafőzőverseny, diófesztivál). Carolyn praktikus tudnivalókkal (megközelítés, nyitva tartás, árak, stb.) is ellátja a magyar konyhával ismerkedőket. A terjedelmes kétnyelvű gasztronómiai szótár pedig már csak hab a tortán.–Figyelőnet (December 11, 2008)
Angol nyelvű kalauz Magyarországról, elsősorban az étel és ital szerelmeseinekAngol nyelvű kalauz Magyarországról, elsősorban az étel és ital szerelmeseinek: Nem ez az első idegen nyelvű könyv, amely a jelenlegi magyarországi gasztronómiáról szól, de kétségkívül a legfiatalosabb hangvételű és a leghasznosabbak egyike. Carolyn Banfalvinak a közelmúltban jelent meg a The Food and Wine Lover’s Guide to Hungary című, angol nyelvű kötete a Park Kiadónál. A magyar származású szerző Washingtonból érkezett fiatal újságíró, aki évekig élt Budapesten. Számos rangos szakmai folyóiratban publikál, maga is tanult egy amerikai séfiskolában. A könyv bemutatja a legtipikusabb magyar ételeket, és tartalmaz egy magyar-angol gasztronómiai szótárat is, a sárga rókagombától a szürkebarátig, a sóskától a selyemfű mézig, a kaszinótojásig a sztrapacskáig. Mindez nem egyszerű feladat, hiszen olyan fogalmakat kell angolul elmagyarázni, körülírni – nemcsak angoloknak – akik az eredeti ételfajtával, fogással vagy alapanyaggal soha életükben nem találkoztak.
A kiváló humorú szerző bemutatja a borrégiókat, a híres pincészeteket és a nagy nevű borokat is, ráadásul örömmel és élvezettel. Amint Carolyn írja, jóleső érzés számára, hogy ilyen sokat fejlődött 1999 óta Magyarországon a borászat. A magyar sajtfajták érzékletes bemutatása, leírása ugyancsak szórakoztató. Az éttermek a főszereplői a könyvnek, no meg az élelmiszerboltok, a különféle specialitások lelőhelyei, ezen a téren olykor a tősgyökeres budapestinek is szolgál a szerző hasznos információkkal. A könyv egyben praktikus turistakalauz is, őszintén szól például a budapesti közlekedés viszontagságairól, felsorolja a feltétlenül megnézendő nevezetességeket, a Margitszigettől a Szoborparkig és a Kerepesi temetőig. A kötet humoros részét képezik a gasztronómiára utaló magyar közmondások angolra fordításai, valamint Roskó Gábor kedves, kissé játékos-gyermekded illusztrációi.–MTI (November 29, 2008)
CAROLYN BANFALVI, UNE AMOUREUSE DE LA CUISINE HONGROISE: Le 19 novembre, Carolyn Banfalvi, auteur et journaliste américaine a présenté à la librairie Treehugger Dan’s son dernier ouvrage en anglais «the food and wine lover’s», guide gastronomique consacré à la cuisine et plus généralement à l’art de vivre hongrois
La diversité du terroir hongrois mise à l’honneur: De l’incontournable soupe goulash au célèbre Tokaj, la richesse du terroir hongrois n’est plus à présenter. Mais la gastronomie hongroise ne se limite pas à ces spécialités et l’ouvrage de Carolyn Banfalvi donne les bonnes adresses pour explorer les plats et les saveurs issus des différentes régions hongroises. Récemment, l’auteur américain a également ouvert avec son mari une boutique de tourisme culinaire nommée «Taste Hungary» qui organise des tours à Budapest et en Hongrie. Plus qu’un simple critique culinaire, Carolyn Banfalvi s’impose comme une véritable ambassadrice de la culture hongroise.
Originaire de Washington, Carolyn Banfalvi obtient son diplôme de l’université de New York en 1999 et se rend peu après pour la première fois à Budapest où naît sa passion pour la cuisine et les vins hongrois. Bien décidée à continuer son chemin dans le domaine de la gastronomie, elle retourne aux Etats-Unis pour suivre des études de cuisine. Après plusieurs ouvrages dédiés à l’art de vivre hongrois, elle décide, il y a environ un an, de se consacrer à l’écriture d’une véritable «bible» de la cuisine hongroise où les touristes désireux de découvrir les plats typiques comme les gastronomes avertis y trouveront leur compte. Avec une bonne dizaine de chapitres présentant les plats, les vins, les apéritifs et digestifs mais aussi les restaurants, les marchés ou les visites de vignoble, ce guide ne se limite pas à une succincte présentation de la cuisine hongroise mais au contraire, il appréhende la gastronomie comme une part de la culture et du folklore hongrois. Pour cela Carolyn Banfalvi s’est évidemment appuyée sur ses recherches précédentes et a également parcouru le pays de fond en comble et notamment Budapest, «ville magnifique, complexe et pleine de contrastes où on trouve aussi bien des grands salons de thé dorés que des petits cafés avec un sol en lino et des sièges rouges platines»–Christophe Perron, Le Podcast Journal, (December 1, 2008)
FOOD. WINE. BUDAPEST – egy remek könyv a Lucullus ajánlásávalItt megrendelhető, mindenkinek jó szívvl ajánljuk! Carolyn Bánfalvi, a könyv szerzője és remek tollú, angol nyelvű gasztronómai szakújságíró már többször volt a Lucullus BT eseményein. Látogatásait mindig remek írás követett, és most jött el az idő, hogy egy pazar könyv is kikerüljön a kezei közül.–Lucullus Bt Blog (August 3, 2008)
From The Readers
I’ve been gushing endlessly about your book, which I’ve read cover-to-cover (most parts at least twice). I’ve read a lot of food books, travel books, and food/travel books, but yours is honestly one of the best I’ve ever come across. I’ve been raving about it to my friends ever since I got it. You’ve done an amazing job, far better than anything else I’ve ever seen like this. Your appreciation of food and wine and fun dining really comes across.–Steve, Texas
Congratulations on your excellent book! It will stay the best long after it is no longer the only one in its field… Loved seeing all the Krúdy quotes! Best wishes, and keep up the great work!–John Batki (prolific translator of 20th century Hungarian literature, including Gyula Krúdy)
I recently purchased your book, Food Wine Budapest. My husband and I are currently living in Arlington, VA and we are planning a trip to Budapest, Vienna, and Prague in September. I’m starting to read up on the chapters on the background and history of Hungarian cuisine, and just wanted to thank you for writing this wonderful book. I’d like to think that we are pretty savvy travelers, having lived and traveled overseas quite a bit with our respective families when we were young. That said, I have never been to a region where I don’t speak a single word of the native language, and have been intimidated by the prospect of surviving a week in Budapest. In particular, the combination of the language barrier plus new types of food worried me the most. Not that we can afford a sophisticated diner’s budget, but we do tend to plan everything around what we eat and drink. ;) So you can imagine my surprise and delight when I first spotted your book at Barnes and Noble! I couldn’t believe someone had actually written a whole book on the culture and history of dining in Budapest. Armed with your book and some basic Hungarian, I think we’re going to have a wonderful time.–Minjae, Virginia
Just purchased your book the other day- Food Wine Budapest. What a treat! It is such a beautiful book. I have shown it to a few Hungarian friends here in the states as well as others, and they all have enjoyed it too! When is your next book?–Janice, California
I recently purchased your book Food Wine Budapest. May I congratulate you on your exceptional research and organization of this book. It is precisely the type of book I’ve been searching for. We both speak the language so we are appreciating the subtleties and the wonderful humour. Thank you so much, this will be our second travelling Bible.–Klara, Toronto
Carolyn – I just wanted to let you know that I received the advance copy of your book yesterday from your publisher and it is BEAUTIFUL! I’ve only got through the first few pages so far but my mouth is watering in anticipation of my upcoming trip to Budapest. Thank you so much for your help. I’ll make sure the concierge at the Four Seasons knows what a fantastic resource it is so they can recommend it to everyone!–Janine, New York
Absolutely love your book. I received the book as a Christmas gift this year from my in laws, which by the last name are obviously Hungarian … This by far has been one of the best books I’ve ever received, especially since I travel to Hungary once to twice a year. Thanks for all the fabulous information.–Michon
Other Press and Interviews
Interview with me on Ask Wendy – The Query Queen (blog)
Food Wine Budapest was a finalist for a 2009 IACP cookbook award!
I was quoted in an article about paprika in “All We Can Eat,” the Washington Post’s food blog (by Monica Bhide)
Interview with me in Budapest’s Funzine, April 23, 2009 (pdf file)
I was interviewed for Specialty Food, Take Inspiration from the East (Toni Lydecker), July 2008
I was quoted in Nation’s Restaurant News, International Aid (Bret Thorn), May 19, 2008
I was interviewed for Zink, Thirsty For Hungary (Jennifer Merritt), Summer 2008 (pdf file)
Food Wine Budapest was mentioned in an article about a new foodie book store
Past Events
The launch party of The Food and Wine Lover’s Guide was a success, with around 100 people crammed into Treehugger Dan’s bookshop.
And the book party for Food Wine Budapest at Idlewild Books in New York was also a great success, with flowing Hungarian wine, and lots of people who wanted to talk about Hungarian food!
