Goulash is certainly one of the most famous and representative dishes of Hungarian gastronomy, which boasts many imitations both in Europe and overseas.
Its good fortune is surely due to the fact that it is a simple dish to prepare and very tasty, thanks especially to paprika, queen of Hungarian cuisine in general and without which goulash would not be goulash!
The origin of this recipe is poor and ancient: its success is due to the choice of ingredients, the rich bouquet of spices and the patience in cooking them slowly. Just like the Hungarian herdsmen who used to prepare this sort of beef stew in a large pot placed over a wood fire in the open air when they transported the precious gray beef from the Puszta plain to the markets of Moravia, Vienna, Nuremberg and Venice.
The very name of the recipe seems to confirm this version since the word Gulyás, or goulash in Hungarian, comes from the words gulyás, which means herdsman, and gulya, which means herd.
As time went by, towards the end of the 18th century, gulyásleves, the herdsman’s soup, from the prairie came to be known to middle-class families and enjoyed great success, making goulash the traditional Hungarian dish par excellence.
