Goulash is originally a soup which was made by the Hungarian cattle herders. The Hungarian word 'gulya' means 'herd of cattle' and 'gulyás' is the herdsman. It was prepared in a large pot hanging over a campfire on the wide steppes of the Puszta. In its original form it is a rather a soup than a stew using meat of any available kind and was seasoned with lots of paprika spice, which became popular in Hungary in the 18th Century. It was a cheap substitute for black pepper.

The stew-like dishes generally associated with goulash in other countries around the world are called 'Pörkölt' in Hungary. A Pörkölt can include various vegetables and has a thicker consitency than Gulyás and is usually made with either beef or pork. The misconception of goulash being a stew instead of a soup is due to the Austrians, who basically cooked Pörkölt, named it Goulash and spread it all over the world. Another quite similar dish is Paprikás, which in addition to other ingredients contains sour cream.

Together Guylás, Pörkölt and Paprikás are the most important dishes of Hungarian cuisine. Gulyás started it's way from being a peasant food to being served in the restaurants of Budapest in the early 19th Century and soon Pörkölt and Paprikás were also established on the menu of the middle class. They shaped part of the Hungarian identity while the county was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. All three dishes contain meat, onions and paprika spice as their most important ingredients.

Goulash is easy to make and as the amounts of each ingredient can be almost indefinitely multiplied it can feed a large number of people - or even a whole army. The so-called 'goulash cannon' - a mobile stove for the battlefield with integrated pot - is a proof for the success of this dish. Goulash was known as army food already since the 18th Century.

The meat used for making goulash is originally not expensive. In the case of beef it is usually from the hind legs which has some fat and also sinews which are supposed to get soft during the long cooking time. You can cook goulash in an ordinary pot, a pressure cooker or a slow cooker.

Gulyás

Ingredients

• 250 g beef, cut in cubes
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika spice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons ground caraway
• 1 teaspoon majoram
• oil
• vinegar
• salt, pepper

Heat oil in a large pot, then roast the onions until they are slightly golden. Add the meat and fry until it is not pink any more. Add paprika, stir, then add a glug of vinegar. Leave in the pot until the meat is done, then add potatoes, spices, garlic and tomato paste. Pour about 1 liter of water over all ingredients, then boil until the potatoes are done (that should take about half an hour).

Gulyas is a dish which can easily be made in large quantities for many people. It can be prepared in advance and heated up later - which makes it even better. To make it even more authentic use a large pot on an open fire in your garden (or cook it on a stove and warm it up above the fire later). Serve with rye bread.

Viennese Beef Goulash

Ingredients

• 500 g beef, cut in cubes
• 2-3 large onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons ground caraway
• 1 teaspoon majoram
• optional: bay leaf
• flour
• butter
• salt, pepper

Melt some butter in a large pot, then add the onions. Let them get glassy, then add the meat and fry it until it is not pink any more. Add all the spices and the garlic. Add about 1 liter of water (more or less depending on how many people you want to feed), cover the pot with a lid and let it stew until the meat is tender. This can take 2 hours or more, but only about 30 minutes of you use a pressure cooker. Stir in some flour to make the goulash thicker.

Serve with bread rolls, rye bread, Spätzle, pasta, Butternockerl or bread roll dumplings.

In Austria the stock of the goulash is sometimes served with fried Frankfurter sausages¹, fried eggs and pickled gherkins. This dish is called 'Herrengulasch' or 'Fiakergulasch' and is served in many traditional restaurants in Vienna.

Paprikás with chicken

Ingredients

• 1 chicken devided into legs and wings with breasts (or just legs or breasts) with skin
• 2 bell peppers, washed and sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons caraway
• 1/4 l sour cream
• flour
• vegetable oil
• majoram
• salt, pepper

Season the chicken parts with salt and pepper, then roast them on all sides in a pan with oil. Take them out and use the same pa to roast bell peppers, oions and garlic until they are soft. Add tomato paste, paprika and other spices. Then pour over with 1 liter of water and let it boil up. Add the chicken again and let it simmer with a closed lid for about 45 minutes. Then stir in some flour and the sour cream. If you like you can take out the meat again and puree the sauce with a blender.

Serve with Spätzle (or Hungarian Tarhonya), Butternockerl or pasta and some sour cream

Potato Goulash

Ingredients

• 800 g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 4 sausages², sliced
• 2-3 large onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons caraway
• 1 teaspoon majoram
• sour cream
• flour
• butter
• salt, pepper

Melt some butter in a large pot, then add the onions. Let them get golden, then put in some water and potatoes. Add all the spices and the garlic. Pour over about 1 liter of water and cover the pot with a lid. Let it stew until the potatoes are done. Put in the sausages shortly before the goulash is done and let them get hot. Stir in some flour to make the goulash thicker and add a few spoons of sour cream.

If you like you can use fewer potatoes and instead add green beans together with the sausages and this way turn your potato goulash into a green bean goulash.

Serve with rye bread or bread rolls.

Székely gulyás

Ingredients

• 500 g pork, cut in cubes
• 500 g sauerkraut
• 2-3 large onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons caraway
• 1/8 l sour cream
• flour
• butter
• salt, pepper

Melt some butter in a large pot, then add the onions. Let them get glassy, then add the meat and fry it until it is not pink any more. Put in all the spices and the garlic, then pour over with about 1/2 liter of water. Add the sauerkaut and cover the pot with a lid. Let it stew until the meat is tender. Stir in some flour to make the goulash thicker, then add the sour cream.

Serve with boiled, salted potatoes and sour cream.

As székely gulyás is a stew and no soup and also includes a decent amount of sour cream you could probably argue that it is no gulyás at all but rather a paprikás.