Traditional Goulash Recipe
Goulash is a stew of beef and vegetables flavored with paprika spice, popular in Hungary, Germany, Austria, Albania, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, the Netherlands and Serbia. The ingredients are slow cooked until the meat becomes tender. It is eaten as a main meal and sometimes served with noodles or bread.
Exactly what should be included is arguable and varies greatly. At its very basic form, it contains beef, onions, paprika, salt and pepper, which is also the preferred way to prepare Austrian goulash. In other European countries, Germany for instance, Goulash is made with caraway seeds while the Czech version contains marjoram spice and is served with sliced dumplings.
Originally the dark red color of the liquid came only from the paprika spice since tomatoes were not used. In most other places, Goulash almost always contains potatoes, tomatoes and carrots. Some are made with beer or wine.
American goulash is the furthest from the any traditional goulashes. It is made with ground beef, pasta, various sauces like tomato, soy or Worcester sauce and sometimes, cheese.
There are many names or variations of the word ‘Goulash’ depending on where you find it. In Hungary it is called gulyás, in Germany it’s Gulasch, in Poland it’s gulasz and so on.
Origin and Cultural Significance
Goulash originates from Hungary where men who tended cattle, called cowherds would be away from home for months at a time. When cattle were slaughtered or died, they would prepare the stew in heavy pots with the few ingredients they carried on their journey namely onions and lard.
Only water was added to make the sauce and black pepper for more flavor. Later, dried crushed Hungarian peppers – paprika would be used. The name goulash is derived from the word gulyas, which is Hungarian for herdsmen.
Traditional Goulash Recipe
Goulash is a traditional Hungarian stew of beef and vegetables flavored with paprika spice.
Ingredients
- Lard - 2 tbsp
- Onions (large) - 2
- Beef chuck - 2 lb
- Hungarian paprika - 2 tbsp
- Water - as needed
- Salt and ground black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Cut the beef chuck into 1-inch cubes.
- Melt lard in a large pot over medium heat.
- Cook and stir onions in hot lard until soft and translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Stir beef and paprika into onions.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring
occasionally. - Add 1 cup water and simmer, adding more water if moisture gets too low, until meat falls apart and onion sauce is thick, about 1 hour more.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 523Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 231mgSodium: 304mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 75g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.
