Hungarian Eats III: The Hungarian Breakfast

While lauded as the most important meal of the day in the US, breakfast is the bastard child meal of Hungary: illegitimate and of dubious origin. Hungarians rarely eat breakfast; and if they do, it isn’t balanced or nutritious.

However who am I to criticize Hungarian eating habits, given Hungarians are substantially thinner than their American counterparts? While any of the below popular breakfast options would send me straight into crankytime a sugar coma, Hungarians seem to be doing just fine. I guess when you have bigger things to worry about, breakfast is no biggie.

Expresso: Pretty much the standard breakfast. Hungarians do not drink giant cups of coffee brewed with lots of water the way Americans do, and you can tell a tourist a mile away if she is carrying a “takeaway” cup. Cappuccinos are another caffeinated option and served in miniature cups. Don't ask for low-fat milk.

Turo Rudi: The go-to breakfast (snack, lunch, dinner and dessert) option found in the dairy case of any supermarket or convenience store. This uniquely Hungarian candy bar is made of a sweetened compressed cottage cheese dipped in chocolate and one of the don’t knock em’ til you try ‘em eats. At any given time, 12 out of 100 Hungarians are consuming Turo Rudis. One Turo Rudi makes a snack. Two make a meal.

Pogacsa: These rich pastries are everywhere, including the vending machine at work. A savory breakfast option, Pogacsa range in size from a donut hole to bagel, meaning they range from between 500 and 5,000 calories.



Jo Reggelt: Hungary’s answer to the granola bar. While these Muesli cookies are a bit bland, they make me feel smart because I know their name means “good morning.” While I thought Muesli was the quintessential European breakfast, I haven't seen anyone eat it outside of a hotel continental breakfast. That being said, why have a hearty bowl of Muesli when you could have Nougat Bits, cottage cheese covered in chocolate or a butter scone instead?

Cereal is without a doubt my favorite “American” breakfast. Yours?