Annamaria's Kitchen - The Tastes of Hungary

Book excerpt: Hungarian cuisine is very unique: it has been influenced by many different cultures. Based on the diversity of European folk traditions, over the centuries we developed our own ways. In this book, my intention was to introduce Traditional Hungarian Cooking. In addition to keeping alive age-old recipes, I also created some new dishes that were originally not part of the traditional Hungarian cuisine, but their roots can be found in our culture. Although I live in Canada, I was born and raised in Hungary. During these long years I have spent in North America, I have kept my passion for Hungarian food culture. Making delicious dishes is not an everyday chore for me, but rather a passion and an art. Seeing my family and friends enjoying the meal I made for them is the greatest reward I can imagine. I started mastering my cooking skills in my early teens. Long before that, even as a child, I would watch my mother in the kitchen with great curiosity. She was preparing Hungarian Style Stew, which is known as the famous Pörkölt, or the Hungarian Apple Pie that is not round but square shaped. I think I inherited my passion for cooking from my mom, although my dad was a great cook as well. In our family, good food has always played an important role, and was the focal point of holiday gatherings and special occasions. I hope everybody will enjoy this book and find their favorite foods, have fun, and create your own masterpieces. To get new ideas, please check out my webpage regularly to see my latest recipes.