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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

THE HUNGARIAN GIRL HAS MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Just wanted to let everyone know The Hungarian Girl has moved!!!!

Please visit the new website at....

http://thehungariangirl.com

Thank you for all your support and interest in this blog. I look forward to continuing this exciting website.

Sincerely,

The Hungarian Girl

Monday, March 23, 2009

Prague Food Festival 2009


Attention foodies and travellers!

The Prague Food Festival is happening on May 29–31 in the Czech Republic. The three-day celebration features the culinary skills of top chefs in the Czech Republic, local and exotic delicacies by over 30 restaurants, along with a variety of cooking and food demonstrations.

There will also be a selection of Brazilian, French, Japanese, Mediterranean Kosher and Thai specialties.

In addition, the festival will also be hosting the 2009 Nestlé Asparagus Cup on Sunday May 31, the second year of this successful competition for professional chefs. Visitors to the festival will be able to sample a broad range of asparagus dishes and see the uniqueness of this spring vegetable with its health effects.

For more information and tickets, visit the Prague Food Festival 2009 website.

Prague Food Festival 2009
http://www.praguefoodfestival.com/en

Sunday, March 22, 2009

All About The Pierogi


What Is A Pierogi?

Pierogi is a dumpling of dough stuffed with various ingredients such as vegetables, fruit, cheese, or meat. It is often served with a side of sour cream and onions.

History Of The Pierogi

It is unclear about where the pierogi originated from because it did not develop within a certain region over time. However, it is believed the dumpling came from the Orient across Central Asia where they were once more veggie-filled and into Eastern Europe. Today, the pierogi is most associated with the country of Poland.

How To Make Pierogi

The pierogi can be made in several different ways such as baking them in an oven, boiling, deep-frying, or even sautéing them. It's really matter of preference or what type of pierogi from a specific country or region you would like to make. For instance, a traditional Polish pierogi is made with potatoes and cheese filling and is prepared over a stove top.

Below are different recipes for making these delicious dumplings.

Recipe Ideas - Polish pierogi recipe with either cheese or potatoe filling
http://www.recipe-ideas.co.uk/recipes-7/Polish%20Pierogi.htm

New Poland (The Polish Web) - Pierogi dough and fillings recipes including beef, cabbage, cheese, fruit, mushroom, potatoe, and sausages
http://www.newpoland.com/recipes_PIEROGI.htm

Taste of Home - Polish pierogi recipe
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Polish-Pierogi

Every Day with Rachael Ray - Holiday pierogi with brown butter
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/pizza-pasta-recipes/holiday-pierogi-with-brown-butter/article.html

Great Places To Eat A Pierogi

Chicago, Illinois, USA

This vibrant city has the largest population of Polish immigrants and descents outside of Poland. You will find some of the best Polish pierogi dishes while being immersed into the culture and community.

Kasia's Deli (Voted Chicago's Best Pierogi!)
2101 W Chicago Ave,
Chicago, IL 60622
http://www.kasiasdeli.com

New York City, New York, USA

One of the most diverse and multicultural cities in North American, New York is the place for a wide variety of ethic foods. There's no shortage of pierogi dishes here!

Karczma Brooklyn
136 Greenpoint Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11222
http://karczmabrooklyn.com

Western Canada

Although, the pierogi is most associated with Polish cuisine. Ukrainian food also has many similar dishes. Places such as rural communities in Alberta have a large population of Ukrainians. The next time you find yourself visiting you might want to find your nearest Ukrainian shop or restaurant and enjoy a delicious home-made pierogi. You won't be disappointed. :)

Taste of Ukraine
12210 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
T5N 3K3
http://www.tasteofukraine.com

Anywhere in Poland

What better place to eat a pierogi than in the country that makes some of the best and most popular pierogi dishes in the world!

Just For Fun!

Pierogi is such a well-loved food there's an annual pierogi festival in the town of Whiting, Indiana. The event features a parade, music and dance performances, contests, and of course lot’s of pierogi eating!

Pierogi Fest
http://www.pierogifest.net

If that doesn't get you going for some crazy pierogi fun. There's also the Great Pierogi Race which is an annual promotion for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. The event involves four contestants racing in giant pierogies costumes. Need I say more? See the video link below.

Great Pierogi Race
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAJdNDqfZbU

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Ukrainian Gift Shop - Easter Eggs & Supplies


Easter is just about a month away now and I thought I would recommend another great site for Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter eggs).

This website is actually a family-run store located in Roseville, Minnesota called the Ukrainian Gift Shop. The store sells a variety of supplies, books, DVDS, as well as imported decorated eggs from Ukraine and Poland.

There's also a great section on the wesbite which features the history and background information about Ukrainian Easter eggs.

Purchases can be made online or in-store.

The Ukrainian Gift Shop Inc.
2782 Fairview Avenue North
Roseville, MN 55113
Tel: (651) 638-9700
http://www.ukrainiangiftshop.com

Friday, March 20, 2009

Beck's Premier Light - German Lager


Since it's the first day of spring I thought it be great to kick things off by having my first official "Beer Friday." That means every Friday I will be posting a different brand of beer from Central and Eastern Europe. Today's beer is Beck's Premier Light which is a well-known international lager from Germany.

Enjoy!

About Becks Beer

Beck's Brewery also known as Brauerei Beck & Company is located in the northern city of Bremen in Germany.

The most popular brand of Beck's Beer is a pale lager known as Beck's Premier Light. It is considered to be an ultra-low calorie beverage.

Others brands of Beck's include Beck's Gold, Beck's Green Lemon, Beck's Vier, Beck's Dark, and Beck's Oktoberfest, etc.

History Of Becks Beer

Owned by local families until February 2002, it was then sold to Interbrew (now InBev) for 3.5 billion DM (1.8 billion Euros, 2.1 billion U.S. dollars).

For many years Beck's Beer was brewed under license in Namibia, which prior to World War I was a German colony.

Today, it is also brewed in Bulgaria, Australia, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro, China, Nigeria, Romania, Turkey and the and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Taste Profile

Beck's Premier Light has a very light and mild taste. It features a slightly fruity but firm crispness and a dry, clean finish. It is best suited as a refresher or thirst quencher with it being only about 64 calories per 12-ounce serving and 3.9 grams of carbs.

How To Serve Becks Beer

Beck's Premier Light should be served chilled. It makes an excellent accompaniment with sushi and any Pan-Asian dishes. Fish, shellfish and poultry are also great additions to serve when drinking Beck's Premier Light.

Further Information About Becks Beer

For more information about Becks Beer, you can visit the these official Becks Beer websites as listed below. Many of the websites feature interactive videos, quizzes, photo's and more.

Official site for Australia
http://www.becksbeer.com.au

Official site for Germany
http://www.becks.de

Official site for all other international countries
http://www.becks.com

Official site for Italy
http://it.becks.com

Official site for UK
http://www.becks.co.uk

Official site for US
http://www.becksbeer.com

Happy Spring Equinox!


Wishing everyone a Happy Spring Equinox.

Cheers!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Thirsty Traveler - Episode About Pilsner Beer


Yesterday, I happen to catch a really good episode of the Thirsty Traveler which is a television series about the world's greatest wine, beer, and spirit producing regions.

This particular episode called "Pilsner - The Golden Elixir" featured host Kevin Brauch as he ventures through the beautiful city of Prague and towards the of city of Pilsen within the Czech Republic.

Viewers get a glimpse at seeing how the world famous Pilsner Urquell beer is made along with a tour of the brewery. The episode also has a great segment on a local Czech chef that prepares a hearty and flavourful goulash using beer as a main ingredient.

I'm not sure about everyone else but I can't think of a better dish than meat and beer especially for the guys. So, ladies you may want to take note of this recipe if your looking to impress the man in your life. :)

For more information about the Thirsty Traveller along with the recipe for the goulash with beer, be sure to visit the show's official website. It also contains video segments from various episodes.

Just to clarify things this particular episode was a repeat from Season 2. The show is now in it's 4th Season and is available on over 70 different networks including The Food Network Canada, Fine Living Network, BBC Food, and HBO Central Europe, etc.

Thirsty Traveler
http://www.thirstytraveler.tv