Transcarpathia is renowned not only for its picturesque landscapes and views, unique nature and historic sights but also for authentic folk art, healing thermal waters, and one-of-a-kind Carpathian national dishes. There exists eclectic architecture and eclectic painting, while the Carpathians boast eclectic cuisine! The historical fate of this region conditioned the development of the exclusive international gastronomic “cauldron” into which different nationalities added their own “dishes-ingredients.” Traveling in the Carpathians, you have a wonderful possibility to try the cuisine of different countries. The recipes for bohrach, huliash, perkelt, paprykash, lecho, rokot-krumpli, and lotsi were borrowed from Hungarians; diverse tokan recipes were adapted from Romanians; strapachky, karbonatky, bukhty – from Slavonians. Czechs presented knedlyky and huliash, Jewish shared with the recipes for chovlent and stuffed fish.
1 Bohrach
This dish came from green pastures where Hungarian shepherds tinkered at a cauldron for many centuries. The recipe for classic bohrach was perfected, yet three main components have remained unchanged – these are meat, spices, and a large cooking pot. Flavorful and hearty bohrach contains several kinds of meat – beef, pork, veal, smoked ribs, and salo; veggies – potato, carrot, sweet pepper, and tomatoes; and spices – paprika, thyme, and dill. Chili pepper adds piquancy to the dish, while dried dough pieces harmoniously complement the taste of bohrach.
2 Perkelt
The name for Hungarian national dish “perkelt” is translated as “fried.” The main ingredients of perkelt are pork, bulb onion, tomato, garlic, and paprika. Everything is fried and stewed, spreading breathtaking flavor. When served, the dish is eaten in the blink of an eye. The flexibility of the recipe lies in the fact that it can be cooked using different kinds of meat, fish, and crawfish as well as mushrooms and veggies.
3 Riplianka
From the dawn of time this traditional nourishing dish has served Carpathians as second bread. Potato and corn flour comprise its base. Riplianka is boiled in a cast iron pan until homogenous and served together with brynza (brine cheese), sour milk, fried onion, cracklings, and meat dishes.
4 Rokot-krumpli
Under this mysterious name hides a dish made of jacket potatoes boiled with sour cream, eggs, sausage, and cheese. Each Carpathian housewife has her own unique recipe variation – one tastier than another. Some housewives add salo, some add ham, yet this appetizing traditional dish does not lose the status of favorite national food.
5 Pidbyvani Lopatky
Do you think pidbyvani lopatky are one of meat delicacies? No, it’s green beans. This traditional flavorful soup includes beans, smoked ribs, potato, paprika that is so beloved by Carpathians. Green beans are also mixed with sour cream, sour milk or kefir.
6 Lecho
Continuing the theme of Carpathian dishes, let’s speak about lecho. This dish is very easy to cook and contains rather simple ingredients. Traditional lecho is cooked using a sweet pepper, onion, and tomato with the addition of eggs and sour cream. Sometimes, homemade sausage or smoked meat is added, which makes this dish no less tasty.
7 Torhonia
Torhonia is one of ancient Hungarian dishes cooked using homemade macaroni. The process of cooking is rather specific and requires practice. Kneaded dough is dried a little and grated. The formed “balls” are fried, topped with red ground pepper and stewed with veggies and greenery in an oven. Crumbly torhonia harmoniously tastes with hearty perkelt.
8 Mushroom broth
The secret of unexcelled taste and flavor of this Carpathian broth lies in the main component of the dish – ceps. To cook this dish, fresh and dried ceps, sautéed onion, carrot, garlic, and spices are used. The soup is mixed with sour cream and flour to smoothen its taste.
9 Lanhosh
Golden lanhosh is a popular Carpathian flour dish. Yeast dough with the addition of oil and eggs is used to cook it. Fried in a big amount of oil, greased with sour cream and topped with cheese, crumbly lanhosh just melts in mouth.
10 Knedlyky
Knedlyky are the distinctive dish of Czech origin which is known for a diversity of variations. Appetizing knedlyky are cooked using yeast dough, raw or boiled potato, meat, and cheese and boiled until done. Nourishing knedlyky taste good with sauces, broths, fried onion, sour cream, while sweet knedlyky topped with chopped nuts taste good with different fruit syrups.
11 Hombovtsi
Hombovtsi are a real delicacy of national Ukrainian cuisine. The peculiarity of this sweet dish lies in combination of yeast dough balls with a flavorful fruit filling and breadcrumb topping. Hombovtsi will become a true enjoyment for sweet teeth.
12 Banosh
It’s impossible to talk about Carpathian cuisine and not to mention banosh. This corn flour dish dressed with sour cream is a welcome guest on a dinner table. Brynza (brine cheese), cracklings or mushrooms give the dish pronounced taste accents.
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