Hungarian hospitality and cordiality can also be experienced at the table, by sampling typical gastronomic specialities which bring together elements of the Serbian, French, Turkish and Italian culinary arts enriched, however with the highly personal touch of traditional peasant cooking.

Paprika, in both hot and mild varieties, is the highlight of almost every Hungarian dish, contributing to the creation of the strong yet harmonious flavours of the most specialities, such as gulyás (goulash), a stew of beef or mutton in the form of soup, seasoned with onions and paprika.

Near every restaurant has székelygulyás on the menu, which is also a  soupwith pieces of meat in it, but personalised according to local custom or the chef's imagination.

Pörkölt, a stew of meat which may be chicken, beef, veal, mutton or pork meat, is also prepared with onions and paprika and for this reason is often confused with gulyás.

Another typical dish worth sampling in töltött paprika, peppers stuffed with pork meat, rice and plenty of spices, served with a  tomato sauce.

For something less filling, try a Hungarian soup: tyúkhúsleves, a delicate, very light chicken broth, or zöldségleves, a vegetable soup; bableves, on the other hand, is made of beans, pieces of smoked meat and paprika. Very delicious!

Pork, once again, is used in the preparation of disznótoros and in töltött káposzta, cabbage parcels.
As for fish, dish with something for everyone is halászlé, an excellent fish soup made, according to the region, with various types of fish.
Hungarian side-dishes are fairly sustantial.
Those based on rice are cooked with oil or fat and onion, and potatoes are often either fried or sautéd in oil, when they are not dressed with a sauce of chicken livers and peas. On request, however, it is possible to order boiled potatoes, főtt krumpli.

Salads are served dressed with vinegar, salt, sugar and depending on the main ingredient , tomato, cucumber or cabbage, and sometimes with onion and pepper. Italian-style mixed salad is served only in international restaurants, though you can of course ask for it not to be dressed before it is brought to the table.

Typical desserts may be sweet or savoury, hot or cold. The most famous hot desserts is without doubt túróscsusza, savoury pastry with ricotta, sour cream and smoked pork crackling.
Among the sweet desserts are rétes, a strudel of Austrian origin filled with either apple or black cherries or walnuts or poppy seeds and ricotta.
Among the cakes available is dobostorta, from the name of its cerator Dobos. It consists of a tower of pastry circles interleaved with a custard of egg yolks, sugar, chocolate, and vanilia, covered with spun sugar.

Hungarian usually begins their meal with grappa, pálinka, which they then wash down with the plentiful and excellent wines of the country.

2007
1 Jan New Year's Day.
15 Mar Anniversary of 1848 uprising against Austrian rule.
9 Apr Easter Monday.
1 May Labour Day.
28 May Whit Monday.
20 Aug National Day (Feast of St Stephen).
23 Oct Republic Day (Anniversary of 1956).
1 Nov All Saints' Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.