Week Two

On my mother’s side, everyone is obsessed with Hungarian food. Holidays, birthdays, any family function, that kind of food is there. Many Hungarian family’s recipes vary on certain things, some might like a bolder taste of goulash, and others may not. It just depends.  But my favorite recipe by far has to be chicken paprikas. My family always uses many spices. It is rarely bland, unless you did not make it the right way. A huge container of Hungarian paprika is always in stock in every single one of my family members’ cupboards.

I remember when I was about nine or ten, my mom tried to teach me how to make the dumplings for the sauce. She said just scoop the dough out into bite size pieces into boiling water. I did the complete opposite. I just through gobs of dough into the sizzling water with no art or form to it. Needless to say, that night at dinner, a fork and knife were actually required to eat the paprikas. My mom still refuses to let me make the dumplings after that mishap.

But besides the dumplings and the chunks of chicken, it is all about the sauce. Words cannot describe the flavor of the sauce. It is unique. I feel like this dish represents my family because we are unique. We are barely ever perfect, like any other family, but sometimes the sauce just turns out amazing, like my family can be at times. Just like chicken paprikas, my family has their good and bad