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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Tokaj
Sweet wine from the Tokaj wine region in northeastern Hungary, made from grapes affected by noble rot and harvested berry by berry. The aszú berries are crushed and macerated in must or wine, and the wine ages in oak barrels in underground cellars.
Traditional drink from Tokaj, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
Also known as: Tokaji Aszú, Tokaj Aszú
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Tokaji aszú — Tokaj, Hungary
Aszú is the name given to grape berries that, in autumn, become shriveled and concentrated through the action of a fungus known as noble rot. In the Tokaj wine region, these berries are picked one by one by hand and separated from the rest. They are then crushed into a paste, which is macerated in must or wine of the same vintage and same region. The wine ferments slowly and matures in oak barrels in cellars with constant temperature.
The most used grapes are furmint and hárslevelű, alongside sárgamuskotály. Sweetness was traditionally measured by the number of puttony, the harvest baskets of aszú berries added to a 136-liter Gönc barrel. Under the rules adopted from the 2013 vintage onward, any wine labeled Tokaji aszú must have at least 120 grams of residual sugar per liter, and indicating 5 or 6 puttonyos on the label became optional.
The wine has been listed in the Collection of Hungarikumok since 2013. The cultural landscape of the Tokaj wine region, with vineyards on volcanic slopes, villages and cellars, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. the Hungarian national anthem mentions the vineyards of Tokaj.
The town of Tokaj, at the confluence of the Bodrog and Tisza rivers, gives its name to the region, which includes dozens of localities. A small part of the historic area is in Slovakia. Cellars in the region welcome visitors for tastings; aszú is tasted in small glasses, slowly.
Tokaj , Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén
The town of Tokaj gives its name to the wine region where aszú is produced, between the Bodrog and Tisza rivers.
Aszú berries (grapes affected by noble rot) of furmint, hárslevelű, sárgamuskotály and other authorized varieties; must or base wine of the same vintage and region.
In small glasses, lightly chilled, as a dessert wine or an end-of-meal wine.
A wine for celebrations and as an end-of-meal wine. The harvest of aszú berries generally takes place in October and November, depending on the year.
Your questions
A sweet wine from the Tokaj region in northeastern Hungary, made with grape berries affected by noble rot, picked one by one and macerated in must or wine.
Puttony was the harvest basket. The number indicated how many baskets of aszú berries were added to each 136-liter barrel. Today every aszú has a minimum sugar defined by the rules, and indicating 5 or 6 puttonyos is optional.
Mainly furmint and hárslevelű, alongside sárgamuskotály and other varieties authorized in the region.
Flavors of Hungary
Wine mixed with sparkling water (szóda), in proportions that have their own names, such as kisfröccs, hosszúlépés and házmester. White, rosé or red, it is the summer drink of Hungary’s bars, cellars and terraces.
Beef soup with plenty of broth, onion, paprika, diced potato and csipetke, a pinched noodle that cooks in the pot. It is made without thickening with flour. The name comes from the gulyás, the herdsmen of the Great Plain.
Sweet yeast dough rolled into a strip on a wooden spindle, baked while turned over embers and coated with caramelized sugar. It comes off the spindle in the shape of a hollow cylinder. It originated in the Land of the Székely in Transylvania and is sold at fairs and Christmas markets throughout Hungary.
Yeast dough hand-opened and fried until golden, crunchy on the outside and soft inside. The classic topping is sour cream, grated cheese and, if you like, garlic. A street food found at fairs, markets and beaches across the country.
Fruit brandy distilled in Hungary from plum, apricot, pear, apple, cherry and many others. By law the fruit must be grown in Hungary, and all stages from fermentation to bottling must take place in the country. It is a protected geographical indication of the European Union.
Christmas bonbon, usually a fondant candy covered in chocolate, wrapped in shiny colored foil and hung on the branches of the Christmas tree. The most common fillings are fruit jelly, marzipan, coconut and caramel.
Baja fish soup from the banks of the Danube, made with carp, onion and ground paprika cooked together in a cauldron, without straining the broth. It’s served over a thin noodle, gyufatészta, with the fish on the side and hot pepper.
Layered sponge cake with thin layers of sponge alternated with chocolate buttercream and topped with a sheet of caramel. It was created by pastry chef József C. Dobos, owner of a delicatessen in Budapest, and presented at the 1885 National General Exhibition.
Crepe folded and filled with walnuts, raisins and candied orange peel, flavored with rum and topped with chocolate sauce. It is named after the Gundel restaurant in Budapest’s City Park, which put it on the menu; the recipe is attributed to Ilona Matzner, wife of the writer Sándor Márai.
Bitter herbal liqueur, dark, produced by the Zwack family in Budapest with a secret recipe of more than 40 herbs and spices, aged in oak casks. The round bottle with a cross on the label is recognised throughout the country.
Szeged river fish soup, red from paprika, made with a thick broth of several fish, carp heads and bones, and onion, passed through a sieve. Carp pieces cook in that broth, and the soup is served with bread and hot pepper on the side.
White wine from the kéknyelű grape, grown almost exclusively in the Badacsony wine region on the northern shore of Lake Balaton. The grape’s name means “blue stem.” The wines are usually dry with marked acidity, and there are also sparkling and sweet versions.
