Paprikás

Paprikás is a family of Hungarian dishes whose defining feature is a paprika-based sauce. The term paprikás indicates that the dish is prepared with paprika, the ground red peppers that are central to Hungarian cuisine. Paprika used in these dishes can be sweet or hot, and it gives the characteristic orange-red color and flavor.

The best-known variant is csirkepaprikás, or chicken paprikash, typically made by sautéing onions, adding sweet paprika and stock, then simmering chicken until tender and finishing with sour cream to create a creamy sauce. It is traditionally served with nokedli, small egg dumplings, or with potatoes.

Other meats and preparations are common in the paprikás family. Marhapaprikás (beef paprikash) is prepared similarly, using beef cuts suitable for slow cooking. Fish paprikás, or halpaprikás, uses fish fillets in a paprika-based sauce. There are also paprikás krumpli, a potato dish cooked with paprika, onions, and sometimes eggs.

Origins and cultural context: Paprikás recipes are rooted in Hungarian culinary tradition, with paprika becoming a staple ingredient in Hungary in the 18th and 19th centuries. The style spread to neighboring Central European cuisines, where similar paprika-based stews and sauces are prepared. Today, paprikás remains a common and widely recognized dish in Hungarian homes and restaurants, with regional and personal variations.