What kinds of food are acceptable to eat by hand in a Hungarian house or restaurant?
Posted by MudSavings3594@reddit | askhungary | View on Reddit | 121 comments
I'm a teacher at an elementary school in Japan and the kids are making short movies about cultural differences between Japan and other countries. One group chose Hungary and their plotline is that Hungarian people eat asparagus with their fingers, whereas this is rude in Japan ( they found this info on a Japanese website about cultural differences).
From googling it this doesn't even seem to be true? Do Hungarian people indeed often eat asparagus by hand. What other foods would you eat by hand at dinner or a restaurant? It's too late for them to change their country or topic now so Hungary is locked in!!
Puzzled_Bookkeeper_1@reddit
Sandwich Pizza from the paper box, not in a restaurant Chicken drumsticks Fries (in McDonalds, not in a restaurant) Palacsinta!
Vegetable_Mud_9055@reddit
By hand - IMHO - almost nothing. But, the modern world brought this: "Eating hot dogs, pizza, or sausages by hand is a widely accepted cultural norm across the globe". Even, be careful: in a bit higher respected restaurants, where you see tradional tablecloth and cutlery: NOTHING.
Keechos@reddit
Well asparagus isn't part of the traditional Hungarian cuisine. I can't recall any traditional food that we eat with hand. Maybe frankfurters/wurst or fried sausages on fairs (with mustard and bread). Other than that we eat stuff that are spread on a slice of bread (like pork fat and red onions).
cyberalice@reddit
Eating lángos with a fork is a crime.
Alokir@reddit
That's why I eat it with a spoon
Keechos@reddit
Oh god, how could i forget lángos 😀
MaltyMuskox@reddit
bejgli, chimney cake
Keechos@reddit
Cakes and sweets are obviously exceptions
ahab1313@reddit
Kolbász
KogeruHU@reddit
I don't think people eat aspargus by hand. At least I never seen it. However, eating chicken drumsticks by hand is acceptable.
LazyZetsu@reddit
Theo nly time i ate asparagus was at a wine tasting event. It was part of the cold buffet and everyone ate it by hand.
pony-not-a-phony@reddit
I don't think people eat asparagus at all. I mean you can find them in the store, but it's not an everyday meal.
MarkMew@reddit
I've never eaten em lol
maedhreos@reddit
Exposing yourself as someone who doesn't follow Dragomán György on Facebook, his regularly scheduled asparagus propaganda with all the delicious recipes he shares is one of the best things on that accursed website this time of year 😂
elembivos@reddit
It is extremely seasonal, a lot of people love it, myself included
Lanabananana_@reddit
You either love or hate asparagus,there is no inbetween. I like almost every vegetable but I hate asparagus which is weird, because it is very similar to many vegetables.
Wise_Fox_4291@reddit
Speak for yourself, when it's in season my wife and I eat grilled asparagus as a side dish.
Norrakamurra@reddit
It is very seasonal, you vcan only buy them from the beginning of May to mid June, but can’t find them anywhere after that (or are too expensive).
oldschusteman@reddit
In Hungary only health conscious people eat asparagus. Some supermarkets don't even sell it.
elembivos@reddit
Which ones? They are widely available in Tesco, Spar, Lidl and Aldi when they are in season.
elesekasemmiben@reddit
and not just drumsticks, any kind of chicken meat with smaller bones, but correct me if I'm wrong
Extreme_Difficulty46@reddit
I think it really depends on the location/restaurant type.
BeGentle1mNewHere@reddit
I only eat sandwich l, pizza and fruits by hand.
Flat_Improvement1191@reddit
You eat langos with utensils?!
Mysterious-Potato782@reddit
If it's a sit-down place like Retro Lángos, I eat it with a knife and fork, I hate having greasy hands lol same with pizza and burgers, I only pick them up if they're not oozing juices or if I absolutely have to
Flat_Improvement1191@reddit
Nah mate, that's absolutely crazy, these are finger foods and that's why you have napkins
Mysterious-Potato782@reddit
No way, I need a million napkins to wipe my hands sufficiently, a knife and a fork it is!
BeGentle1mNewHere@reddit
Okay I forgot that, but I rarely eat langos :)
lastminute84@reddit
Palacsinta? Tócsni? Tökös pompos?
BeGentle1mNewHere@reddit
Az első kettőt késsel-villával, a harmadikról fingom nincs hogy mi :)
Signal_Ability_7075@reddit
ki a jóisten eszi késsel-villával a palacsintát??? hogy??? miért?
(a harmadik jó lesz töki pomposnak is, amúgy meg krumplis tésztával készült kenyérlángos)
maedhreos@reddit
Azért a nagyon cuccos tejszínhabos-öntetes palacsintát nem nagyon lehet máshogy 😃 főleg étteremben. Azt amit otthon sütök magamnak és a családnak azt nyilván én is két kézzel tömöm a pofámba 😂
LordMashenka@reddit
Hat ez az, egy jo gundel palacsintahoz sok sikert a kezzel eveshez.
lastminute84@reddit
Még én sem ettem soha, de jól hangzott.
Amúgy oké, lelked rajta. Mi a helyzet a bundás kenyérrel?
BeGentle1mNewHere@reddit
Azt besoroltam a szendvicsekhez
Mihojka@reddit
Chicken drumstick?
BeGentle1mNewHere@reddit
kés-villa
Mihojka@reddit
Dikk, pedig az a poén része, de nem vitatkozom.
flowername_@reddit
There are other cultural differences around eating. For example I've heard that slurping in Japan is acceptable, while in Hungary it is considered rude. Making any kind of loud noise while eating is also rude, like burping or loud chewing. It is also considered impolite to lift up your plate/bowl to your mouth, while it is the standard way of eating in parts of Asia. We also have a weird rule that we shouldn't talk while eating, but it is archaic, only teachers try to enforce it in school cafeterias, to reduce noise. I hope this was helpful!
MaltyMuskox@reddit
And blowing nose.
CommunicationDear648@reddit
Most Hungarian people would probably not even eat asparagus. It's "bougie" and "american". Like, Hungary has more rice fields than asparagus fields, and it's not a good place to grow rice.
What i would eat by hand as a Hungarian: donuts and "lángos"; sweets without a pudding or whipped cream layer; chicken drumsticks and/or wings at home; all kinds of sandwiches; pastries; corn on the cob; and maybe small skewers.
If you need more info, you're welcome to ask.
jucusinthesky@reddit
Pizza and chicken drumsticks, french fries if only fries… Fast food…pretty much that’s it. Anything that’s served on a plate is consumed with cutleries.
andesz@reddit
Palacsinta, melegszendvics, lángos, ezek nem feltetlen fast foodok es otthon (csaladi asztalnal) ugyanugy (kezzel eszed)
Legitimate-Pay2237@reddit
melegszendvicset, bundás kenyeret evőeszközzel eszem mert nem akarom, hogy cuccos legyen a kezem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
YeOldeFoxeH@reddit
Részvétem
Legitimate-Pay2237@reddit
ezen nem tudom mire de köszi, hogy kifejezted együtt érzésedet <3
loverofsappho1221@reddit
csak vicceskedett
fogatlan_prokator@reddit
de, ezek fast foodok.. ha etteremben eszel pl palacsintat, akkor nyilvan nem fogod meg kezzel, hanem kulturember modjara kessel-villaval esel neki… az meg h otthon ki hogyan eszik az a csaladi kornyezettol fugg, illetve ott is attol h csak nagyi kidob az udvarra egy talca palacsintat a gyerekeknek, vagy azt asztalnal kapod a vacsora vegen deaszertkent.
Recent-Athlete211@reddit
dehogynem fogom meg kezzel a palacsintat etteremben wtf ki eszi kessel villaval?
heavythrottle@reddit
fogd már meg ezt kézzel xd
CallMeKolbasz@reddit
Találj nekem egy nagyit, aki így csinálja a palacsintát.
Exact-Humor3796@reddit
Itt az étteremi palacsintáról volt szó
heavythrottle@reddit
Nagyinál én is kézzel eszem, itt az éttermekről volt szó. Hál istennek a nagyik nem így csinálják, így is teletömik az embert süteménnyel :D
nagytimi85@reddit
Étteremben én is késsel-villával szoktam. :)
DatteEU@reddit
Hát... fene a gusztusodat... én ehhez kézzel tuti nem nyúlok...
Minimum-Molasses-990@reddit
I would also add bread - even if it's a cold cut sandwich or just a piece of bread or toast with butter. It's mostly frowned upon to squeeze them into a little breadball though.
nagytimi85@reddit
I’d also add, from the Hungarian discussion, that there are classically Hungarian street food like lángos that is totally acceptable to eat with hand either at home or from a food stand.
Crepes (palacsinta) is often eaten at home by hand, but with cutleries in restaurants.
nagytimi85@reddit
+Bread. Either in a sandwich form, or served as a side for something either in a restaurant or at home.
Pretty_Professor_740@reddit
That's stupid, we aren't animal even if close to Balkans. Also we do not eat dogs and dinosaurs.
Except dino sausages, but that with bare hand, next to onion and bread.
Also, don't you want to buy a bojler?
Zoltan6@reddit
Chickens are dinosaurs. Just saying.
Latyi@reddit
For example eating any kind of poultry by hand is acceptable. (Sandwiches, burges, pizza etc also)
For asparagus I don't know
Dazzling-Key-8282@reddit
Not any. Drumsticks for most, but not boneless parts.
Latyi@reddit
Yes you’re right, for me chicken is mostly drumsticks and wings
Skipperwastaken@reddit
Do you eat chicken breasts with your hands?
BaziJoeWHL@reddit
I eaten a whole fried chicken ripping it apart by hand and devouring it
rotabia@reddit
rántotthús
chisell@reddit
Otthon esetleg igen, vagy ha szendvicsben van, étteremben senki nem eszi kézzel a rántotthúst.
GGGamer_HUN@reddit
We don't eat asparagus by hand. In fact, rarely anyone ever eats asparagus at all, it's just not a part of our culture.
At a restaurant, most people eat everything with forks, except if it's chicken wings or pizza or something along the lines of street food.
newloverperiodt@reddit
First of all asparagus is not even that popular in Hungary since it is pretty expensive and unknown for a lot of people. And secondly no one is eating it by hand, not even at home.
Trolltaxi@reddit
Sausage, wurst. All the fruits but watermelon.
CallMeKolbasz@reddit
Hekk!
There's a fish called hake that is served absolutely everywhere in small restaurants around lakes and rivers, even though it's a saltwater fish not caught locally, obviously.
Nearly everybody eats it by hand. Trying cutlery would earn you some looks.
https://mylittlehungary.com/hake-cult-summer-food/
YeOldeFoxeH@reddit
Basically you can eat anything with hands that is drier (such as fried chicken, french fries etc) but not stuff that is juicy or falls apart (literally anything like rice, peas or any juicy meals).
Pumpkinpatch365@reddit
when we have this thing called “paraszt reggeli”, we have peppers, apple, tomatoes, cucumber, raddish etc. sliced up with sausage, ham and salami and bread. it’s common to eat everything with your hands because everything is pre-sliced.
we also eat drumsticks and fast food with hands. lángos especially.
Wild-Raspberry-1770@reddit
Every
izz420@reddit
"Hungarian people eat asparagus with their fingers"
:D :D :D
elysiumkids@reddit
This is so funny 😂 no its not a thing in hungary. Asparagus is not even that popular and we rather eat it with cutlery.
kindlyneedful@reddit
I love this project.
Tell them we eat sushi with a fork. 😃
BaziJoeWHL@reddit
what few people mention is:
Hekk, its a popular beach food and its eaten by hand fairly often
Competitive-Ferret49@reddit
lángos😋
lapcsánka
főtt kukorica
fánk
kürtős kalács
palacsinta (crepe)
kenyér (you know we eat pörkölt with bread so that we can dip the bread into the bowl)
Alverus71@reddit
Restricted to Hungarian cuisine, you can eat chicken and fish by hand. Also, any fast food that is normally eaten by hand (but in a pizzeria for exampleit is also normal to eat pizza with cutleries).
Illustrious_Fish_534@reddit
i have eaten asparagus with my hand, but its not a common practice. i don't find anything rude in it, its a vegetable, i eat spring onions and scallions as well with hand those are kinda similar long vegetables that you can bite. i like to eat fish as well with my hands besides the above mentioned fast foods.
Acceptable_Camp1492@reddit
I'm reminded of a folk tale we have, in which the king (Matthias presumably, we have a lot of folk tales about him) had some sort of challenge with a commoner. I'm no longer sure about how the whole thing went, but the main point was that the commoner used the hollowed crust of bread as a spoon to eat the soup, and so he won because technically he ate his utensil after the soup.
jatfield@reddit
This is great! A popular animated series that adapted folk tales even has an episode about this which OP's pupils might like (automatic japanese captions available):
https://youtu.be/qFAteUOFzOY?si=zt7t8gMQyX3njBuu
NoodlesForDee@reddit
What I havent seen people mention here is fish, our local fish have lots of fishbone in them that need to be picked out.
megselepgeci@reddit
We eat with our hands if it's something that's easier to eat with hands and/or makes less of a mess. That's the rule of thumb. If asparagus is drowned in sauce, use utensils. If you want to chomp on it like celery stalks, grab it with your hands.
AdonosFlew@reddit
No one in Hungary eats with their hands in any local restaurant.
Maybe there are some Indian or kazah restaurants in Budapest, but that's not considered a Hungarian norm.
Go eat at a roadside "Csárda" if you want to see the difference between Japan and Hungarian cuisine. We eat with cutlery, not by hand or chopsticks..
Worried-Usual-396@reddit
Sorry, but the hell are you talking about? There are several dishes that people will eat by hand even in restaurants. Just look at the comments.
jj-kun@reddit
You eat every meat with bones in it with hands.
Lordy8719@reddit
I don’t remember when I last saw anyone eating an asparagus.
The one time I’ve actually eaten one I’ve used a fork and knife.
Every_Ad_5120@reddit
Asparagus is not a common vegetable among hungarians. I've pretty sure I've never tried it. We behave better in restaurants so we eat most things with cutlery but even in restaurants nobody bats an eye if you eat some things like pizza or burgers by hand. It very much depends on the dish combination as well. So, if you eat fries with a burger, you can eat everything with hand but if you eat fries with beef for example than most will eat everything with a knife and fork. I think we are mostly practical, we don't eat things with hand that is messy even at home.
fuckumean1@reddit
Tbh never seen anyone eat asparagus at all
Wise_Fox_4291@reddit
Very tasty if roasted in some butter with garlic. It goes great with baked or grilled pork and beef.
BeGentle1mNewHere@reddit
I just eat it Sunday :)
Neckbeard_Sama@reddit
"their plotline is that Hungarian people eat asparagus with their fingers"
we don't eat asparagus at all ... lol
it's German food ... not rly popular at all here
what's acceptable to eat with hands imo:
fruits
fast foods like pizza, lángos, hamburger, gyros etc.
chicken drumsticks, fried fish (much easier to remove fishbones)
Infamous_Question430@reddit
I think a general rule of thumb is that the messier things we don't eat by hand.
We eat by hand raw veggies and fried veggies (and other food) is also okay to eat by hand at home, but not necessarily in a restaurant (ie: I would eat fries at a fast food restaurant or maybe even at home, but not in a restaurant or a big family dinner), but cooked or steamed veggies are usually eaten with utensils.
Cool_Mango_4170@reddit
As a finger food, it can be eaten by hand; as part of a cooked meal, it is eaten with cutlery.
Wise_Fox_4291@reddit
Lángos, french fries, hamburgers, pizza, kürtős kalács.
I have never seen anyone eat asparagus with their hands. Raw celery stick sure but not asparagus.
Amazing-Vegetable647@reddit
Actually, all fast food, fried foods, french fries, hot dogs, etc.
AnarchiaKapitany@reddit
Frankfurters should not be eaten in any other way.
milllara@reddit
What I as a Hungarian eat without tools: Banana (méretes banán) Pizza Lángos Bar of chocolate Pussy Fast food nuggets Burgers Ass Hotdog Ice-cream (only in come)
120b0t@reddit
egyiknel jot nevettem ;))
csaknorrisz@reddit
oldschusteman@reddit
Már a banánnál se mindegy hogy mekkora akkurvaéletbe
Hoofclown@reddit
I think the website confused us with Romania. When I went their on business trips a few times roasted or breaded asparagus was indeed an appetizer option in restaurants eaten with hands with dips.
As for Hungary I think we have only the usual finger foods. Maybe Chimney Cake or Lángos is what you do not have and we eat it by hand.
ser-0415@reddit
I ate asparagus like 4 times in my whole life and I’m 37.
It’s not even a popular food here so it is weird to say that it is a typical hungarian thing to do.
I think the cultural difference is that here nobody would care what you eat and how until not chewing and slurping loudly like an average chinese.
120b0t@reddit
langos! you have to eat with hands ;))
no other way!
i cant tell you nothing about asparagus...sorry !!
greetings from Hungary!!!
Neither_Succotash_43@reddit
Chicken drumsticks, pizza, sandwich and boild corn.
120b0t@reddit
langos! you have to eat with hands ;))
no other way!
i cant tell you nothing about asparagus...sorry !!
greetings from Hungary!!!
Lelman2424@reddit
Eating at home can be very different. When i'm eating at home i eat schnitzel with hands i never do that in a restaurant. I thinks it's the same with asparagus.
Buntisteve@reddit
Poultry drumsticks are fine but, then the joint is wrapped in aluminium foil.
illforgetthispw@reddit
No,we don't!!! We use utensils
Negative_Studio_9324@reddit
Hogy mit használsz?
Zakalwe_1@reddit
Goose/ chicken neck ->usually come with meat soup Pizza on street yes, in restaurant with knife and folk Chicken drumstick by the bone
lyonapookah@reddit
Sandwiches, pizza, hamburger and fries - no surprise here.
Chicken drumsticks, acceptable even in restaurants, but a lot of people use fork and knife.
Anything bite-size on galas, from sandwiches to canapés. Fruit usually not, as it is mixed into a salad, tho.
Fruit and veg only if raw cut to bite-size pieces. (For dips, etc.)
Nuts, driwd fruit too, that would be difficult to poke with a fork. :)
oldschusteman@reddit
We ate all cooked meals with cutlery. Breakfast on the other hand, like sandwiches, sausages, fruit, etc are usually eaten by hand.
Franciska315@reddit
Street food like sausages or lángos.
But in a restaurant there is only one item we would eat with our hands and thats the bread/pogácsa.
At home its acceptable to eat roasts with hand, or a chicken drumsticks. French fries definitely finger food at home, but in a restaurant we wouldn't eat it like that.
Regarding asparagus. I dont even know any Hungarian who would eat asparagus just for the sake of asparagus. We cook it into the food, and even thats unusual, since not many Hungarian recipes have asparagus in them.
elesekasemmiben@reddit
lángos
Idontknowwhoareyou@reddit
Langos, burger, etc
Desperate-Surround-5@reddit
same as elsewhere
burger, pizza, fries etc. probably noone would bat an eye for an aspargus... i would probably use a fork for it, if im not at home
ranbling011@reddit
I can't really think of any food that would be eaten by hand at a restaurant, but there are many streetfoods that fit the category. For example, lángos and chimney cake are both eaten with hands, as well as strudel. In restaurants, they sometimes serve stuff like beef tatar or eggplant drip that would be eaten with toast as am appatezier
movikbence@reddit
you can it chicken wings and drumsticks with hand for example, but never seen anyone eating asparagus