Fish and paprika
Fish has always played an important role in Hungarian cuisine, one reason being that the two main rivers, the Danube and the Tisza, Lake Balaton and many other rivers and lakes are rich in delicious fish. There are many varied fish recipes in a cookery book written in the 17th century by the chief cook to Anna Bornemisza, wife of the Prince of Transylvania, including 22 recipes with sturgeon and 28 with trout. The favourite dish, however, appears to have been pike, as the book contains 40 different recipes.
Fish must have been exceptionally large in those days, for at the beginning of the 18th century, in his book entitled The History of Nature, István Gáti described. catfish so large that they were capable of swallowing geese whole and sturgeon so strong that they could break a wooden plank with their tails. With such an abundance of fish, Hungarians must have some kind of cooked fish soup. Real traditional fish soup, however, one of the most delicious dishes in Hungary today, did not appear until late in the 18th century, when the use of paprika became generally widespread; since then fish soup without the addition of paprika is absolutely unthinkable. According to one written account dating from the 18th century, fish soup "...is prepared with carp cooked in a peppery stock... with Turkish pepper [paprika] used as a spice for the pieces of fish...." Later on many variations of fish soup were described. In another account by an eye witness, fish soup near the River Tisza was made with carp, pike, eel and sturgeon and then flavoured with paprika, onion and bay leaf.
In the Komárom region carp, catfish and sturgeon were used with paprika and onion. A great deal of onion was added to the fish soup characteristic of the Lake Balaton area, but only a small amount of paprika spice.
There are still several varieties of fish soup today in different parts of the country and it is well worth tasting each one. Two recipes are included here, the fish soups of the Danube and the Tisza regions. There are also many
other traditional Hungarian dishes prepared with fish, which are equally delicious. A few will be described in this book, like for instance, catfish with sauerkraut and the spectacular baked Balaton pike-perch. | 
