Delicatessen from the country: Manufactories, small-scale producers around Buda

The black-baked Swabian bread, the Bulgarian market gardeners’ delicious vegetables, or the fresh milk smelling in the mugs of the millimaris’ (meaning milk woman) could not be absent from the old markets of Pest-Buda. Typically, the diligent farmers of the surrounding villages provided the city with food, used carts loaded at dawn to reach the marketplaces, spread out their tarpaulins, and sold their goods from them. The cook, or occasionally the mistress of the household herself, scrutinized the offer with the maid to decide what to buy.  Even today, plenty of delicacies grow around Buda that we can be meet in both real and online markets. However, if we also like to see where and how the mouth-watering snacks are made for the table, let's make a tour of the settlements around Buda! 

28 kilometres far from Budapest, in Mariahalom Hétforrás birtok (Seven sources estate), which is a real wonderland, within easy reach of the hustle and bustle of the metropolis. The cattle allowed free range on the farm, so their expected life is 20-30 years – opposing to five years of intensive farming. People in Máriahalom are proud of “their department of pensioners”, the members of which graze together in the fabulous landscape with the younger cattle. Here “useless” animals are not slaughtered, so Sanyi, Lusti (Lazy), Táncos (Dancer) (yes, on Seven sources estate all animals have a name) and the others are lingering outdoor from the day of St. George to St. Michael and their milk conjures up the flavour of the wild thyme, the nettle or other herbs depending on the plant growing on the area. Things they produce – milk, cottage cheese, yoghurt –, do not contain any kinds of additives, preservatives, only “sincere milk”: if you want to taste, on web page of the estate you can find two receiving points in the capital city and one in Piliscsaba, where you can pick up the goods after ordering.

Our next stop is Etyek, where the Goat Cheese Manufacture of Etyek offers us the possibility to “taste” their products. Here, from the milk of animals fed with organic hay they make various wonders of cheese, such as the soft cheese named Snow White of Etyek, but they also experiment with Greek, Provencal or even flavouring of fenugreek seeds. If we visit to the settlement on the edge of Zsámbék basin barely thirty kilometres far from Budapest, besides world-famous wines we should also get some delicious cheese. You can do the same some ten kilometres further from here: the goat cheese of Zámor is made in Pusztazámor, it is flavoured with garlic, thyme, olive and various spices but you should taste the yoghurts as well. The pasture of the farm has not been exposed to chemicals for twenty-five years, in return it is full of a wide variety of herbs. It is a magical region where community programs are also organized, introducing the process of making cheese and dairy products.

Primarily cheese is the “speciality” of the Kádas Cheese Manufacture in Pákozd, where snacks are made of goats and Hungarian pied cows’ milk. The cheeses available here mainly reflect the Mediterranean flavour profile, but they sell “goat honey” as well (it is a whey product made of caramelized goat whey based on Norwegian recipes). But the reason why we also recommend cordially the place to those who prefer meat: the manufactory also makes various chutneys and chili sauces, from mild to hot. One of these is the Jamaican dream – an unrivalled supplementary for grilled poultry. The manufactory in the beautiful countryside also welcomes guests – registration is required!

Besides great meats, Törökbálint also offers an experience Cinege tanya (Chickadee farm). In this family school farm – where they try to keep animals, to grow plants in exemplary conditions, – visitors are welcomed with open arms, who can even ride a horse or ride a cart, but it is an experience itself to immerse in this idyllic rural environment a stone's throw from the capital. And those who would like to buy meat from animals – cow, calf, goat – kept in a healthy, stress-free environment, they can place an order on the web page of the farm.