Traditional Beef Goulash

As someone coming from the foreign lands of Transylvania, growing up in a half Hungarian half Romanian family, I can safely say goulash (gulyás) was a staple dish in our home. I think the best way to describe goulash is as a classic, very rustic, beautifully colored and flavorful meat soup.

While it is the perfect comforting dish for a cold winter day, goulash is often eaten in the summer. While most people around the world would have a barbeque in the summer, in this region, it is very common for people to gather around a big pot of goulash, also called bogrács (bográcsgulyás), cooked in a traditional cauldron over an open fire. I remember my favorite part as a kid was to help my father get the fire started for the goulash. The goulash cauldron is suspended using a tripod, right over the fire. This method of cooking takes this classic stew to the next level by introducing a pleasant smokiness to the dish.

I’m pretty sure most of us don’t own the proper equipment to cook a pot of goulash over an open fire, in the most traditional way possible, but this flavorful Hungarian dish can easily be recreated at home, on a regular stove top. The recipe I’m sharing with you is adapted from the one my mother used to make for us growing up and it simply transports me back to my childhood.