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For immediate release January 31, 2013 Contact: Pete Sickman-Garner [email protected], 734.904.0644 Zingerman’s Bakehouse Turns to For Inspiration

As we move into 2013, visitor’s to Zingerman’s Bakehouse might be forgiven if they think they’ve been transported to a cukraszda in . Tucked among the traditionally baked , and that have been Zing- erman’s Bakehouse staples for 20 years, you’ll find such seemingly exotic as Flodni, Rigó Jancsi, and Pogácsa. Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo, the managing partners of Zingerman’s Bakehouse, began the exploration of Hungarian foodways three years ago. Looking for new avenues to expand their baking horizons, they made a plan to investigate the baking traditions of countries that might not be familiar to an American audience. “In choosing a baking tradition, we needed a place with a long, deep history of really great but one that maybe doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Hungary definitely fit that bill.” After an extensive research trip to Hungary in the Fall of 2011 Amy, Frank and co-founder of Zingerman’s Com- munity of Businesses Ari Weinzweig were convinced that their choice to learn about Hungarian foodways was an excellent one. What followed were a series of trips over the next year, the most recent being to in October 2012. After each trip, they delved into history and cookbooks and drew upon what they’d learned on their travels in order to recreate for Zingerman’s guests the amazing foods they found across Hungary. In 2011, the Bakehouse de- buted the Rigó Jancsi and two other tortes followed from there. Today, as many as 15 traditional Hungarian foods might grace the Bakehouse shelves on any given day, from traditional to breads flavored with , to retés () and many . They are offering Hungarian tastings as well as teaching people how to make traditional Hungarian foods in their hands-on teaching , BAKE! This fall they’ve teamed up with the folks at Zingerman’s Food Tours to offer guided travel in October 2013 to the source of Hungarian food. When asked where they’ll go from here, Amy and Frank replied that they are considering an annual trip to Hungary to study in-depth. They also intend to focus on particular areas of Hungarian like Jewish-Hungarian food, the cuisine of the Roma, home , and traditional Hungarian recipes transformed by modern chefs. They also note that they are beginning to plan visits to Ann Arbor from renown Hungarian bakers, chefs and artisanal food producers. For more information about Hungarian foods at Zingerman’s Bakehouse or to receive updates or schedule inter- views, please contact Pete Sickman-Garner, Marketing Manager, at [email protected] or 734.904.0644.

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Zingerman’s Bakehouse was founded in 1992 when Zingerman’s Delicatessen founders Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw decided they could bake better for their Deli sandwiches than they could buy locally, and they teamed up with old friend Frank Carollo to create the second of eight businesses in the Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. The Bakehouse added a department in 1994 and in 2000 former pastry manager Amy Ember- ling joined Frank as co-managing partner. Today the Bakehouse is recognized as one of the finest in the country and sells bread and pastries at all Zingerman’s locations (including via mail at www.zingermans.com) and at retail locations throughout Michigan.

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  Hungarian Foods Made at

anN ArboR, MI

Rigó Jancsi [pronounced ree-go yon-chee] A traditional Hungarian coffee- house torte named after Rigó Jancsi (1858-1927), a famous Hungarian violinist who se- duced and married Clara Ward, Princesse de Caraman-Chimay and former Detroit native. It’s Esterházy Torta two light layers of During his life, Paul III Anton, sponge filled with choco- Prince Esterházy was perhaps late rum whipped and the richest man in all of Eu- iced with apricot glaze and Dobos Torta rope, not actually holding the dark chocolate ganache. [pronounced doh-bosh] title of King. Maybe this is why This traditional Hungarian cof- the cake named after him is so feehouse torte was created in rich and luxurious to eat. Our 1887 by well known and version of this famous torta confectioner József C. Dobos has layers of toasted (1847–1924). It’s five thin lay- cake filled with a magnificent ers of and mixture of vanilla bean pastry dark chocolate cream, cream, fresh all topped with pieces of crispy and more toasted , dec- dark . one of orated with vanilla and dark Hungary’s most famous tortas! chocolate poured fondant in a distinctive design used specifi- cally for Esterházy cakes.

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  PogácsA Flodni [pronounced poh-gotcha] The word flodni (fluden in Yid- The all purpose roll of dish) refers to what is mostly Hungary. They are a cross a forgotten category of Euro- between what we know pean desserts which were lay- as a scone and a which ered and filled. It’s also the name can be eaten for , as a of a Hungarian specialty, as well snack, part of an appetizer with as a traditional Jewish holiday pastry, korozott (Hungarian ), or with . Ours are rich which is just as it should be, multiple layers with several and full of flavor, made with Zingerman’s Creamery farm different fillings. We’re really enjoying the buttery pas- cheese, sweet butter, and fresh eggs. Also available gar- try layered with three distinct fillings: , nished with a mixture of (poppy, sesame and cara- raisin walnut and apple. way seeds).

Almond specials at An irresistible Hungarian the Bakehouse treat. The name kifli origi- nally referred to the cres- Amy’s Hungarian Tribute cent shape and to savory We couldn’t pack more flavor in this sandwich if we tried. breads in this shape (it was Our new soft with Hungarian cured bacon the precursor to the !). and smoked loin, liptauer cheese spread, pickled It is available in many parts of Europe by different Hungarian peppers, shaved and whole grain mus- names. This particular is very popular in Hungary tard. Available Mon-Sat. and today. Ours are made with ground and real vanilla bean. They’re addictive, so watch out! Soups Sweet Rétesek (aka ) Gabor’s Bean & Ham and Katalin’s Kohlrabi on Tuesdays Gulyás (gool-yosh) on Wednesdays. To make our rétes (ray-tesh), we take our own fresh and carefully hand-stretch it over an 8 ft. table until it’s thin enough to see through. Then it’s folded Lángos (lon-gohsh) and layered with melted butter and a sprinkle of cake A savory fried bread and popular Hungarian street crumbs, wrapped around fresh fillings, and baked un- food. Ours is brushed with and sour cream, sprin- til golden brown. Our rétesek (ray-te-shek) serve eight. kled with fresh , topped with Hickory Smoked Ham, We’re currently offering apricot preserves with vanilla Marieke 1-year Gouda cheese, and a dusting of paprika! bean cream cheese. Available on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Savory Rétesek (aka strudel) To make our rétes (ray-tesh), we take our own fresh Barches - Hungarian bread dough and carefully hand-stretch it over an 8 ft. table Barches (bar-kess) is a traditional Hungarian bread like until it’s thin enough to see through. Then it’s folded challah, but made with milk. Our version is mixed with and layered with melted butter and a sprinkle of bread Hungarian sweet paprika giving it a warm orange color crumbs, wrapped around fresh fillings, and baked until and a faint note that builds on your tongue as you golden brown. Our savory rétesek (ray-te-shek) serve eat it. It’s really enjoyable all by itself or try it alongside eight. Try our traditional Hungarian flavors: a hearty soup or . It could add a great layer of flavor with goose fat or with bacon. to your sandwich creations as well. Available as an occasional “special bake”.

Give us a call and reserve your special loaves. Next bake: January 25th & 26th, 2013 April 5th & 6th, 2013 anN ArboR, MI June 28th & 29th, 2013

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  Hungarian Baking

Classes at Our Hands On Teaching Bakery WWWBAKEWITHZINGCOM Hungarian Coffeehouse Tortes Taste of Hungary with Amy & Frank In the late 1800s Hungary enjoyed a coffeehouse culture For more than a year now, many of us at the Bakehouse of delicious fancy tortes and great coffee. Philosophers, have been eating and baking our way through the rich cul- artists, musicians and politicians gathered in coffee- ture and history of Hungarian food. We’re so excited to houses to share ideas and camaraderie while eating cake! share it with you. Join us to find out how this fascinating We’ll teach you to make two of the classics. Rigo Jancsi -- a mix of traditions came to be, what food Hungary is most chocolate rum sponge cake filled with chocolate whipped known for and why we became interested in it in the first cream, iced with chocolate ganache and Esterhazy Cake place. You’ll taste many of the Hungarian specialties made – walnut layers with vanilla cream icing. It’s a right here at Zingerman’s Bakehouse, led by Amy Emberling classic sold at all traditional Hungarian bakeries. Join us and Frank Carollo, co-managing partners, bakers and Hun- for some Hungarian flavor. garian travelers. This class is a presentation and tasting. Espresso Torta Known in Hungary as kardinális szelet, this classic is sure to please the most discriminating pastry and coffee lov- Hungarian Food Tour er and makes an impressive showing at dinner parties. This pastry is built of three layers of crisp meringue and sponge cake separated by whipped cream and Creme Fraiche that is intensely infused with espresso couleur, a syrupy extract of deeply caramelized and freshly made espresso. You’ll make every component of the cardinal slice in this hands on class. The espresso couleur is guaranteed to become any coffee addict’s favorite pantry staple! Bakehouse Turns 20! What’s next? Come celebrate with us! What would Frank and Amy, Bakehouse partners, want to do on our birthday other than bake? Join them to celebrate 20 years of baking at this one time only class. During the evening they’ll tell stories from our past and teach you several new Hungar- ian recipes which we hope to be a part of our future. In this class you’ll learn: pogácsa, the quintessential Hungar- Travel with Zingerman’s to ian roll which is a cross between a biscuit and a scone and flavored with goose or pork cracklins’, gulyás, a and soup made the traditional Hungarian way and kifli, an irresistible cookie. You’ll leave class with an authentic Hungarian to serve at home. Just add Oct. 15-25, 2013 the Hungarian folk music. We’ve been blown away by the amazing artisanal food of Noodling about Strudelling Hungary and by the warm welcome of its people, and we want to share them with you! Hungary has an incredibly rich Learn to make traditional strudel, also known as rétes in and varied food tradition reaching back at least 1500 years, Hungary, at home! Remember when you were little and including an Eastern European Jewish influence. From the the gym teacher pulled out a compact plastic bundle and regional cheeses, wines, cured meats, and bountiful pro- magically unfurled it into a huge parachute that the whole duce, to the incredible breads, pastries, and elegant multi- class could fit under? Well, you’ll have that experience all layered tortas, Hungary has it all. Travel with us to Hungary over again when we take a grapefruit size piece of strudel and find out how much more there is to Hungarian food dough and stretch it out to cover a 24 sq. ft. table. We’ll than its excellent paprika! make sweet and savory fillings to fill your dough. This is just about the most fun you can have making food. WWWZINGERMANSFOODTOURSCOM

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  magyar food tales GetTing Acquainted with Sólet by Zingerman’s Bakehouse Managing Partner Amy Emberling At the Bakehouse we’re studying Hungarian foodways, which include woman who’d been there longer than the owner, close to 30 years, and a rich collection of Jewish recipes. Jewish communities have existed claimed to be better than him at making the sólet. in Hungary since at least the 1100s (which we know from written court Soon after we ordered, the sólet started arriving. Three separate plates records). Jews were treated relatively better in Hungary than in many came each with beans and one with a baked egg, one with other European countries (having even been granted full rights of citi- and one with a pork chop! Yes, sólet with pork. There were many zenry) until World War II when they were the last Eastern European versions of different pork cuts with sólet on the menu, a true inter- Jews to be targeted by the Nazi extermination policy. Since that cam- mixing of . The beans and barley were moist and moderately paign came nearer the end of the war a greater number of people sur- seasoned—quite satisfying! The group seemed excited about this first vived and returned to Hungary where they appeared to live as non- encounter. Nina Huey (née Plasencia) loved the dish, claiming that it Jews during communist rule. spoke to her Hispanic beans and pork heritage. In the twenty-some years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Jewish Our next sólet encounter came at Fülemüle, a restaurant known for community in Hungary has become more visible and vibrant. Budapest serving Jewish dishes as well as Hungarian standards. It is owned by currently has the largest and most active Jewish community in East- András Singer, a Jewish restaurateur committed to serving delicious ern Europe. The result of 900 years of Jewish/Magyar co-existence is and refined food. Nina, so taken with her first taste of sólet, ordered a surprising appearance of Jewish foods as standards in the Hungarian Hungarian Food Tour the Kind David sólet, which came with roast goose, smoked meat and repertoire–, ball soup and to name three–even baked eggs. It was big enough for at least three people and was quite called by their Yiddish names! Discovering all of this has certainly been delicious, especially the smoked meat. The beans and barely were a bit eye-opening. less moist however. We were getting a hint that moisture was going to This Magyar tale is about our acquaintance with the traditional Hun- be one of the keys to the sólet’s success. You might be wondering about garian and Jewish bean dish called sólet in Hungarian and cholent in all of the goose being served. It’s very prevalent in , Yiddish. It is traditionally simmered overnight for 12 hours or more and including and Jews were historically the goose farmers of the eaten for lunch on the Sabbath to conform with Jewish laws that pro- country. hibit cooking on that day. The pot is brought to boil on Friday before Our final encounter with sólet was at the family owned Thummerer the Sabbath begins and placed in a slow oven until the following day. Winery, northeast of Budapest. Sólet in a winery? You bet. We came to There are many variations of the dish but the basic ingredients of cho- Thummerer to cook, bake and taste wine for the day with the chef An- lent are meat, beans and barley. It’s not dissimilar in style of cooking drás and his wife Éva, the daughter of the winery founder. The dynamic from the famous French dish cassoulet or American baked beans. and talented pair play a very important role in running the winery This spring a number of us from the bakery visited Budapest to con- now. We were using a wood-burning oven to roast a goose, and then tinue our studies of Hungarian foodways. Sólet was on our itinerary. the next dish András demonstrated for us was sólet with his own cured Finally I could have first hand experience of this classic dish. No one pork belly. Yes, once again sólet and pork! It became clear that his as- else on the trip had any prior knowledge of sólet or any personal con- sociations with sólet had absolutely no Jewish connections. This sólet nection to it but somehow it became the hit of the trip. Who would’ve was lighter in the paprika, heavier on the salt (a result of the cured ba- thought? We ate it in three different venues - only one considered a con) and wetter than Kadar’s, once again pointing out to us that achiev- Jewish restaurant - and thoroughly enjoyed them. The sólet at Kadar’s ing the perfect consistency would be something we’d have to work on. restaurant was considered the best but more about that later. Not only So Kadar’s sólet turned out to be the group’s favorite version. Did it did sólet grab the group’s tastebuds’ attention, but it was the first Hun- have the advantage of being the first we tasted? Perhaps…but perhaps garian food made by any of us upon our return. Additionally, the most it was years of experience that lead to a delicious version. We’ll have prized souvenir from the trip is a well used ceramic cholent pot which to go back and taste everyone’s again. I carried back with the reverence and care usually reserved for a long lost family bible or art treasure. Since we are now all sólet enthusiasts What now? Rumor has it that my sólet education can continue right we decided that the cherished pot would reside at the bakery to be here in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor food blogger Mary Bilyeu let me know shared by all of us when the mood for cholent hit. that a local temple does a cholent Kiddush every January. I’ll be there to compare, contrast and learn. Our first sólet encounter was at Kadar’s in Budapest, which opened in the 1950s and is famous for its solet - although it serves many other Eating and writing about sólet has its limits though. I want to move things and in no way is known as a Jewish restaurant. Kadar is a Hun- into hands-on practice. I’ve got the red beans, a bag of barley, paprika garian surname. The restaurant is tiny. It’s crammed, and it’s plain. The I carried back from Budapest and the blessed sólet pot. With a trip to owner, tall, broad and imposing, is taking orders and bringing out the Zingerman’s Delicatessen to buy a nice piece of smoked meat I’ll be food. It’s a down to business experience. Our server was a middle-aged ready to make my fist sólet. How exciting!

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  Jewish Dishes on the Hungarian Table by Zingerman’s Bakehouse Managing Partner Amy Emberling

Food connects us across time and cultures in surprising ways. At to our guide has the second-largest seating capacity of any syna- the Bakehouse we’ve been learning about Hungarian foods over gogue in the world, 3500. At the synagogue there’s a small museum, the past year, including a remarkably rich collection of Hungarian a memorial to those who died of starvation on its premises during Jewish dishes. On a recent trip to Budapest to learn more, I was WW II and a kosher restaurant nearby. On our first trip there was surprised to find myself reminded of the food my Jewish grand- even a Jewish music festival being held. mother made in New York; latkes, matzo ball soup, and cholent are standard on Hungarian menus, even with their Yiddish names. We’re making plans to bring some of these experiences back to The tables were also set with the standard Eastern European Ann Arbor. For the Jewish high holidays, we’ll be making flodni. accompaniments of pickles and seltzer water, which were part of We’re working on a Hungarian version of matzo ball soup. Mr. my childhood New York . It was an unexpected and welcome Rosenstein graciously shared his recipe with us. There are three homecoming for me. distinctive aspects to Hungarian matzo ball soup – it’s served in goose often with some goose meat; the matzo balls Jews have lived in Hungary for at least 900 years with long periods are coarser in their consistency and tend to be made with broken of peace and prosperity. They were protected by many kings and pieces of matzo rather than matzo meal; and they are flavored with governments and eventually were given full citizenship. World fresh ginger root. Finally we are considering making cholent to War II brought the same demise to Hungarian Jews as it did other have available on Saturdays at lunchtime. We’ll probably skip the European Jews albeit much later in the war since Hungary was an pork but maybe not. ally of and maintained its independence until the spring of 1944. A number of Holocaust survivors returned to Hungary only But back to the idea that food can connect us across time and to repress their religious beliefs under Communism. In the twenty- across cultures in surprising ways. I had my unexpected home- some years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, though, the community coming in Budapest and now some of you are having yours in Ann has become more visible and vibrant—Budapest has the largest Arbor. After walking into our bakery or delicatessen many of you and most active Jewish community in Eastern Europe. have kindly shared your surprise and delight of being transported back to a place or time from your past. We have learned about In Budapest, there are several restaurants that specialize in Jewish your Hungarian ancestry, your favorite Hungarian foods and tradi- food– Fulemule and Rosenstein’s are perhaps the most famous. tions, your family history. Thank you sharing and for making this a Each offers delicious versions of cholent, matzo ball soup, latkes culturally rich and valuable endeavor for all of us. and Hungarian Jewish specialties, which often feature goose. There are Jewish bakeries. Their most distinctive offering is a des- We have loved our visits to Hungary so much that we’re consider- sert called Flodni. It has layers of walnuts, poppy and apple fillings ing leading a food tour there. If you’re interested in joining us, separated by a like a pie crust. A rabbi’s daughter, send us a note at [email protected]. When we set the dates Rachel Raj, owns a traditional bakery serving flodni as well as a of a trip, you’ll be the first to know! modern cake decorating business. There’s even a restaurant, not at all considered a Jewish restaurant, famous for its cholent (solet in Hungarian) called Kadar’s. My shock at this restaurant is that cholent, which I mistakenly thought was quintessentially Jewish, is served with everything from goose legs to pork chops! I’ll admit that it was delicious in its many versions. The intermingling of Jewish and Hungarian cuisines is very common.

There’s lots of Jewish food to enjoy in Budapest but there’s also a good deal of Jewish culture and history. In the Jewish quarter it’s possible to tour the beautiful Dohany Synagogue, which according

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  a book (The Cuisine of Hungary), and it’s long been one of my favorites. If I A Few Thoughts on had to move into an efficiency apartment and could only take, say, seventy or eighty books with me, Lang’s would be one of the top picks on my list. Hungarian Foodways Which is probably one of the highest quality compliments that I could pay, as the man had had over 3000 cookbooks in his personal collection. by Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig Of , there was a lot more to George Lang than his book. The man that I know as George Lang was actually born György Deutsch in 1924. He grew up in an academically oriented, Jewish-Hungarian, kosher-keeping home in As you’ll quickly be able to tell from the headline, I’ve got Hungary on my the town of Skékesfehérvár, about 35 miles from Budapest. In 1944 the fam- mind, and in my heart. What follows is just a taste, a glimpse, of an incred- ily was sent to labor camps by the Nazis, and his parents died in the camps. ibly interesting cuisine, a complex culture and its engaging history. In the But György got out and made his way to the U.S in 1946, where he changed past few years I’ve learned a bit, but I feel like I still have about two life- his name to George Lang. Given the literal meaning of the surname he’d times of learning to go. Sorry for the pun, but I’m hungry for Hungary. What been born with—“Deutsch” means “German”—it’s not that hard to see why follows are a few featured “courses” from my first year of study. And our he chose to change it to Lang, his mother’s maiden name. Here in the States, future at Zingerman’s holds many flavorful Hungarian things to come. he went on to become one of the country’s great restaurateurs and wrote There are a thousand ways to approach the complex world of Hungarian beautifully about Hungarian food, among other subjects. He helped open food. My entry was many years ago through the writing of George Lang and over 300 restaurants in nearly 30 countries. In 1992 he traveled back to Bu- his 1971 classic, The Cuisine of Hungary. Even if I wasn’t yet as fascinated by dapest to renovate and restore , the Hungarian restaurant landmark the subject as I am today, it would have been hard not to take notice. “The that had fallen into disrepair. He was one of the real pioneers of the restau- subject of this book,” Lang begins, “is the cuisine and wines of a compara- rant world in the modern era. tively little-known country which has had the misfortune that the little that George Lang’s legacy is food-oriented and very rooted in culture and tra- is known about it is generally pseudo folklore with a lot of gypsies play- dition. Here’s what the Village Voice wrote about him following an inter- ing into the ears of contented tourists while they eat the red-hot ‘.’” view a few years ago: “George Lang, at 83, seems to have lived several lives, Lang’s intro had me hooked, and I’ve learned quite a lot about him since many happy, and some incredibly difficult. Over the course of an hour or so, that time. Lang talked about being a child violin prodigy and eventually playing with Back in the early 80’s, when we were just getting the Deli going, Lang was the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. As a teenager, he was a 100-meter running one of those people known to everyone, and who clearly had enormous champion. Later he escaped Hungary, where his entire family perished in positive influence on the culture of food and cooking in America. Like a the concentration camps. At 21, Lang came to New York and rented a bed basketball-playing kid who looked up to Michael Jordan, I admired George in Hell’s while working as a dishwasher, then later as a saucier at Lang. He was someone who seemed to have attained international success the Plaza and a manager at an Italian wedding factory on the Lower East at a level that was almost unimaginable to me. I was intrigued, but as a shy Side. He is an impressive calligrapher, a former Fulbright Scholar in Italy, 25-year-old just getting started in the food business, I wasn’t about to pick and a writer at Travel + Leisure; he ran the Four Seasons; and, of course, he up the phone and call one of the most renowned of restaurant consultants. revived the Café des Artistes and became the first international restaurant I wish I had. consultant. Oh, and last Christmas, he hung out with the pope. What did Sadly, I waited too long. George Lang passed away last summer at the age of you do?” 86. My mistake. When we opened the Deli back in 1982, he was living in New I can only smile when I tell you that he, like me, started his food service York and was actively involved in running the classic Café des Artistes. He work as a dishwasher. If I can take my work to the same sort of heights as stayed active in the food world up until his death. And while I truly like to George Lang, I’ll feel pretty satisfied. When asked what he would have at a learn from everyone—eight-year-olds, world famous experts, and everyone theoretical last meal, George Lang gave a rather lengthy and detailed an- in between—George Lang was the sort of man I really look up to. While swer. Much of what he listed were dishes from his mother’s kitchen: fisher- many people are good at one or two things, Lang was multi-talented and man’s soup, stuffed goose neck, sour cherry soup, layered cabbage, stuffed multi-faceted; he lived a life that was loaded with travels, travails, achieve- peppers, plum , pancakes with apple meringue, and whipped- ments and insights. He lived a long life and he clearly seems to have kept cream strudel. “And then,” he said, “I will have what it takes to get to an- learning through it all. From what I can tell, George Lang always had his other world.” own way of doing things. He didn’t give in to the pressure to conform, and Lang’s speculative last meal is just a small bit of the country’s fascinating he brought a lot of pleasure to other people’s lives. Writer Rozanne Gold, food and cooking, and you’ll know that just by picking up his book. The who did meet Mr. Lang, said he was, “brilliant, urbane, cultured, a story- Cuisine of Hungary isn’t a quick read: It’s nearly 500 pages long and my old teller, clever. I believed he felt his role in daily life was to amuse and ignite hardcover version probably weighs about a pound. Yet, as long as the book the imagination of others.” She goes on. “George Lang emanated brilliance. is, Lang wrote in his introduction that “Much of the fascinating material (I’ve Whimsy. A life of the mind and of the senses. He even invented a few of his researched) is too abstract or specialized, and with sadness I had to take own.” Like I said, he seems like my kind of guy. If he’d been a bit younger, out much more material than I left in the book.” That alone should give you perhaps we’d have connected and I’d have taken my first trip to Hungary some sense of how interesting and complex Hungarian cooking is. If a man with a list of tips that he’d emailed to me before leaving. with the insight and intellectual ability of George Lang was so fascinated While I’d like to have entered the world of Hungarian food with Mr. Lang with this food, you can assume that Hungarian cooking is no minor league on my arm, I did so with his insight in hand. Like so many things in my life, cuisine. I suppose my admiration and interest in his work and his life started with

:INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE s  0LAZA $RIVE !NN !RBOR -)  s WWWZINGERMANSBAKEHOUSECOM s  You might reasonably be wondering, what drove my sudden interest in the While I might have liked to take my first trip to Hungary with George Lang, I food of such a faraway country? Well, like so many things here, it all started feel lucky to have connected with Carolyn and Gábor Bánfalvi, as they share with a vision. A vision, as we define it, is written document that describes his passion for Hungarian history, food, culture and cooking. Carolyn grew our desired future at a particular point in time. It’s not a few short sen- up in Washington, D.C.; Gábor is a Hungarian native. He and Carolyn met tences; rather it’s a detailed, emotionally engaging, prose description of the while working together on a cruise ship. They ended up getting married and future of our dreams. A future that, once we finish writing the vision, we then returning to Budapest to live and raise their children. Today, Carolyn fully commit to attaining. Innovative business writer Joel A. Barker said, “Vi- writes about Hungarian cuisine while Gábor leads food and wine tours of sion without action is merely a dream; action without vision just passes the the country, taking travelers to many of the places Carolyn covers on her time; vision with action can change the world.” blog, and in her book, Food Wine Budapest. Last fall, I had the pleasure (For more on the subject of vision, see Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading, of spending a week with Gábor who led Frank, Amy, and I, along with our Part 1—it’s got four different essays that detail our approach to visioning good friend, great food writer and amazing cooking teacher, Molly Stevens, work and explain why we’re all so adamant that it’s a great way to work.) around Budapest and the Hungarian countryside. We had a fabulous time and Gábor and Carolyn were the perfect Magyar hosts. :INGERMANS "AKEHOUSE  In its modern state, Hungary is not a huge country. I’ll leave you to explore 6ISIONS /F 0OPPYSEEDS 0APRIKA 3TRUDELS !ND 4ORTES the country’s history on your own, but let’s just say there are many intrigu- ing questions about the origins of the Magyar tribes whose descendants we At the time George Lang’s book was published in 1971 he was just a touch know today as modern Hungarians. As George Lang wrote, “If the Hungarian older than I am now, but he’d already had a lifetime’s worth of learning nation behaved well in the past 1,100 years, it is probably because it would about the food and culture of his homeland. I, on the other hand, am still have been useless for anybody to tell them, ‘Go back where you came from.’ very new to it. I’m not Hungarian, I’d never even visited until last fall, and Nobody knew where that was—the Hungarians themselves still argue about I’ve never really studied it with any degree of seriousness until the past it.” few years. What I’ve written about here is just a small entrée into a very deep, very rich, and very complex world. My commitment is to continue my Hungary is about the size of Indiana, with a population of about 10,000,000 learning about Hungarian cooking, to study the culture and the cuisine, and people. Its small size belies a nearly unbelievable complexity. Hungarian to carry back what I learn to Zingerman’s. And all of this work stems from food combines passion and paradox, and brings together a wide range of a vision. different influences melded into one marvelous, almost magical cuisine. Lest I doubt the veracity of that claim, all I really need to do is take a bite of The vision in question is the one we wrote collaboratively a few years ago the goose fat and cabbage strudel, or the Rigó Jancsi torte at the Bakehouse. for Zingerman’s Bakehouse. We (Bakehouse managing partners Frank Car- ollo and Amy Emberling, and my partner Paul Saginaw) came to the realiza- Here’s what Molly said when I told her I was going to start writing about our tion that we’d fulfilled the original long-term vision we’d had for the Bake- trip. “I find it hard to come up with anything concise to summarize my take house, and that it was time to write a new one. As the Zingerman’s-wide on Hungarian cooking. Perhaps the biggest takeaway for me was the com- vision year is 2020, we decided to bring the Bakehouse into that timeframe plexity of the cuisine, and the pride and enthusiasm around it. Beyond the as well. enthusiasm of Gábor, I recall the determined pride of Mr. Hodi, the paprika maker we visited, stirring that big cauldron of brick-red fish soup, or the (The Bakehouse vision is four or five pages long, and if you’d like a copy, or defiant dignity of Mr. Singer, the owner of Fulemule restaurant in Budapest, a copy of the entire Zingerman’s 2020 vision, just email me at ari@zinger- who very clearly loved his food and his family. I was struck by the pride mans.com and I’ll send it your way. ) of survival and of tradition—it’s a combination of newness and legacy that As we were drafting the vision, we decided that one thing we wanted to I’d never experienced. When I think of the food, I think of , of soups include was that by the year 2020 we’d have developed a new area of baking and , of pork and goose, of poppy seeds and pastry. I think of curious specialty, something significant that we could include with the French, Ital- and wonderful things like ginger in matzo balls, “Transylvania Ham” (made ian, American and Jewish baked goods for which we were already known. from pork belly), and potato gnocchi for dessert caramelized with butter I’m not talking about running a few specials here and there; I mean an area and honey and garnished with apples, poppy seeds and walnuts. Oh, and the of very serious specialty. Which means a serious amount of studying, a endless array of pickles . . . love me those pickles.” bunch of hard work, some traveling, extensive product testing and tasting, In fact, we all enjoyed our experience so much that we’re going back. Frank and talking and learning from others who know more than we do. After a and Amy are taking a group of Bakehouse managers over this spring to con- good bit of discussion, and a brainstorm list that included the baking of tinue our learning. And we’ll all be returning this fall, this time focusing a dozen different countries and regions as possible options, the place we our learning on Transylvania (now in Romania, formerly part of Hungary, chose for our vision was Hungary. By the year 2020 we were going to be and boasting 3 million ethnic Hungarians). I think I might lug my copy of really good at both sweet and savory traditional Hungarian baked goods. George Lang’s book along. While I know only a bit about him, I’m pretty Why Hungary? Hungarian baking (actually Hungarian cooking in general) confident that he’d very happy to see so many traditional Hungarian foods is generally acknowledged to be among the finest in the world. The cuisine being made, respectfully and traditionally, in the middle of North America. and the culture draw from a hugely diverse set of influences: Asia, Austria, When you taste some goose fat strudel, or appreciate a slice of Rigó Jancsi Turkey, Germany, the , and Russia all come into play. Pork, poppy or Dobos Torta, or roast some Hungarian bacon on a stick . . . maybe you’ll seeds, pastry, and paprika predominate, and I happen to really like all of do as I’ve started to and make a silent toast to Hungary, an amazing culture them. We knew that if we chose to study Hungarian baking, we’d never be and cuisine. bored. The food, like the country, is very complex, very interesting, and of- ten surprising.

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