''Brassói aprópecsenye'' (translated as "tiny roasts from Brașov") is a Hungarian dish. It is a hot dish made from pork and seasoned potatoes, which can include garlic, onion,

paprika Paprika ( US , ; UK , ) is a spice made from dried and ground red peppers. It is traditionally made from ''Capsicum annuum'' varietals in the Longum group, which also includes chili peppers, but the peppers used for paprika tend to be milder an ...

, oil, salt, and pepper, although there are several variations. The origin of the dish is not clearly established, but it is believed to date back to the 19th or 20th century.

Origin

The recipe for ''brassói aprópecsenye'' is sometimes attributed to Nándor Gróf, the head chef of the

Hungarian State Railways Hungarian State Railways ( hu, Magyar Államvasutak, MÁV) is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV START Zrt." (passenger transport), "MÁV-Gépészet Zrt." (maintenance), "MÁV-Trakció Zrt." and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" (freig ...

, who is said to have created the recipe in 1948 on a train traveling between Budapest and Brașov. This theory is disputed by chef György Dózsa, who indicates that the recipe is first described in a 19th-century cookbook and defines it as a dish originating from Brașov and consisting of beef and garlic. Endre Papp, the former director of Mátyás Cellar in Vienna, claims that he first prepared this dish for a culinary innovation competition on September 17, 1950. Residents of Óbuda, a district of Budapest, claim that the recipe was created by the wife of the owner of the Weiss Pub (located in Óbuda) for the anniversary of the master carpenter Károly Brassóy; the dish prepared is made with pork, marjoram, onion, and

tarhonya ''Tarhonya'' in Hungarian or ''tarhoňa'' in Slovak, is an egg-based noodle, often found in Hungary and Central Europe. It probably originates from the influence of the Ottoman empire and Turkish cuisine and the term likely comes from ' ...

. Due to its uncertain origin, even though its name refers to the city of Brașov, the dish may not have a direct connection to that city but may have acquired the name to make it more traditional. Furthermore, the prefix "apró-" meaning "tiny" is said to have been added sarcastically to the Hungarian name when someone accidentally cut the meat into too small pieces.

Preparation

The dish begins with meat cut into small cubes, browned in a large pan with oil, and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, and marjoram. Broth is added and the mixture sautéed. Potatoes are peeled and cubed to match the meat's size, then fried until golden and drained. The heat is raised under the pork until it's uniformly golden, and paprika is briefly stir-fried. The potatoes are combined with the meat to warm them. The dish is served warm with a garnish of chopped parsley.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brassói aprópecsenye Hungarian cuisine Brașov