''Gulyásleves'' (''gulyás'' and ''leves'' mean '' herdsman'' and ''soup'' in Hungarian), is a Hungarian

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...

, made of

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

s, ground

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 ...

and other

spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spices a ...

s. It originates from a dish cooked by the cattlemen (Hungarian: gulya = cattle herd, gulyás = cattle herder), who tended their herds in the

Great Hungarian Plain The Great Hungarian Plain (also known as Alföld or Great Alföld, hu, Alföld or ) is a plain occupying the majority of the modern territory of Hungary. It is the largest part of the wider Pannonian Plain. (However, the Great Hungarian plain ...

(known as the ''Alföld'' or ''puszta'' in Hungarian). These Hungarian cowboys often camped out with their cattle days away from populated areas, so they had to make their food from ingredients they could carry with themselves, and this food had to be cooked in the one available portable cauldron (called ''bogrács'') over an open fire. The word ''bogrács'' is a loanword from Ottoman Turkish باقراج (spelled ''bakraç'' in modern Turkish), meaning a cauldron made of copper; from the word "copper" in Old Turkish language (spelled ''bakır'' in modern Turkish). The original dish called ''bográcsgulyás'' was a stew, not a soup. Traditional Hungarian ''bográcsgulyás'' (

cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot (kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and ...

goulash) is often still cooked outdoors over an open fire in a cauldron, giving the appearance of a

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...

. Later on when the dish left the peasant cuisines and became popular even in the town, it started to be cooked more like a soup. Nowadays the dish served in the Hungarian restaurants is a soup, but the locals cook the dish called ''

gulyás Gulyás may refer to: * Gulyás (herdsman), a Hungarian cattle-herdsman * Goulash, a Hungarian soup or stew * Gulyásleves, a Hungarian soup {{Disambig ...

'' as a stew and ''gulyásleves'' like a soup. There are different variations of the recipe. The meat is beef, but often mixed meats are used (e.g. beef, pork and mutton or lamb). Tomatoes, carrots and fresh peppers (often hot chilies) are also added. Onions, paprika and caraway seeds provide its flavour. Cubed potatoes or pasta squares are typically added to this spicy soup. This dish is not to be confused with other dishes, like ''

pörkölt Pörkölt is a meat stew which originates from Hungary, but is eaten throughout Central Europe. In Hungary Pörkölt is a Hungarian stew with boneless meat, paprika, and some vegetables. It should not be confused with ''Goulash'', a stew with ...

'' or ''

paprikás Chicken paprikash ( hu, paprikás csirke or ''csirkepaprikás'') or paprika chicken is a popular dish of Hungarian origin and one of the most famous variations on the ''paprikás'' preparations common to Hungarian tables. The name is derived fr ...

''.

References

See also