The national symbols of Hungary are flags,

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

s or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or otherwise characteristic of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Hungarian culture Hungarian culture is characterised by its distinctive cuisine, folk traditions, poetry, theatre, religious customs, music and traditional embroidered garments. Hungarian folk traditions range from embroidery, decorated pottery and carvings t ...

. The highly valued special Hungarian products and symbols are called ''Hungaricum'' or ''Hunnerisms''.International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
Report of a Working Group on Medicinal and Aromatic plants: first meeting 12-14 September 2002, Gozd Martuljek, Slovenia
2004, p. 46

Flags and heraldry

The

flag of Hungary The national flag of Hungary ( hu, Magyarország zászlaja) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and green (red-white-green). In this exact form, it has been the official flag of Hungary since 23 May 1957. The flag's form originates from nati ...

is a horizontal tricolor of red, white and green. The coat of arms of the

Árpád dynasty The Árpád dynasty, consisted of the members of the royal House of Árpád (), also known as Árpáds ( hu, Árpádok, hr, Arpadovići). They were the ruling dynasty of the Principality of Hungary in the 9th and 10th centuries and of the King ...

is also popular. File: Flag of Hungary.svg, Flag of Hungary File: Coat of arms of Hungary.svg, Hungarian coat of arms File:1848Zaszlo1.png, Hungarian military flag from the

Revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

File:1956flag.jpg, Hungarian revolution flag in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building File: Hungary Arms.svg, Coat of arms of the

Flora and fauna

Almost a fifth of the country is forested, however only 10 percent is natural forest.Neal Bedford
Lonely Planet Hungary
Lonely Planet, 2009, p. 64 Hungary is home to some 2,200 flowering plant species and, because of its topography and transitional climate, many of them are not normally found at this latitude. Much of the flora in the Villány and Mecsek Hills in Southern Transdanubia, for example, is usually seen only around the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. On the southern Szársomlyó Hill of the Villány Mountains, the formerly unknown '' Colchicum hungaricum' (Hungarian Crocus) was found and botanically described in 1867 by the Hungarian botanist Viktor Janka. This is the earliest ative?Hungarian flower to bloom. The saline Hortobágy region on the Eastern Plain has many plants normally found on the seashore, and the Nyírség area is famous for meadow flowers. The Gemenc forest on the

Danube River The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

near

Szekszárd Szekszárd (, formerly also ''Szegzárd''; hr, Seksar; german: Sechshard or ; sr, Сексард) is a small city in southern Hungary and the capital of Tolna County. By population, Szekszárd is the smallest county capital in Hungary; by area ...

, the Little Balaton in the center of

Transdanubia Transdanubia ( hu, Dunántúl; german: Transdanubien, hr, Prekodunavlje or ', sk, Zadunajsko :sk:Zadunajsko) is a traditional region of Hungary. It is also referred to as Hungarian Pannonia, or Pannonian Hungary. Administrative divisions Trad ...

, and the

Tisza River The Tisza, Tysa or Tisa, is one of the major rivers of Central and Eastern Europe. Once, it was called "the most Hungarian river" because it flowed entirely within the Kingdom of Hungary. Today, it crosses several national borders. The Tisza be ...

backwater east of

Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's th ...

are important wetlands. Most of the trees in the nation's forests are deciduous beech, oak, and birch, and a small percentage are fir. Since the 14th century, over 250 new plants have colonized Hungary, of which almost 70 are considered invasive. Many such plants are perennial herbs that have slowly extirpated some native flora. Historically, Hungary was the second largest supplier of paprika to the United States,Niir Boar
Handbook On Spices (Reprint Edition - 2010)
National Institute of Industrial Re, 2010, p. 101 despite the spice not being a product of a Hungarian native plant. Hungarian paprika has a distinctive flavor and is in great demand in Europe where it is used as a spice rather than as a coloring agent. File:Hortobagy-ziehbrunnen.jpg,

Hortobágy National Park Hortobágy () is an 800 km2 national park in eastern Hungary, rich with folklore and cultural history. The park, a part of the Alföld (Great Plain), was designated as a national park in 1973 (the first in Hungary), and elected among the W ...

, the Hungarian steppe File:Szeged-paprika1.jpg,

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...

peppers set out to dry File:Colchicum hungaricum.jpg, Hungarian Crocus, ''Colchicum hungaricum'' File:Magyar szürke.jpg,

Hungarian Grey cattle The Hungarian Grey ( hu, Magyar Szürke, italic=no), also known as the Hungarian Grey Steppe, is a Hungarian breed of beef cattle. It belongs to the group of Podolic cattle and is characterised by long lyre-shaped horns and a pale grey coat. I ...

File:PuliDog.jpg, Puli (smaller) sheepdog File:Komondor delvin.jpg,

Komondor The Komondor (), also known as the Hungarian sheepdog, is a large, white-coloured Hungarian breed of livestock guardian dog with a long, corded coat. Sometimes referred to as 'mop dogs', the Komondor is a long-established dog breed commonly e ...

(larger) sheepdog File:Vizsla standing Rosie harness.jpg,

Vizsla The Vizsla () is a dog breed from Hungary and belongs to the Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) group 7 (Pointing Dogs), the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) group 1 (Sporting group), and the American Kennel Club (Sporting group). The H ...

File:Buffalo-bivaly.JPG, Hungarian Buffalo in the buffalo reserve of Kápolnapuszta,

Zala county Zala ( hu, Zala megye, ; ; ) is an administrative county ( comitatus or ''megye'') in south-western Hungary. It is named after the Zala River. It shares borders with Croatia ( Koprivnica–Križevci and Međimurje Counties) and Slovenia ( Lend ...

People

File:Arpadfeszty.jpg, Arrival of the Hungarians in the 9th century File:Hungarian folk wrangler.jpg, Wrangler ( csikós) File:Hungarian Dances in front of the Catholic church of Kelebija.JPG, Traditional Hungarian dance File:Ancient Hungarian - traditional coppersmith master at work.jpg, Master

coppersmith A coppersmith, also known as a brazier, is a person who makes artifacts from copper and brass. Brass is an alloy An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an ...

at work File:Hungarian horse archers.jpg, Horse archer File:Husaren Elsterwerda Oktober 2007 1.jpg, Hungarian

Hussars A hussar ( , ; hu, huszár, pl, husarz, sh, husar / ) was a member of a class of light cavalry, originating in Central Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely a ...

Elsterwerda Elsterwerda (; Lower Sorbian: ''Wikow'') is a town in the Elbe-Elster district, in southwestern Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the Black Elster river, 48 km northwest of Dresden, and 11 km southeast of Bad Liebenwerda. Histo ...

File:Paprika Vendor Budapest big hall.jpg, Paprika vendor in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

File:Mangalitsa (Paleo) Festival - Budapest, 2013 (13).JPG, Traditional clothes of a gulyás (herdsman)

National Anthem

Himnusz "" (; "Hymn" or "Anthem") is the national anthem of Hungary. The lyrics were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet, in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel in 1844, ...

" was adopted in the 19th century and the first stanza is sung at official ceremonies. The words were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet in 1823, and its currently officially recognised musical setting was composed by romantic composer

Ferenc Erkel Ferenc Erkel ( hu, Erkel Ferenc , german: link=no, Franz Erkel; November 7, 1810June 15, 1893) was a Hungarian composer, conductor and pianist. He was the father of Hungarian grand opera, written mainly on historical themes, which are still o ...

in 1844, although other, lesser known musical versions exist.

Food and drink

The traditional Hungarian dishes abound in piquant flavors and aromas.Teresa de Noronha Vaz, Peter Nijkamp, Jean-Louis Rastoin
Traditional food production and rural sustainable development: a European challenge
Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2009, p. 106 Dishes are flavorful, spicy and often rather heavy. Flavors of Hungarian dishes are based on centuries-old traditions in spicing and preparation methods. The exquisite ingredients are produced by local agricultural and husbandry. Paprika, onion and garlic are to be found everywhere. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

the fish soup was the most popular and the most lovely fishmeal in Hungary. A cookery book from 1860 contains 400 fish recipes. The most well-known specialities of Hungarian cuisine such as

goulash Goulash ( hu, gulyás) is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is one of the n ...

soup, the different varieties of stew and ''

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 ...

'' are red with paprika. File:Dobos cake (Gerbeaud Confectionery Budapest Hungary).jpg, Dobos torte File:Hortobagy palacsinta.JPG, '' Hortobágyi palacsinta'' (filled pancake) File:Gulyas080.jpg,

Goulash Goulash ( hu, gulyás) is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating in Hungary, goulash is a common meal predominantly eaten in Central Europe but also in other parts of Europe. It is one of the n ...

File:Kurtoskalacs.jpg,

Kürtőskalács (; sometimes improperly rendered as ''Kurtosh Kolach''; ro, Colac/Cozonac secuiesc; german: Baumstriezel) is a spit cake specific to Hungarians from Hungary, more specifically the Székelys. Originally popular in the Hungarian-speaking regio ...

chimney cake File:Lángos frying.jpg, Fresh made

lángos Lángos () is a typical Hungarian food. Today it is a deep fried flatbread, but in the past it was made of the last bits of the bread-dough and baked at the front of the brick or clay oven, to be served hot as the breakfast of the bread-baking da ...

File:Unicum bottle.JPG, A cold bottle of

Unicum Unicum () is a Hungarian herbal liqueur or bitters, drunk as a digestif and apéritif. The liqueur was created in 1790 and is today produced by Zwack according to a secret formula of more than forty herbs; the drink is aged in oak casks. Du ...

File:Palinka.jpg,

Pálinka Pálinka is a traditional fruit spirit (or fruit brandy) with origins in Carpathian Mountains, more exactly known under several names, and invented in the Middle Ages. Protected as a geographical indication of the European Union, only fruit spir ...

File:Tokaji Aszu.JPG,

Tokaji Tokaji ( hu, of Tokaj ) or Tokay is the name of the wines from the Tokaj wine region (also ''Tokaj-Hegyalja wine region'' or ''Tokaj-Hegyalja'') in Hungary or the adjoining Tokaj wine region in Slovakia. This region is noted for its sweet wines ...

wine, "Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum" ("Wine of Kings, King of Wines")

References