Lángos on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Lángos () is a typical Hungarian food. Nowadays it is a deep fried
In the early 2000s, some people built small, portable clay ovens and started to sell oven baked lángos, called "kenyérlángos" (bread-lángos) at festivals and fairs. Although reminiscent of the traditional lángos, it is more like a pizza with sour cream, onions and bacon.
Lángos is popular all year long. As it is a rather affordable and simple food, it is often sold around bus stations, fairs, local markets and all over Eastern European countries during local celebrations or sport events. It is sold at many fast-food restaurants not only in
flatbread
A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...
, but in the past it was made of the last bits of the bread-dough and baked at the front of a brick or clay oven, to be served hot as the breakfast of the bread-baking day.June Meyers Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes Cookbook
Etymology and history
The name comes from ''láng'', the Hungarian word forflame
A flame () is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction made in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density, they are then considered plasm ...
.
Up to the mid 20th century, bread was baked once a week due to the cost of heating up the large oven and the lengthy process kneading up to of dough. Because the bread loaf, typical to Hungary, was each, traditionally they used to bake smaller () "cipó" rolls for the evening and the next day. The name lángos (meaning "flamed") comes from baking these flat breads in the morning while the oven was still heating up. "Lángos" were also used as a side to lunch.
Variations
The dough for lángos is made of water or milk, flour,yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...
, and salt. The ingredients are worked together either by hand or a kneading machine. As the yeast starts metabolizing the carbohydrates in the flour, carbon dioxide is released which causes the dough to rise, creating the air bubbles in the lángos. Adding sour cream, yoghurt or mashed potatoes to the dough is optional but highly encouraged; in the latter case it is called potato lángos (in Hungarian ''krumplis lángos''). It is eaten fresh and warm, topped with sour cream and grated cheese, or Liptauer, ham, or sausages, or most frequently, without toppings, just rubbed with garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
or garlic butter, or doused with garlic water. Other ingredients and accompaniments can be mushroom, quark cheese, eggplant
Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...
, cabbage, kefir
Kefir ( ; alternative spellings: kephir or kefier; ; ; ) is a Fermented milk products, fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt or ayran that is made from kefir grains, a specific type of mesophilic SCOBY, symbiotic culture. It is prep ...
, omelet, and confectioner's sugar or jam.
In the early 2000s, some people built small, portable clay ovens and started to sell oven baked lángos, called "kenyérlángos" (bread-lángos) at festivals and fairs. Although reminiscent of the traditional lángos, it is more like a pizza with sour cream, onions and bacon.
Lángos is popular all year long. As it is a rather affordable and simple food, it is often sold around bus stations, fairs, local markets and all over Eastern European countries during local celebrations or sport events. It is sold at many fast-food restaurants not only in Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much 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 south, Croatia and ...
but also in Austria. In Austria, especially in Vienna, lángos is very popular as a fast food at fairs and amusement parks like the Prater, Family Park. Lángos is known in the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
and Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
as ''langoš'', in Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
as ''languš'' (although it is commonly called " Mekike"). In Slovenia it is known as Langaš and in Macedonia and Bulgaria as ''Mekitsa
Mekitsa (; plural ''mekitsi'') is a traditional Bulgarian dish made of kneaded dough made with yogurt that is deep fried. They are made with flour, eggs, yogurt, a leavening agent, water, salt, and oil. In Serbia they are called ' (sing. '), w ...
''. It is also popular in Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
(especially in Transylvania) as ''langoși''. It is also prevalent in Poland where it is known as "langosz" and in the UK where it is called "langos" or "Hungarian Fried Bread."
See also
*List of doughnut varieties
Doughnuts are a type of List of fried dough foods, fried dough food. The following is a list of doughnut and fried dough pastry varieties.
Variations and specialties by region
The terms below constitute either names for different doughnut type ...
* List of deep fried foods
This is a list of deep fried foods and dishes. Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, such as cooking oil. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan, and industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum f ...
* Frybread
Frybread (also spelled fry bread) is a dish of the Indigenous people of North America that is a flat dough bread, frying, fried or deep frying, deep-fried in oil, shortening, or lard.
Made with simple ingredients, generally wheat flour, water, ...
* Shelpek
Shelpek (; ; ; ; ) is a traditional Central Asian flatbread commonly consumed all over the region. The main ingredients of shelpek are flour, milk, sugar, butter, sour cream such as kaymak, baking soda, salt and vegetable oil.
The dough is shap ...
* Bhatoora
Bhatura also known as batoora, bhatoora, batura, or pathora (, is a fluffy deep-fried leavened sourdough bread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly served as a midday meal or a breakfast dish in northern and eastern India. P ...
* Mekitsa
Mekitsa (; plural ''mekitsi'') is a traditional Bulgarian dish made of kneaded dough made with yogurt that is deep fried. They are made with flour, eggs, yogurt, a leavening agent, water, salt, and oil. In Serbia they are called ' (sing. '), w ...
* BeaverTails
BeaverTails is a Canadian restaurant chain, specializing in pastries known as BeaverTails, that is operated by BeaverTails Canada Inc. Its namesake products are fried dough pastries, individually hand-stretched to resemble beaver's tails, wit ...
* National symbols of Hungary
The national symbols of Hungary are flags, icons or cultural expressions that are emblematic, representative or otherwise characteristic of Hungary or culture of Hungary, Hungarian culture. The highly valued special Hungarian products and sym ...
*
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Langos Hungarian dishes Flatbreads Romanian breads Ottoman cuisine Street food Doughnuts Greek breads Turkish breads Romani cuisine