The iconic roasted piglet, the laughing chimney sweep and the bubbly champagne existed only on greeting cards. The New Year’s Eve celebrations of my youth took place in Zugló at my relatives’ home party. Fireworks and street parties were not known during the communist era; those types of festivities are recent developments. Food was always central in Hungarian celebrations and New Year’s Eve was no different.
The party started at 8:00 PM with the TV Szilveszteri Kabaré.
Shortly thereafter, the aunts brought in a tray of piping hot töpörtyűs pogácsa.
Around 11:PM we ate frankfurters with bread, horseradish and mustard.
After the countdown, the National Anthem played.
We kissed and that is when the grownups shed a few tears.
At dawn, we walked down to the Erzsébet Királyné and Fűrész Utca corner,
got on the first streetcar of the New Year singing and laughing all the way home.
got on the first streetcar of the New Year singing and laughing all the way home.
On New Year’s Day we ate cabbage rolls, pork jelly or lentil soup. Lentil and pork was essential to bring health, wealth and good luck for the New Year. My food list is both typical and personal. People partaking in large, posh parties would have a very different list of foods with caviar crepes, suckling pig and drunkard soup. A cold wave is coming down from the North and drunkard soup is in my plans to make. As for the rest... I shall leave those to the imagination.
