Sunday, November 3

Today we are in Kalocsa, Hungary where we went by bus to visit the Paprika Museum where we learned about the history of paprika and its use. It was first brought to the area in the 16th century by the Turks and is now a dominant spice in Hungarian kitchens.

Our tour guide Gregory gave us his recipe for Goulash as follows:
2 lg onions, sunflower oil, 2 Tbsp. paprika, 1 kg cubed beef and water. Cook onion and beef in oil. Add paprika but do not allow to burn. Add water a little at a time. Cook for 2 hours.

Next we toured a very old library where they had books and maps that were from the 17th century, before they knew about the n/w part of America. There was also a copy of St Stephen's crown. The original had been taken to Fort Knox for safe keeping in war times and was returned in the '70's by the Carter administration.

Then we went to the Puszta, out in the Hungarian countryside where we were treated to a Hungarian horse show and wagon ride. Included also were refreshments consisting of red or white wine, apple juice and bread coated with lard and sprinkled with paprika. We decided it may be best to save our appetite till we returned to the ship! Then there was a short wagon ride before we were bused back to the ship.