A visit to the Budapest market
On our last day in Budapest we opted for a visit to the city’s central market. I love markets. They’re a great place to get an overview of what the city loves and what it eats. Having someone on hand to give us a commentary helped, too. The market is a large, very clean hall, and is really a collection of well-stocked stalls. There’s food, wine, spices, souvenirs – and an Aldi.
It’s interesting how a city’s history can influence its food. Hungary was a part of the Ottoman Empire for 150 years. In that time the Muslims ate beef – so the ordinary Hungarians ate pork. And as is true in most places, they ate the whole animal. Sausages, blood wurst, and brawn were made as well as the more common (expensive) cuts.
Hungary is famous for paprika, which made its way here from South America via the Portuguese. It’s available in 20+ varieties ranging from sweet to very spicy, depending on what variety of pepper is used to make the powder. It is commonly used in food like goulash. Many places in the market stock paprika.
After wandering around the markets we were taken to a restaurant to sample Hungarian food – sausage, cheese, peppers, cucumber, tomato. It was enjoyable.
That evening the APT Solara set sail – but before we headed south, we were treated to a view of Budapest at night. It was cold up there on the sundeck, but I braved the wind to show you the city lit up at night. It’s a stunning sight.
If you enjoyed this article you might enjoy my books. My science fiction romance book The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy is free if you sign up for my newsletter. It’s fast-paced action all the way as star-crossed lovers race to stop a holocaust.
If you enjoyed this article you might enjoy my books. My science fiction romance book The Iron Admiral: Conspiracy is free if you sign up for my newsletter. It’s fast-paced action all the way as star-crossed lovers race to stop a holocaust.
If you’ve missed any of the posts for this trip, go here. Europe 2026
