Every nation has habits and traditions that seem bizarre and even shocking to foreigners. A Russian tourist visited Hungary and named in her Zen channel “Alone in a Strange City” 7 oddities of local residents that surprise Russians.
For Hungarians, everything listed below is normal and ordinary, has a logical explanation and reason. A Russian tourist tried to understand the oddities of the locals and where they came from.
1. Hungarians eat pasta and potatoes. This dish is called “grenadier march” and first appeared in military campaigns. According to the recipe, you need to boil potatoes and mashed potatoes, add boiled pasta, pour over melted lard, then sprinkle with paprika for color and mix.
2. Trolleybus numbers start at 70 in Budapest. The trolleybus network that appeared in the Hungarian capital back in the 1930s was destroyed during World War II. Assistance in designing a new transport system was provided by the Soviet Union. 26 new trolleybuses were sent to Budapest. The official opening of the network took place on December 21, 1949, on the day of Stalin's 70th birthday. In his honor, the first trolleybus in Budapest received the number 70, and further numbering went from him and has not been revised since then.
3. Hungarians use salted potatoes and horseradish as traditional medicine. Since, as elsewhere in the EU, medicines in Hungary can only be bought with a prescription, residents of the country who do not want to run to the hospital for nothing are turning to folk remedies. In case of problems with the intestines, very salty boiled potatoes are eaten on an empty stomach and washed down with the broth in which they were boiled. In case of a runny nose, they rub horseradish and put it in a jar, and then, if necessary, bring it to the nose to eliminate congestion.
Another local remedy for colds and coughs is called Unicum. This is a bitter herbal liqueur, which contains about 40 ingredients. It is infused in oak barrels and then drunk before meals for appetite or after to improve digestion. If desired, you can add ice, drink cola or beer. For colds, Unicum is added to hot tea with lemon or drunk clean before bed. Thanks to herbs, a person sweats during the night and feels better by morning.
4. Hungarian has very long words. In 1996, the world's longest word was entered into the Guinness Book of Records – “megszentségteleníthetetlenségeskedéseitekért”. Translated from Hungarian, this is roughly “because of your constant desire to be undefiled.” In this word, 11 suffixes at once, which are used instead of prepositions in the language, stick together with the root and can accumulate. This is a feature of the Hungarian language that makes it extremely difficult.
5. In Hungary, the family name is placed before the given name. Mandatory established order: last name, then first name. For example, Ivanova Anna. If she marries a Hungarian named Kovacs Istvan, she will have to introduce herself using her husband's last name and first name with the addition of the suffix “not”: Kovacs Istvanne. Recently, it has become permissible to add one's own name as well: Kovacs Istvanne Anna. Or include your maiden name, removing the husband's name and adding a suffix to his last name: Kovacne Ivanova Anna.
6. Hungarians don't like Voronezh. At the beginning of 1943, in the battle of Voronezh, 150 thousand soldiers from the 2nd Hungarian Royal Army, who fought on the side of Hitler, died, were wounded or went missing. Therefore, the name of the city reminds of a significant loss for such a small country. The names of the Hungarian city of Mohacs and the Romanian city of Arad evoke approximately the same feelings among the Hungarians. In Mohacs, the Hungarian-Czech-Croatian army was defeated by the Turks in 1526, and as a result, King Lajos II died, and the country lost its statehood. In Arad in 1849, the Austrians executed 13 generals of the revolutionary army, thereby crushing the Hungarian uprising.
7. In Hungary they don't give “for tea”, but “for wine”. In Hungarian, the word “tip” is translated “borravaló”, or literally “money for wine.” There is no negative connotation in this, since the country has rich traditions of winemaking and drinking. In addition, these “wine” do not leave the choice of a visitor to a cafe or restaurant, but are immediately included in the bill at the rate of 10% of the order amount. This is a rule established at the legislative level as part of the fight against “unearned income”.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Scientists have named a spice that breaks down fats and helps to lose weight.”