Hungarian Salami

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As soon as I meet Pasti, we realise that we have a common passion.

“Are you enjoying Hungary?” he asks me.
“Yes, of course” I reply. “Everywhere I go in Europe I love to try the local cheeses and sausages. I am especially happy to be here Hungary because when I was a kid, Hungarian salami was one of my favourite foods.”
“Really?” Pasti asks me.
“Yep. Well, it was called Hungarian salami, but… Australian salami is not so good. We have all kinds of different ones but they all taste kind of the same.”
Pasti frowns and nods. “You must try some real Hungarian sausage” he tells me. “There is a market near my home where I can buy very delicious meats and sausages. If you would like to have dinner with us tonight you can try some real Hungarian food.”

Pasti phones his girlfriend, Viktoria, to warn her he is bringing a hitchhiker home for dinner. She texts him a list of ingredients to get.

On the way to the house we stop at a small corner shop and Pasti collects a basket full of delicious looking items.

Viktoria is not at all upset about having a hitchhiker to dinner. In fact she invites me to stay the night.

I offer to help in the kitchen, but Viktoria insists she has everything under control, and instructs me to set up the ping-pong table on the patio.

We have a delicious meal of spicy chicken casserole with pasta that Viktoria made herself by hand.

After we are done eating we have a few games of ping-pong and then watch ‘Finding Nemo’ in Hungarian.

The next morning Pasti makes sandwiches on a massive scale, using a wide variety of different Hungarian salamis. He encourages me to sample each one and compare the flavours, which I am very happy to do.

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We all get in the car and drive out of town to a nearby hill where there are caves in the cliffs.
We make a perfunctory tour of the caves, inspect a gigantic bronze bird on a plinth and then settle on the grass in the sunshine and get down to the real business of the day; eating salami sandwiches.

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Pasti is really a great sandwich maker. He would give Arthur Dent a run for his money.
Each sandwich is enclosed in a tender, crispy white roll, and features a different sausage or cheese. The sandwiches are also lightly garnished with mayonnaise and salad.

“That was really a great lunch” I tell my hosts, after I finish eating. “There’s only one problem. I won’t be able to enjoy so-called ‘Hungarian Salami’ in Australia anymore”.

Pasti and Viktoria drop me off at the highway ramp.
Pasti gives me a packed dinner of more gorgeous looking sandwiches.
I wave goodbye and stick out my thumb.
 

Right now I’m on the river bank in Budapest, watching the sun go down with a beer in one hand and a Hungarian salami sandwich in the other. Real Hungarian salami.

Thanks Pasti. Thanks Viktoria. Thanks Innis & Gunn!

 
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