Fig. 9

Sekelji gulaš, Szekely goulash is one of the most famous dishes made of pickled cabbage. It used to represent a traditional winter dish eaten primarily by the poor. There are two stories connected with the origin of this dish. The first one says that the dish was named after Szekely Hungarians who live in today’s Romania, while the other story says that the dish was named after Imre Szekely, a city public notary in Budapest. According to the story, Mr Szekely used to have lunch every day in a small restaurant called “Music Clock.” One day he came later than usual and, not knowing what to do, the staff collected all the remained cabbage and a few spoons of pork stew. They mixed it, spread it with sour cream, and served it to Mr Szekely. He liked it so much that he asked for the same meal to be prepared again. After the chef and the owner of the restaurant tried the meal, they were convinced that a true specialty was born. This means that this unique Hungarian dish was made purely by accident [4]