Twelve teams advanced to the Food of Hungary 2023 cooking competition

The secret of perfect Hungarian food is the quality and quantity of the ingredients, the preparation and storage procedures, and can be linked to one secret ingredient, and this is national unity and patriotism – emphasized the Deputy State Secretary for Strategic Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior on Saturday, at the announcement of the results of the semifinals of the Food of Hungary 2023 cooking competition.

According to Sölch Gellért, the contestants undertook no small task, as they undertook to prepare a dish that the whole of Hungary and the Carpathian Basin can be proud of. He believed that, in addition to excellent preparation, they had to take centuries-old traditions into account.

The semi-final was won in a tie by the Székekpuszta Ifjai team from Kígyósi Csárda in Fülöpszállás with their Kiskunsági pressed pig face dish and the Vincent Restaurant & Pastry Vincent team in Kecskemét with their line of dishes called Bíbor Hajnal. Sölch Gellért also mentioned that even in the current uncertain times, the government is trying to bring stability to as many areas of life as possible, including the food supply, which is why the food price cap was introduced, which is in effect until April 30.
Jury president Zsolt Endrédi, head of kitchen at art’Otel Budapest, said that they met various kitchen techniques and told all the contestants what mistakes they made while preparing the food and what they need to improve on before the finals.
István Asztalos, the president of the Étrend Hungarian Chefs’ Association, emphasized: Hungarian gastronomy can only be renewed if the profession is also renewed, and the Food of Hungary competition provides an excellent basis for this. He said that citizens of seven countries took part in the competition and there was a 100 percent Syrian team among the participants.