Hungarikum Days Showcase Culture and Gastronomy of the Carpathian Basin

Guests and performers from many countries are coming to Nagyszeben (Sibiu, Romania) for the 15th Hungarikum Days, an event that promotes both Hungarian cuisine and culture. The festival, which started on July 4 and runs until July 7, is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors from Transylvania, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.

As in previous years, the Hungarikum Days is held outdoors in the ASTRA Open-air Museum. The festival’s opening event was held on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Sibiu, where the festive program was provided by the Veszprém City Choir.

Levente Serfőző, president of the organizer HÍD Association of Szeben Hungarians, told Krónikaonline.ro that although there are fewer than 2,000 Hungarians living in the southern Transylvanian city, the Hungaricum Days attract tens of thousands of visitors over three or four days, several thousand of whom are non-Hungarians.

That alone is a big thing and we are happy that Hungarikum Days has been able to survive and continue to flourish for so long. I am very happy that after all these years we have managed to invite guests from many regions of the Carpathian Basin,”

the organizer said.

He recalled that the association also organizes the Ars Hungarica cultural festival and the Ars Sacra church music festival. “The Hungarikum Days and Ars Hungarica are practically along the same lines, to make the Hungarian presence in the scattered areas of the dispersed regions manifest in a way that is attractive to all,” the chief organizer said.

In keeping with tradition, the 15th Hungarikum Days will also focus on gastronomy, with the main attraction being the cooking competition on Saturday.

Thirty teams will be cooking in the village museum, coming from several countries of the Carpathian Basin, from areas inhabited by Hungarians, bringing their gastronomic specialties.

In addition to the competition, they will also prepare home-made sweets and cakes.

On Sunday, the chefs of the jury will present the world of Hungarian cuisine. Twelve different dishes will be prepared, including rooster and pig stew, rabbit soup, and csöröge (Hungarian deep-fried crispy doughnuts). Visitors will also find traditional Hungarian flavors in the street of farmers and craftsmen, where around 50 vendors will offer their wares.

The cultural program will be provided by performers from different parts of the Carpathian Basin, including folk choirs, singers and music bands. The audience will be entertained with concerts and medieval games, and the Zöld Fenyő folk dance ensemble from Covasna County will perform dances from Mezőség, Felcsík and Szék.

Via Krónikaonline.ro; Featured image: Facebook/Hungarikum Napok Nagyszeben