Frankfurters in Hungary are usual picks for New Year’s Eve parties, and people who care about quality are always eager to know what would be best for such a special occasion. Now they have some help, thanks to the test of Dining Guide magazine and the Bocuse d’Or Academy.
According to the competition’s criteria, the participating brands of frankfurters had to be commercially and widely available, pre-packaged (vacuum sealed), with a meat content of at least 75%, filled exclusively in sheep casing, and containing varying proportions of pork and beef.
The competition was held in Budapest’s Párisi Passage, whose chef prepared the frankfurters on the spot. But instead of the uniform cooking protocol, Lajos Lutz made them ready according to what was indicated on the product packaging (recommended water temperature, etc).
The jury consisted of ten Hungarian professionals, including Michelin-starred chefs, such as Tamás Széll and Ákos Sárközi, who lately has starred in gastro reality shows. Jury members were blindfolded and could give a maximum of 25 points after observing aroma, texture, crunchiness, taste, harmony, and overall impression.
Hungary’s top frankfurters are:
1st and absolute winner: “Sága ROYAL” frankfurter (85% pork) 18.7 points
2nd: Spar Regnum frankfurter in sheep casing (75% pork) 17.9 points
3rd: “Wiesbauer Premium” Sacher frankfurter (75% pork, 3% beef) 17.6 points
4th: “Wiesbauer Premium” Viennese frankfurter (80% pork, 4% beef) 17.5 points
5th: “Pikok” Viennese Crunchy frankfurter (80% pork) 17.4 points
While, of course being a popular dish all year long, frankfurters in Hungary are usual picks for New Year’s Eve as well, hence the timing of the competition. Easter will see similar, but ham-focused tests.
featured photo illustration by János Vajda/MTI