Evelin Balog chose the Ukrainian dish „Varenyky“. Foto: privat
If you missed the first part of the story, click here.
It is always exciting and challenging to organize an event all by yourself, but it is exciting to participate in one as well. I was absolutely amazed by the hospitality of Karoline and other participants. At that evening we become a little family. And I would like to ask another participant whether this spirit was only in my imagination or others also shared it. So let’s hear what our Hungarian chef, Evelin Balog, thinks about it.
Hi, Evelin. You definitely have a cooking talent. We all enjoyed your dishes and hope you enjoyed the evening as well. So how did you find out about the “International Menu” event and why did you decide to join it?
Evelin: I read about a similar event on Facebook in December, but unfortunately I did not manage to go there. Later, the main organizer of the event simply asked me if I wanted to help to organize another cooking event. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to know new people and spend a cool evening together.
Could you tell a bit more about the dishes you made?
The dishes look great and taste even better. Foto: Olha Kuzmyn
Evelin: I wanted to cook something traditional but then the question arouse whether it should be a traditional Hungarian or a traditional Ukrainian dish. As I am closely connected with both countries I decided to cook Ukrainian “Varenyky” (dumplings filled with mashed potato) and Hungarian “Gundel Palacsinta” (pancakes with a filling made of ground nuts, milk, raisins and plum jam and melted chocolate on the top).
What was the most challenging and most exciting part of the event?
Evelin: The most challenging part of the evening, I think, was the moment when I started to bake the pancakes. It turned out that the pans in the kitchen were not suitable for pancakes so I had to modify the recipe a bit and instead of Hungarian pancakes we had American ones. The most exciting moment was when people with different cultural backgrounds were making those dumplings with such a passionate devotion as if they were part of their own culture.
As you can see, cooking can be not only tasty but enjoyable as well. If you want to join the next event feel free to ask organizers on their Facebook page Über den Tellerrand. And Bon Appétit!
And many thanks to Karoline Teichmann and Evelin Balog for the great interviews!