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Hungarian bacon, how do I eat/cook this?

post #1 of 15
10/20/05 at 10:56pm
Thread Starter 
Hungarian bacon, how do I eat/cook this?

Is a recetangle about 3 inchec wide, 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.

Its got a layer of smoke pork on top then a layer of fat? a layer of Canadian Bacon type pork, and a thicker later of fat?

Its really hard to cut/chew through, im not sure if its cook already of what.

Has anyone seen this before? What are you suppose to do with it?

It looks like these:
http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/gypsybacon.jpg
http://www.erniesdeli.com/ECDImages/...svarybacon.gif
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post #2 of 15
10/25/05 at 12:00pm
Do you think its like a piece of salt pork meant to be cut into cubes and put in another dish, like "lardons"?
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post #3 of 15
10/25/05 at 1:26pm
If you look at the bottom layer, it's the rind (the actual skin of the pig). If you cut that off, you might have more luck eating it like traditional American bacon, but I would use it as Rose mentions above.
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post #4 of 15
10/25/05 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, what kind of dishes could I put it in?
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post #5 of 15
10/26/05 at 6:35am
Beans! But seriously, you can use it to flavor reduction-type sauces or add it to meat based stuffings. Be carefull of the salt content though.
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post #6 of 15
12/13/06 at 6:46am

Magayars

Ok,
I guess I'm the only magayar (hungarian for hungarian) reading this list. :lips:

What you have is what has been Americanized and has replaced real hungarian "SZALONNÁK" or Szalona.

However, your item has meat and is NOT the REAL Szalona of old. Real Szalona has no meat, it is smoked a special way and is more like "Speck" also known as "Greasy Bread" but is smoked/seasoned differently with lots of paprika. Szalona has NO PAPRIKA and that process is what I need to know and am seeking before it becomes lost forever.

The meat kind is usually sliced and fried, or cubed, thick sliced & put into beans, etc for a bacon flavoring or a bacon smoke flavor.

Some speck is sliced very thin, placed on bread and melted - the hide (skin) is removed.

The hungarian szalona was a "peasants meal". The discards of the rich because it was just fat. That fat by peasants would be cut into slabs 2 x 3 inches or so and placed on a skewer running just under the hide or skin the fat side would be cross cut about 15mm deep into 10mm squares.

The fat would then be roasted over an open fire until dripping and then pressed against salted rye bread - the bread could also have onions etc. The real great part is when the fat catches fire and is extinguished on the bread toasting everything on the bread - the chared bits of fat are cut off and placed onto the bread and also eaten. The slab is cut again and your good to go for more until nothing is left but the hide itself.

This is making me hungry..... Oh, obviously it is NOT diet or healthy food but excellent eating. :look:

JvK
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post #7 of 15
11/29/08 at 6:04pm
When we prepare szalona, we score the fatty side and roast it over hot coals until it starts to drip. When it drips, we dab it on rye bread. Serve with sliced cucumber or sliced red onion, or a mixture of diced onion, tomato, and green pepper. When the szalona starts to get crispy, simply slice off the crispy bits like cracklin's and serve them on the bread, too.

It's basically melted bacon grease on bread with veggies. We've also had it with grilled Hungarian sausage.

A family tradition!
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post #8 of 15
11/30/08 at 10:01pm
My father-in-law's family escaped from Hungary, when he was 12, just as the Tanks started rolling in and they started closing the borders. He purchases most of his sausages and bacon from a company in the Chicago area called "Bende." The bacon that he buys there, called Kolozsvari Szalonna, is excellent, though it sounds more like "American" bacon than what some of you have described. He likes to eat uncooked, sliced very thin and presented on a platter with various other Hungarian style sausages and salamis. I also like it this way, almost better than cooked, as it is a very salty product and cooking it just accents that saltiness in the same why that overcooking proscuitto makes it too salty.
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post #9 of 15
1/15/09 at 8:33am
Hi - I came upon this discussion through a google search for "hungarian smoked pork rinds." Years ago, my friend was married to a hungarian man and we used to walk to a butcher in upper Manhattan. We'd get these greasy treats that reminded me a lot of a more tender pork rind. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the butcher or the name of the treat. I don't think it's what the original poster has pictured but I could be wrong. We'd eat them right out of the bag (when calories and cholesterol didn't matter :look: ).

If you know the name of the meat or the name of the butcher, I'd appreciate your sharing it with me...Thanks.
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post #10 of 15
3/18/10 at 10:22am
Slap some tomatoes and peppers on that and its a great dish! Oh my familys has been eating "Bacon Bread" as i call it or Greasy Bread for years! Just go to the market get a loaf of cut rye bread put diced tomatoes peppers and onions. No one i know has ever heard of such a thing, my great grandfather came over from hungary and brought it with him!

Quote:
Originally Posted by JvK View Post

Ok,
I guess I'm the only magayar (hungarian for hungarian) reading this list. :lips:

What you have is what has been Americanized and has replaced real hungarian "SZALONNÁK" or Szalona.

However, your item has meat and is NOT the REAL Szalona of old. Real Szalona has no meat, it is smoked a special way and is more like "Speck" also known as "Greasy Bread" but is smoked/seasoned differently with lots of paprika. Szalona has NO PAPRIKA and that process is what I need to know and am seeking before it becomes lost forever.

The meat kind is usually sliced and fried, or cubed, thick sliced & put into beans, etc for a bacon flavoring or a bacon smoke flavor.

Some speck is sliced very thin, placed on bread and melted - the hide (skin) is removed.

The hungarian szalona was a "peasants meal". The discards of the rich because it was just fat. That fat by peasants would be cut into slabs 2 x 3 inches or so and placed on a skewer running just under the hide or skin the fat side would be cross cut about 15mm deep into 10mm squares.

The fat would then be roasted over an open fire until dripping and then pressed against salted rye bread - the bread could also have onions etc. The real great part is when the fat catches fire and is extinguished on the bread toasting everything on the bread - the chared bits of fat are cut off and placed onto the bread and also eaten. The slab is cut again and your good to go for more until nothing is left but the hide itself.

This is making me hungry..... Oh, obviously it is NOT diet or healthy food but excellent eating. :look:

JvK


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post #11 of 15
6/8/10 at 6:29am

my family is hungarian and growing up we always had the cookouts ...main attraction Szallona...."SPEC" cookout....dont knock it till you try it...ofcourse its not so good for you ,  but who knew that?  Good RYE bread NY STYLE...on a platter with green peppers, onions, tomatoes....or plain.  put that bacon on a long stick and hold into a nice bond type fire...and drip on the bread!  it is awfully good.....ofcourse you have to salt it......yumyumyum...and as the bacon gets blackened...cut bits onto the bread..and thats the best part....its all good!!  

 

 

wow..this is making me hungry..

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post #12 of 15
6/8/10 at 6:30am

I also remember the bacon (smoked) and with lots of paprika on it...my dad would have in the fridge and cut very small thin strips and eat with bread....that was good too...

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post #13 of 15
6/1/11 at 2:03pm

Ah, memories. Family/church picnics always featured shut (two dots over the u, pronounced more like a combo of shoot and shirt) szalona.

Shut means cooked, I think, or cooked over the fire.

 

Do you mean Magyar?

 

Interested in your background, and thanks for the clarification.

 

I can taste it now!

 

BB

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post #14 of 15
6/1/11 at 2:15pm

Even though this is an old thread, nothing wrong with picking it up.

 

The Bende product is called kolozsvari, and is a double-smoked, ready to eat product. According to the company its cured with salt, garlic powder, sodium lactate, sodium nitrite, and ascorbic acid. There is no paprika in it.

 

I use it both like regular bacon, and as a flavoring for other dishes. F'rinstance, I'll dice some and stir fry it in a wok with baby bok choy, some garlic, red pepper flakes, soy sauce and fish sauce. Delish!

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post #15 of 15
7/23/11 at 12:56pm

Yes you can cook with it like baked beans and also can cook it on a long fork and put the drippings on Bread with chopped onions ,Tomatoes and peppers.

Also fry it like you would bacon . It very delicious could be used in any dish calling for smoked meats Excellent flavor

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