# Goulash **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964 "2015-11-29T21:33:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/1 "2015-11-29T21:33:30Z")
I was tempted to post what I is a common mid-west dish that somehow they call “goulash.” Ground beef, stewed tomatoes, elbow macaroni, shredded cheddar, and maybe a dash of paprika that has been in the spice drawer for 20 years, but I was afraid someone would take me seriously. In college I was “adopted” by my best friends parents who were Hungarian immigrants who left the revolution with only one suitcase. They seemed to love feeding me home grown peppers that would blow my socks off and then after laughing toss me a beer to cool the fire. The other thing they seemed to love to do is feed me some amazing food. I actually have very fond memories of them for both. I’m sure I could Google something, but it wouldn’t be the same. As the weather is chilling I would love to have some good Goulash again if anyone would care to share a recipe. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/2 "2015-11-29T21:36:30Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > I was tempted to post what I is a common mid-west dish that somehow they call “goulash.” Ground beef, stewed tomatoes, elbow macaroni, shredded cheddar, and maybe a dash of paprika that has been in the spice drawer for 20 years, but I was afraid someone would take me seriously. > > In college I was “adopted” by my best friends parents who were Hungarian immigrants who left the revolution with only one suitcase. They seemed to love feeding me home grown peppers that would blow my socks off and then after laughing toss me a beer to cool the fire. The other thing they seemed to love to do is feed me some amazing food. I actually have very fond memories of them for both. > > I’m sure I could Google something, but it wouldn’t be the same. As the weather is chilling I would love to have some good Goulash again if anyone would care to share a recipe. This sounds similar to what my mother used to make that I would kill to have the recipe for. I’ll be watching with great interest. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/3 "2015-11-29T21:48:22Z")
I always found American goulash to be insipid, but I love the Hungarian kind. I wonder how they got the same name, because–in my experience–they don’t really taste similar. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/4 "2015-11-29T21:56:10Z")
That beef and macaroni dish was also called American Chop Suey. I’ve had real Hungarian goulash and it’s great. Never made it myself, though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/5 "2015-11-29T22:14:11Z")
[Previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747227). > [@Goulash. What's it to ya?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash-whats-it-to-ya/710762/30): > > Yeah… I grew up eating the ground beef, tomatoes, and elbow macaroni version of “Goulash.” It wasn’t until my friend in college invited me to his parent’s house for some goulash that I found out my midwest raised, Swedish/French mother made something very different than my friend’s Hungarian born and raised parents did. Of course any home cooked meal tastes wonderful to a poor college student but this one I remember as amazing. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/6 "2015-11-29T22:20:30Z")
Oh… Recipes. > [@Goulash. What's it to ya?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash-whats-it-to-ya/710762/15): > > [Here’s a recipe](http://fae-magazine.com/2012/09/26/hungarian-goulash-with-czech-bread-dumplings/) that looks like what I had at the restaurant. > > [Here’s another one](http://mooshujenne.com/czech-goulash-cesky-gulas/) that adds tomato paste, and has porno-licious photos. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/7 "2015-11-29T22:27:38Z")
I was in Vienna back in 1993 for a conference, and we ate at a restaurant called the a Goulash Musuem a few times. It was so good. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/8 "2015-11-29T23:01:11Z")
For some reason this dish, in my family, was called Spanish Hamburger. It was ground beef seasoned with chili seasoning (Williams) a chopped onion and tomato juice with macaroni. This was my childhood comfort food. I still make it, but I have adjusted the recipe a little, adding chopped bell peppers, green chilis, fresh garlic, basil, oregano, cumin and chili powder. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2015, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/9 "2015-11-29T23:13:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [Previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=747227). > 😃 I may be redundant but at least I’m consistent. Please visit my next exciting thread on how to improve the memory of an old fart. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/10 "2015-11-30T01:36:51Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > I may be redundant but at least I’m consistent. > > Please visit my next exciting thread on how to improve the memory of an old fart. I’ll just direct you to [my post 18 of that thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18078557&postcount=18), which in turn directs you to two recipes I posted with photos and detailed notes on another site for two Hungarian goulash dishes. I make goulash, both the stew that is known as _pörkölt_ in Hungarian and the soup known as _gulyás_ or _gulyásleves_. If you have any questions, ask away. ---
**Author:** ![oara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@oara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oara)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goulash/738964/11 "2015-11-30T02:24:28Z")
It bewilders me that American food was so fucking bad somehow. Did it come with the rise of corporations selling the idea of smoking being glamorous? No one could smell or taste anyway? We sometimes had goulash instead of our usual cheap steak, pork chops, chicken… I think my mother’s was ground beef, tomato, maybe paprika, probably big onion pieces. It’s not like I’m King Spice Expert, but it turns out the supermarket is filled with them and they improve foods!