Hungarians like all others love their bellies and also like festivals, so in November we have a number of gastronomy related events going on, let’s see a couple of them which are great to visit after having done our free walking tours!

Saint Martin’s day celebrations, city of Siófok – 16-17th November & Budapest 8-11 th November

Siófok is one of the liveliest cities on the south shore of lake Balaton, which is in the middle of our county and is the biggest freshwater lake in Europe. Lot of Hungarians love going there in the summer for swimming, sailing, sometimes ice skating in the winter. They celebrate Saint Martin’s day in many countries, with different customs and eating habbits. Saint Martin’s day, also known as the Feast of Saint Martin, Martinstag or Martinmas, as well as Old Halloween and Old Hallowmas Eve, is the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours and is celebrated on November 11 each year. This is the time when autumn wheat seeding was completed, and the annual slaughter of fattened cattle produced “Martinmas beef” Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm laborers would seek new posts. Saint Martin of Tours was a Roman soldier who was baptised as an adult and became a monk.

The most famous legend concerning him was that he had once cut his cloak in half to share with a beggar during a snowstorm, to save the latter from the cold. That night, he dreamt of Jesus, wearing the half-cloak and saying to the angels, “Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is now baptised; he has clothed me.” Saint Martin died on November 8, 397. There is another legend which tells that Saint Martin was once trying to hide in a hutch for geese when they were going to make him a bishop and the geese started gaggling, so he was caught. In Hungary we usually eat meals made from goose. There will be many programs for families, concerts and of course goose dishes in Siófok this coming weekend. In Budapest there will be a Saint Martin’s day food and wine festival with concerts in the famous and beautiful Gellért hotel on the Buda side.

Chocholate festival, city of Mosonmagyaróvár, 17-18th November

For those who have a sweet tooth… a special sweet weekend on the Hungarian countryside, Mosonmagyaróvár, a town in  Győr-Moson-Sopron  county in northwestern Hungary. It lies close to both the Austrian and Slovakian borders and has a population of 32 752. A little extra information if you need a dentist after eating too much chocholate… “Dentistry appears to be by far the largest economical activity in Mosonmagyaróvár, with approximately 350 practicing dentists as of 2015. Worldwide, this is the highest number of dentists in ratio to the total population. The reason for this is found in the demand for low-cost dentistry by Austrians, who have been crossing borders to Hungary for decades”

Füred Gastro festival, city of Balatonfüred 16-18th November

Balatonfüred, one of the greatest cities on the north shore of our lake Balaton has their own festival as well this month. It’s not only a food but wine festival, where you can taste some of the best wines
of our small country. The region’s best restaurants will also amaze you with many delicious, mainly venison meals. If you would like to learn more about Hungarian gastronomy, join our daily free tours or book a thematic private tour with us!