Post by TasunkaWitko on Feb 9, 2011 16:02:57 GMT -5
when a friend mentioned this historical chicken dish and how unique-yet-easy it was with ingredients that we all commonly have in the kitchen, i knew it would simply be a matter of time before it was prepared in my own home, considering my own european background (germany) and that of my wife's, which is even closer to the region (slovakia). his literary tie-in to bram stoker's dracula was an added bonus, and i will quote it here:
now, i am no trained linguist or etymologist, but i do have some interest in the intersection of languages, words, history and geography. it seemed amazing to me that stoker would write of the german language being so prevalent in a region of what is now romania that seemed to me to be nowhere even close to germany. beyond that, the dish had definite hungarian influences as well, which stand out like a sore thumb (sour cream/flour sauce, beginning the dish with sauteed onions, heavy usage of paprika etc.). my suspicion was that he may have "fudged" facts a little and that he gave us a hungarian dish with a german name (since i knew that hungary has a large german minority and romania has a large hungarian minority), and simply glossed it over. i couldn't have been more wrong, however, and after quick consultation with wiki i realized the error of my ways and i went from wondering what the heck stoker was thinking (putting a hungarian dish with a german name in a town with a german name, then putting both in romania!) to really appreciating hsi knowledge of the area.
the research on this one was a true pleasure and taught me quite a few things. the deeper i dug, the more impressed i was with the intricate layers that stoker put for me to find, all these years later. stoker himself may or may not have been aware of these layers - it is probable that either he or an acquaintence had simply heard of or maybe even had eaten paprika hendl in that town or area, and that experience ended up in the book. maybe his housekeeper was from clausenburgh - who knows?
it would be interesting to know where that little excerpt came from and how it ended up in the book, but it is a perfect tie-in that reaches way back into transylvania's past and form a brick in the foundation of what is to come in the story.
this post and recipe depend heavily on pictures for the preparation and embedded links for the history behind the dish - since i have had difficulty posting pictures here, i regret that i will have to give you a link to my original post if you are interested in seeing the fine details of the history and preparation:
foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/paprika-hendl-german-hungarian-or-romanian_topic1001.html
it is certainly well worth a look!
for those who want to skip all that, here's the actual recipe:
*you might be thinking, where did one find v8 juice in 19th-century klausenburgh? i wondered that myself, until i realized that v8 is simply tomatoes, which would have been available at any market or garden, and vegetable stock, which would have been the base of many, many dishes (including this one, presumably), especially once combined with the juices of the chicken to make what is essentially a tomato-infused chicken stock - quite plausible.
and i will ATTEMPT a finished, plated picture here:
in all, this was definitely a do-again meal and a complete success, reaching back a hundred-and-fifty years or so into the dark hollows of the carpathians and the fascinating heritage that is a mixture of german, transylvanian and hungarian traditions. i would encourage anyone who wants to appreciate true old-world dining to give this simple meal a try.
"We left in pretty good time, and came after nightfall to Klausenburgh. Here I stopped for the night at the Hotel Royale. I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty. (mem. get recipe for Mina.) I asked the waiter, and he said it was called "paprika hendl" and that, as it was a national dish, I should be able to get it anywhere along the Carpathians. I found my smattering of German very useful here; indeed, I don't know how I should be able to get on without it."
now, i am no trained linguist or etymologist, but i do have some interest in the intersection of languages, words, history and geography. it seemed amazing to me that stoker would write of the german language being so prevalent in a region of what is now romania that seemed to me to be nowhere even close to germany. beyond that, the dish had definite hungarian influences as well, which stand out like a sore thumb (sour cream/flour sauce, beginning the dish with sauteed onions, heavy usage of paprika etc.). my suspicion was that he may have "fudged" facts a little and that he gave us a hungarian dish with a german name (since i knew that hungary has a large german minority and romania has a large hungarian minority), and simply glossed it over. i couldn't have been more wrong, however, and after quick consultation with wiki i realized the error of my ways and i went from wondering what the heck stoker was thinking (putting a hungarian dish with a german name in a town with a german name, then putting both in romania!) to really appreciating hsi knowledge of the area.
the research on this one was a true pleasure and taught me quite a few things. the deeper i dug, the more impressed i was with the intricate layers that stoker put for me to find, all these years later. stoker himself may or may not have been aware of these layers - it is probable that either he or an acquaintence had simply heard of or maybe even had eaten paprika hendl in that town or area, and that experience ended up in the book. maybe his housekeeper was from clausenburgh - who knows?
it would be interesting to know where that little excerpt came from and how it ended up in the book, but it is a perfect tie-in that reaches way back into transylvania's past and form a brick in the foundation of what is to come in the story.
this post and recipe depend heavily on pictures for the preparation and embedded links for the history behind the dish - since i have had difficulty posting pictures here, i regret that i will have to give you a link to my original post if you are interested in seeing the fine details of the history and preparation:
foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/paprika-hendl-german-hungarian-or-romanian_topic1001.html
it is certainly well worth a look!
for those who want to skip all that, here's the actual recipe:
1 chicken cut up, or equivalent (i used eight thighs plus six legs)
2 large onions, diced
About 9 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 Quarts tomato juice or V8*
24 Oz container of sour cream
2 TBSP flour
2 TSP salt
1 TSP pepper
7 or 8 heaping tablespoons Hungarian Sweet Paprika.
4 or 5 TBSP chicken fat, butter or olive oil
if you choose to skin the chicken, browning is not necessary or desireable; simply render the fat from the skin or heat some butter or olive oil, and proceed to browning the onions. if you leave the skin on, brown chicken in butter or olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven; set aside in a covered dish and remove all but a few tablespoons of fat.
add diced onions to skillet/dutch oven; and carmelize the onions over medium heat; then stir in half the paprika and mix well. add V-8 juice and place chicken it the pot, pouring the released juices all over. cover and simmer about an hour, or until chicken is done but not falling off the bone. remove chicken from pot and keep covered so it stays warm.
beat flour and remaining paprika into sour cream and gently fold this into the sauce. return chicken to the pot, cover and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes to heat throughout. taste and adjust for salt and pepper. serve with dumplings, noodles or potatoes.
2 large onions, diced
About 9 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 Quarts tomato juice or V8*
24 Oz container of sour cream
2 TBSP flour
2 TSP salt
1 TSP pepper
7 or 8 heaping tablespoons Hungarian Sweet Paprika.
4 or 5 TBSP chicken fat, butter or olive oil
if you choose to skin the chicken, browning is not necessary or desireable; simply render the fat from the skin or heat some butter or olive oil, and proceed to browning the onions. if you leave the skin on, brown chicken in butter or olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven; set aside in a covered dish and remove all but a few tablespoons of fat.
add diced onions to skillet/dutch oven; and carmelize the onions over medium heat; then stir in half the paprika and mix well. add V-8 juice and place chicken it the pot, pouring the released juices all over. cover and simmer about an hour, or until chicken is done but not falling off the bone. remove chicken from pot and keep covered so it stays warm.
beat flour and remaining paprika into sour cream and gently fold this into the sauce. return chicken to the pot, cover and simmer another 5 to 10 minutes to heat throughout. taste and adjust for salt and pepper. serve with dumplings, noodles or potatoes.
*you might be thinking, where did one find v8 juice in 19th-century klausenburgh? i wondered that myself, until i realized that v8 is simply tomatoes, which would have been available at any market or garden, and vegetable stock, which would have been the base of many, many dishes (including this one, presumably), especially once combined with the juices of the chicken to make what is essentially a tomato-infused chicken stock - quite plausible.
and i will ATTEMPT a finished, plated picture here:
in all, this was definitely a do-again meal and a complete success, reaching back a hundred-and-fifty years or so into the dark hollows of the carpathians and the fascinating heritage that is a mixture of german, transylvanian and hungarian traditions. i would encourage anyone who wants to appreciate true old-world dining to give this simple meal a try.
