Bread and Biscuits

Bread is revered in Hungary, perhaps as in no other place in the world, and country folks still call it “life. ” As a child, if I dropped a slice of bread, I had to kiss it before eating it.

Breads made in the provinces have the delicacy of a cake, the complexity of a sophisticated sauce and the sheen of a Chinese pottery glaze. Certain areas use hops as a yeast, which makes the bread very light, almost balloon-high. Other areas use vegetable broth instead of water. Until World War I it was possible to purchase a starter from women who made it professionally.