mákos tészta

my dear hungarians do love their poppy seeds. you can find cakes, cookies, muffins, rolled up bread, bread pudding, and an array of other hungarian specialties chock full of poppy seeds. one thing that is a bit strange (though delicious) to me, however, is poppy seed pasta, or mákos tészta. it's made by combining pasta with ground up poppy seeds, sugar, and melted butter. it's often served with a piece of fruit like an apple, and is, of course, preceded by a bowl of a steaming hot hearty soup.

that's what i had today. while it seems a weird idea to have something sweet for lunch (to us americans) or perhaps a silly combination, it's actually quite fulfilling and good. you may need some time to get used to the not-so-sweet poppy seed flavor, but once you do, it's golden! i couldn't eat mine at school because of time constraints, so i was given a packed container of it, meaning i got a double portion of both soup and pasta. um, great! i'll eat it tomorrow too and feel a tad more hungarian. :)