Sizzling amid rustling leaves This book is an adventure; a gastro-adventure in
the forest, with the treasure at the end consisting of its 55 mouth-watering
recipes. The adventure begins with frying pans and pots, and with the sizzle
from simmering, frying, baking and stirring the dishes we are now serving up to
the reader ? with a side dish of hand-selected quotes from the works of
20th-century hunter Zsigmond Széchenyi. This book, however, is not for those who
simply hunt for the sake of it. Following in the footsteps of Széchenyi, we have
gathered all the ingredients that Hungarian forests boast: game, wild fowl,
water fowl, mushrooms, herbs, and lake and river fish, along with delicacies
provided by meadows and even kitchen gardens. And as we said, we have simmered,
fried or baked each and every one appropriately. Hungary is a superpower
regarding its game, yet even the average Hungarian has a lot to learn about
consuming such wild animals; for example, their meat is low in fact but high in
nutrients thanks to their free roaming and eating habits. Game is decidedly
nourishing, has a high protein efficiency ratio (PER) and, of course, is also
delicious. Game meat is full of flavours providing characteristic aromas, and we
have written our recipes accordingly, emphasising them in some cases and, if
necessary, downplaying them a little. Game, mushrooms, fruit and herbs from a
natural environment provide healthy nourishment while leaving a significantly
smaller ecological footprint in their wake than most other foods, because
consuming them only consists of hunting, gathering and preparation. Game meat is
guaranteed free of any antibiotics, industrial food additives and hormonal
derivatives. The meat of wild animals is also lower in calories. Like lean fish,
it contains only half or, in some cases, only a quarter of the calories found in
most typically consumed meat. We hope that our little forest adventure will
arouse your interest in eating game and striding through the woods. We have even
included recipes for some of our favourite desserts as a reward after the hike.
We?d like to finish this foreword with a quote from Szécheny?s book, As it
started.., because it is so fitting that it still comes to the minds of hunters,
hikers and nature enthusiasts: ?Hunting, of course, is chasing game and
listening to rustling leaves, but definitely more of the rustling leaves.? This
is how our gastro- adventure became sizzling amid rustling leaves, but as the
nature of cooking dictates: definitely more sizzling.