Before we visited Budapest, I can’t say I tried much in the way of actual Hungarian cuisine.

In the Midwest we had something called Goulash for dinner occasionally. Consisting of ground beef and whatever needed to be used up in the pantry, there was a tomato-y sauce, typically some sort of noodles, and some sautéed vegetables (onions and celery?).

More of a one-pot meal than a casserole, I couldn’t help wondering what goulash was supposed to taste like (hint: there’s lots of paprika and it’s more brothy than a stew). But more on the goulash in a moment…

The first night in Budapest, all jet-lagged and craving sustenance, we stumbled upon a great little bistro that had soft-launched only a couple of weeks before. In fact, we were treated to dinner and a show because a video crew filmed social media content while we ate (thankfully not of us eating).

It’s here where Will and I were first introduced to the cucumber salad made the Hungarian way. When our waiter suggested the cucumbers to complement the schnitzel we ordered, he suggested we try it the local way with sour cream. Being from Wisconsin where dairy plays a vital role in many, many dishes, I happily rolled with it.

Whether it was this salad or future Paprikash, they are NOT shy with the sour cream. It’s served in generous dollops and really does lend richness to so many dishes we tried.

Aside from the aforementioned schnitzel and cucumbers the real surprise of the first night’s dining was the first course of kohlrabi soup. Now I’ve watched enough Chopped to know that kohlrabi is a vegetable that looks a bit tedious to prep, but I’d never actually tried it before.

I wound up enjoying kohlrabi in several iterations in Budapest, but the soup (oh I wish I’d taken a picture because it was an unusual shade of green I can’t quite pinpoint) was my favorite. It was comforting like a potato soup but so, so much lighter and flavorful in an herb-y way.

And that’s just one of the many things I adore about traveling; I probably would’ve never given Goulash a real shot or ordered the kohlrabi soup. But when you’re in a new city, giving the local cuisine a taste is all part of the fun.