Magyars appreciate good food and lots of it. They believe that food elevates the spirit, promotes confidence, and is a comforting symbol of success and status.
There is a saying: “Hungarians may live in a howl but eat like kings, and the English live like kings but eat like beggars”.
Considering what Martin Amis, the famous modern Irish writer said (“The French live to eat, the English eat to die”) Hungarians seem to be correct.
To the Hungarian mind, food, love and music are inseparable. Given that approximately 10 percent of the population of Hungary is Roma (gypsy) well known for their music and dance, this sounds right.
Even during Soviet times fun- and food-loving Hungarian enjoyed many of the tropical fruits like bananas, lemons, oranges and many others that their neighbours (Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Romanians ands Bulgarians) could only dream about.