Bejgli (roughly “BAY-glee”) is the traditional Hungarian Christmas roll. It is a sweet pastry rolled around a thick filling, so every slice shows a dark spiral. In December you will see it in every bakery and pastry shop in the city.
Photo: Hu Totya / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The two classic fillings are walnut (dió) and poppy seed (mák). Folk belief says walnut keeps curses away and poppy seed brings abundance, so the old advice is to eat one of each and be covered for both.
You do not need to buy a whole roll. Most shops sell it by the slice, which makes it an easy treat to have with a coffee or hot chocolate between two market stalls.
Where to try it
- Gerbeaud on Vörösmarty tér, right next to the Christmas market
- Auguszt, a family pastry shop since 1870
- Kuglóf Bistro in Piarista köz, a small bakery near Március 15. tér
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