Health
All medical care is free. The Ministry of Health administers the health services in the counties and in the regions that form hospital districts. The State also provides free professional advice and assistance for pregnant women and new mothers, maternity allowances and leave, compensation for the unemployed, the elderly and the disabled, subsidies for children and aid for funeral expenses.
Education
Education is compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 16. 99% of the population is literate. The education primary is free and the government covers all costs of secondary and higher education. The educational system consists of general schools, or primary schools, which include the first eight grades, secondary schools, technical schools, and institutions of higher education. Great importance is attached to vocational education and technical education.
Culture
From the 15th to the 20th century, Hungary has often been considered the protective bastion of Western civilization, unlike cultures outside its eastern limits, it had assimilated many Western influences. During the 15th century, numerous artists who received Italian influence allowed the introduction of the humanist renaissance in the country, and in the 16th century, during the Reformation, the vernacular language replaced Latin. In the 18th and 19th centuries Hungary absorbed French Enlightenment and Western European liberalism. Hungarian literature] enjoyed a great autonomous development. The so-called western school that favored the hodgepodge of Hungarian cultural elements and modern western culture were dominant in the 20th century. Hungary has more than 5,000 public libraries, the largest of which is the Széchényi National Library in Budapest, founded in 1802 ; it contains 2.4 million books and 4.2 million other documents. Only a few Hungarian artists are internationally known. Hungarian painting reached the peak of its development during the Romantic period in the 19th century.
Idiom
Magyar, the official Hungarian language, is one of the Finno-Ugric languages written in Latin characters and influenced by the Turkish, Slavic, German, Latin and French languages. Many residents also speak German, English, and since World War II, many understand Russian.
Religion
Hungary is traditionally a Catholic country with a minority professing Protestantism. About two thirds of the population is Catholic and almost one fourth is Protestant; the main Protestant groups are the Hungarian Calvinist Reformed Church and the Hungarian Lutheran Church.
Gastronomy
As a country located in Europe according to ARISTMARKETING, Hungary and its cuisine are largely marked by the traditions of Western and Eastern Europe. In some cases, the nomadic influence that marked the origins of the country is felt.
The richness of Hungarian culinary culture is no accident: as a melting pot of different civilizations, it represents a tasty meeting point between the gastronomy of ancient nomadic horsemen from Asia and the exquisite achievements of Western Europe. Thus, East and West go hand in hand in the typical dishes that cannot deny the influence of the Magyars, the Turks, the peoples of the Balkans and the Italian heritage. In addition to the typical ingredients, the secret of Hungarian cuisine must be found in the traditional method of preparation, which allows each one to display its full aroma. A good example of this is the kettle, an inheritance of the Asian Magyars of nomadic tradition, which has given rise to such characteristic specialties as the Hungarian soup or the pörkölt stew.
The most famous ingredient in Hungarian cuisine is paprika and the dishes that are seasoned with it are called paprikás. They are usually served with creamy and sour sauces and accompany poultry and veal; but its most widespread use is in meat soups and stews, with onions and potatoes, such as the famous goulash gulyás, in Hungarian.
The onion is another popular ingredient. It is used fried to flavor soups or raw to accompany salads and meats. Hungarian cuisine also frequently uses parsley, bay leaf, dill, marjoram, tarragon, saffron and ginger, as well as cream used in sauces and soups.
As an aperitif along with a good brandy or other drink, pogácsa are usually taken, crunchy and salty flour or potato buns, with butter, cheese and spices, probably of Turkish origin but deeply rooted in Hungarian traditions.
The traditional cuisine dishes are quite strong. Soups are very popular, the jókai bableves, made with beans with pork and smoked sausage, the hortobágyi palacsinta, a specialty from the Great Plain, a thick crepe stuffed with meat and onions.
The best known from Hungary is goulash in Hungarian gulyás. The word means cowboy and marks its origin in the great expanses of the Great Plain. The popular dish, which was taken directly from the kettle, became the porcelain tableware of the most powerful landowners. In many places, especially in the countryside, goulash is still made in a kettle. It has also given rise to numerous variants, with the common element being paprika.
One of the typical Hungarian beverages is unicum, a bitter liquid made from forty different kinds of plants. The drink is said to be one of the best hangover remedies. Another very popular drink in the country is the world famous Tokaj, white in color and strongly fruity and sugary, it owes its name to the small town of Tokaj.
National holidays
- – March 15: the day of the beginning of the Revolution and War of Independence of 1848 -49, emergence of modern parliamentarism in Hungary.
- – August 20: day of the founding king of the State: San Esteban.
- – October 23: day of the beginning of the Revolution and War of Independence of 1956 and of the proclamation of the Republic of Hungary in 1989.
