YFU Hungary

The Hungarians are hospitable people, always ready to offer guests delicious food and excellent wines. In the 1996 Chef's Olympics, Hungary's team won the silver medal overall, as well as numerous other honors. Hungary's chefs are rigorously trained through an apprenticeship process dating back to the medieval guild system. Hungarian wines have earned a reputation for high quality, garnering first prizes in a number of international competitions.

The country's unique cuisine has influences from the Central Asian Magyar founders of the nation, Turks, Germans, French, Austrians, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, and Croatians. The simple agrarian and shepherd lifestyles of the Great Hungarian Plain and mountains have also helped shape the country's unique dishes.

Sauces rich in sour cream, delicacies such as goose liver and an emphasis on meats, including game such as boar and venison, are often on the menu. Fish - especially Lake Balaton pike, eel stew or a thick and sometimes peppery fish soup - is also quite popular. Other traditional favorites include veal paprika stew and roast chicken with cottage cheese noodles. Fabulous desserts, served with strong espresso, include strudels, tortes and the legendary Gundel pancakes with chocolate rum sauce.

Wine connoisseurs are familiar with the most famous of Hungary's wines - the sweet white Tokaji Aszú and strong red Bull's Blood (Egri Bikavér). Hungary boasts 20 wine-producing regions, which make a wide range of wines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris. Merlot, Riesling, Chardonnay, sparkling, rosé and other unique Hungarian varieties. Favorable natural conditions make our country a prime location for the production of smaller quantities of premium wines.

You can also visit the vineyards and wineries in almost all regions of the country. The most beautiful landscapes are to be found where the best wine is produced. Visit the Somló wine region, guarded by a dead volcano and the ruins of a castle. The vineyards of the Eger and Mátraalja regions stretch along the romantic foothills of the Mátra and Bükk mountains. Tokaj vineyards rise from a landscape where the Bodrog and Tisza rivers meet.

YFU Hungary invites you to spend your exchange year in one of the most prestigious catering schools in Europe. The Aranybika (Golden Bull) Catering School is a unique institution, where students can be trained as cook, confectioner and waiter/ sommelier.

The academic training takes place in the second largest city of Hungary, Debrecen (pop. 250 000).

If you are over 16, have at least completed 10 years of school and are willing to learn Hungarian, than you are the perfect candidate. Arrival in August, then a training will take place from October till June. You will be placed with a local host family.

The students of the Catering School will have two days of theoretical training and three days of practical training a week.
The practice will take place in the prestigious, 4-star Grand Hotel Aranybika (Golden Bull). The name of the building is originated from the Bull family, who owned the building site of the present building since the middle of the 16th C. They built an inn on it. In 1690 the town bought the site with the house, and nine years later reconstructed the rest house and opened it again. After one century passed the governing body of the town decided to develop with building one floor on the top of it. The iron bull covered with copper was put on the facade as an inn-sign in remembrance of John Bull (János Bika) in 1810.

The architect of the present building (which was built between in 1913-1915) was Alfred Hajós, who was the first Hungarian on a world championship winning the gold medal. He became world champion in swimming in Athens. The list of distinguished guests, such as Presidents, Prime Ministers, Emperors, Queens and Kings or even the current Pope, movie stars and celebrities is endless. If we would open the Guest Book for example at letter K, we would find such dignitaries among the visitors as Chancellor Kohl, President Kekkonen, composer Kodály, or statesman Kossuth.