I actually went to Hungary to learn all about Paprika – this was the home of the dark red chilli introduced by the Turks several hundred years earlier. As I strolled around the markets of the old town, I could see paprika everywhere – the locals were obviously obsessed with this wonderful spice. There were stalls full of jars, tins & bottles of the red stuff wherever I looked. However, my favourite sight were the thousands chillies of which hung from walls, fences & stalls everywhere. I even saw houses almost completely covered by beautiful blankets crocheted out of rows of the red & sometimes yellow chillies.

As I sat in a bar writing, I began to chatting to a young Englishman who’d recently relocated to Hungary & was a few days away from getting married. He kindly invited me to the big day, which I didn’t hesitate to accept. I had a wonderful time at that party, in the beautiful surroundings of an old house on the Danube. And the food was delightful – I had more than a few dishes of goulash & lecso, both laden with Budapest’s finest spice….CH