5 Hungarian crafts worth relishing
Many of Hungary’s traditional crafts are disappearing, but you can help to preserve them through your patronage…
1. Gingerbread Art
(Visit Debrecen)
Mézeskalács (gingerbread biscuits) are eaten year-round in Hungary, and especially at Christmas. The town of Debrecen in particular has produced these sweets since the 1500s. Spiced wheat dough sweetened with sunflower honey is pressed into heart-shaped moulds, baked, then handpainted with red and white icing in patterns inspired by lace. They remain an iconic treat.
Where to buy gingerbread: If the gingerbread displays at Debrecen’s Déri Múzeum pique your interest, check out the elaborate designs made by László Radics, who follows a 100-year-old family recipe.
2. Halas Lace
(Visit Hungary)
Árpád Dékáni is the man credited with establishing the Halas lace industry in 1902. It takes its name from the southern Hungarian town in which it originated, Kiskunhalas, and its handcrafted motifs of everyday life, including a ‘three fish’ design inspired by the town’s coat of arms, made it hugely popular up until the 1930s
Where to buy Halas lace: Discover more about this craft at Kiskunhalas’ Lace Museum, then try your hand at making your own lace at Budapest’s Museum of Hungarian Applied Folk Art.
3. Straw plaiting
(Shutterstock)
The medieval art of plaiting wheat and rye straw into hats, baskets and dolls transformed from a cottage industry into a factory one in the 1800s, particularly in Hajdúnánás in eastern Hungary. The craft continued to flourish until the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 1920s; today it is much more of a niche art.
Where to buy staw plaiting: For an insight into Hungarian straw art, pay a visit to the Straw Treasure Museum in Pécs, which hosts its own workshops. If you want to take away a souvenir, Kor Basket in Békés is your best bet for gifts.
4. Porcelain
(Visit Hungary)
The town of Herend, near Lake Balaton, has been associated with porcelain ever since Hungarian Vince Stingl learnt to make it in Vienna, Austria. By mixing kaolin, feldspar and quartz minerals with water, he created a hard paste that he moulded into tableware. Stingl went on to establish what is now known as the Herend Porcelain Manufactory.
Where to buy porcelain: You can shop for your own hand-painted tea sets at Herend Porcelain Manufactory, which also hosts workshops where you can make a porcelain rose or bookmark in a 30-minute session, or learn to paint an entire plate on a day-long course.
5. Felt making
(Alamy)
The practice of making felt in Hungary (typically from sheep’s wool) dates back to the Bronze Age, long before fabric was spun, woven or knitted. Traditionally, layers of brushed wool were laid on top of one another in opposite directions, soaked in warm water until they shrank, then rubbed together until they fused as one.
Where to buy or make felt: Felt fans can join a workshop at the House of Handicrafts in Debrecen. There are even ‘felt tours’ of Hungary that visit local museums and workshops; the ‘west’ tour includes a stop at Kőszeg’s 120-year-old felt factory.
