During a visit to Hungary in the 1990s, my then husband and I took the opportunity to try and make contact with Magdalena, a long lost Oma on his mother's side of the family. No-one in Australia had heard from the dear old lady since 1978 when, in her late seventies, she made the long journey from a quaint little medieval hamlet called Grebenhain in the Vogelsberg region of Germany. She, and a grand daughter who accompanied her, stayed for our wedding before returning home. The grand daughter came back to Australia briefly many years later, but then unfortunately the family lost all contact. Finding someone in a foreign country is no easy task, but things get even more complicated when (a) telecommunications are almost non-existent, (b) you don't speak the language, and (c) you have no real idea where to begin. Let me explain... there were no mobile telephones in Hungary in 1994. Nor were there too many landlines. In fact, one of my cousins, a General Practitioner doctor in Budapest, didn't even have a home phone, while curiously his elderly mother did. From what we learned at the time, it took several years to have a telephone connected, if you were lucky. Of course things had changed by the time I returned in 2001... by then everyone (and I mean everyone!) had a mobile phone and a landline, hot running water, modern motor vehicles etc. But, now I digress... After much deliberation, we started with an Embassy in Budapest where we managed to find contact details for family in Stuttgart (the cousin who visited Australia in '78). Then, my (well meaning) uncle, Józsi bácsi, my father's last surviving sibling out of ten or more, arranged for a Hungarian/German speaking neighbour to assist. This neighbour had been a teacher in his prime, but was now a very-deaf elderly gentleman whose German was broken to say the least. He and my uncle accompanied us to the local telephone exchange, where we had to quite literally kow tow to a nasty piece behind the counter in order to arrange a short telephone hook up to Germany. We were disconnected countless times before the call finally went through. And then, with great frustration, we listened to the loud and strained conversation between the elderly teacher and the husband of the said cousin. Finally, exasperated and unable to bear any more, I snatched the handset from the man and took over. My uncle was mortified that I would behave in this manner... at the time there were strict protocols in place for how 'youngsters' behaved in the presence of grown ups. But what the heck, I was an Australian-born Magyar in my forties, after all, and the phone call was costing me money and getting us nowhere! Long story short, the relative on the other end of the line in Stuttgart spoke English well enough to realise who we were and understand why we were calling. Sadly, he informed us that my husband's Oma had passed away only a year before. During the course of the conversation, however, we were able to make arrangements to drive to Stuttgart for a visit, with a stopover to the Vogelsberg region and the village where Oma had lived, to visit her grave and see the nursing home where she had died. Our journey took us along the German Fairytale Road to a tiny village that boasts a legendary half-timbered house called Teufelsmühle or The Devil's Mill, which was built in 1691. On this trip, I managed to have my first brush with stinging nettle against my naked backside! I will share more on that story in another snippet. Fast forward to January 1996 and the delightful cousins from Stuttgart visited the family in Canberra as part of an adventure that took them right across Australia. Their parting gift to me was a cook book titled Swabia, a culinary tour (Hans-Dieter Reichert), inscribed with the lovely message 'Hallo Liz, what can you us recommend?'. I have treasured this book ever since and was always particularly fond of Sour Potato Wheels on page 156, a dish I have cooked over and over. Here is my take on the recipe, which according to the author 'was at one time a national dish' but has since 'gone out of fashion'. My Peter won't eat anything with mustard or vinegar, so given that he is currently travelling at the Top End in Darwin with work, I have put Saure rädle back on my menu... (please don't be put off by the word 'sour'.... this dish is deliciously different and I hope you add it to your repertoire too). This post is dedicated with love to Oma Magdalena, her daughter, Alma (my former MIL), and cousin Gabi... all of whom have sadly left us. And with love and hugs to Michael and Helga in Stuttgart, who are often in my thoughts. The ingredients...The recipe... SWABIAN SOUR POTATO WHEELS 1kg (5 medium) potatoes (use Nicolas or similar) 1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons plain flour 500mls cold vegetable stock Spices: 2 bay leaves 2 cloves a sliver of nutmeg 6 peppercorns 2 teaspoons mustard 2 tablespoons cider vinegar Now there are two ways to prepare the potatoes... you can boil them in their skins until they are just tender, then peel and discard the skin before slicing the potatoes into 'wheels', or you can peel and slice the potatoes, then cook them gently until a fork just pierces the flesh (take care not to overcook them). In the meantime, saute the onions in a little oil until they are translucent, then sprinkle over the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Fry gently until the onions and flour are turning golden and then stir in the cold vegetable stock, slowly, stirring until smooth, then add the mustard and cider. Pop the spices into a tea egg, or spice egg, and add this to the pot, heating through the potatoes and allowing the flavours to infuse. Taste and then season with a little cracked pepper. Serve with schnitzel or corned beef. This quantity will serve 2-3 as a side. The process in pictures...The dish, Saure rädle, ready to serve... Now tell me, dear readers... have you ever managed to track down a long lost relative? Share your story.
3/8/2013 04:12:31 am
What a sad and happy story all at once. Interestingly, in Serbia, they eat similar flavours (understandably) and have a very traditional hot potato salad that is flavoured with oil and vinegar and not so different... well, different. Yet, this definitely reminds me of it. I can imagine the flavours and love that sourness with the savory and sweetness of a potato.
Lizzy
3/8/2013 07:13:46 am
Valerie, thank you... it makes me happy that you do see that this would be a lovely dish. When I made it this weekend, I was very pleasantly surprised, I had almost forgotten how very delicious it is... and better still it's even nice cold after being refrigerated... the flavours mellow out beautifully. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. I can attest to this, this is delicious. And yes, it is definitely a dish with Germanic origin. There must be hot and cold potato salads [with vinegar] in that cookbook of yours. They are delicious. Hungarian and German cuisine has been intertwined by history, sometimes you don't know where one started or the other began. It's a neat story, and the age/gender protocol is atypical. Good for you for grabbing the phone Lizzy, I don't do well in these circumstances - one of the reasons I left Hungary and came to Canada, and made the land of the "free white" my home. :-)
Lizzy
3/8/2013 07:18:00 am
Zsuzsa thank you... I thought you might know this one... and there are many lovely recipes in the little book... that protocol drove me crazy when we visited Hungary.... on my first trip I was taken aback by the rudeness of people, particularly those in customer service. My family explained that the communist years had driven people to this. I have many stories to share, especially from our visits to my family's homeland... and like you, my father brought his family to Australia for similar reasons : )
Lizzy... yes, the communist era… So many things are blamed on the communist era. But the rudeness has other contributing factors. Hungarians are by nature xenophobes. There is an inherent pride in being Hungarian. That Hungarians are better than anyone else, suffered more than anyone else, produce better food, have better growing soil, better fresh water than anyone else, that they have been misjudged by history and politics have made them martyrs for over a thousand years, that Hungarian IS the ancient language of humanity, that Hungarians were the first ones to use writing, [rovasiras] and that ultimately everything Hungarian… is better. 3/8/2013 09:52:24 am
Really interesting story! Throroughly engrossing and enjoyable. And a super recipe, too - I haven't seen quite this sort of preparation before. Sounds totally delish - thanks.
Lizzy
3/8/2013 12:39:15 pm
John, thank you ever so much for your very kind words. I hope you will try the recipe and many thanks for stopping by : ) 3/8/2013 11:02:48 am
Hi LIzzy! As a spud lover I cannot wait to give this one a go, and I also happen to have some locally grown organic Nicola potatoes so there's nothing to stop me! Your story is bitter sweet but nonetheless fascinating. You ask us about tracking down long lost relatives. Well I have been looking into my family's history, and that is a detective story full of possible leads, dead ends and then bingo! Made so much easier in this day of the internet. I have met some lovely people I never knew existed.
Lizzy
3/8/2013 12:40:30 pm
Jane... this recipe is perfect timing for you then! Let me know if you do happen to make it. Family history is fascinating and I'm so happy to hear that you are making headway... are you writing about it all? Thank you for visiting, and for your kinds words : ) 3/8/2013 03:21:12 pm
I haven't had to track down a long lost relative but I can imagine that it's quite difficult, especially depending on the country! What a wonderful sounding dish Lizzy. i love anything with sour cream :)
Lizzy
3/8/2013 03:25:14 pm
Thanks Lorraine... there is no sour cream in this recipe. 3/8/2013 04:06:52 pm
G'day Lizzy and what a touching post today, true!
Lizzy
3/8/2013 04:08:17 pm
Thanks Joanne, I think it's so important to connect with one's past and also to record family history.... thank you for your very kind words.
Eha
3/8/2013 04:57:44 pm
Oh Lizzy, thank you for 'old home week' in the middle of a windy Australian late winter Sunday!! Well, as a small child I lived both in Freudenstadt, Schwarzwald and Geislingen bei Stuttgart and strongly asserted I spoke three languages; Estonian, German and Swabian ['rädle']. Then somehow I managed a Hungarian baron as a brief time second husband and spent the northern summer of 1984 in Budapest and environs right in the middle of the Communist occupation . . . so do you wonder in 2013 I cannot stop laughing 'cause I relate so much and want to blow you a big kiss? Oh, in spite of being a European-born am not big on potatoes, but do love THAT version :) ! Hope your health improving!!!
Lizzy
3/8/2013 05:00:15 pm
Dear Eha, thank YOU for your wonderful stories... would love to catch up with you one day so we can chat! Blowing a kiss back at you! I hope you might try this one some day. Health is good in terms of recovery from pneumonia, thank you... now dealing with new hiatus hernia... one day at a time, sigh xox
Eha
3/8/2013 05:16:52 pm
'Sigh' indeed! And a few quite rude words not suitable on your blog . . .I do have a few friends in Canberra so may inveigle myself into their car when they are here visiting family once the weather has warmed and we may find a quiet place for a coffee . . . .[hernia better than the pneumonia . . . methinks ]
Lizzy
3/8/2013 05:17:34 pm
Would be lovely to meet you! And yes, indeed, that is better... I just so badly want to be well again. : 0
Eha
3/8/2013 07:05:42 pm
I have begun to believe in vibes and prayers . . . if enough people feel positive . . . you will . . and !
Lizzy
3/8/2013 07:44:27 pm
Thank you xo 3/8/2013 07:20:03 pm
Oh Lizzy, your story really touched me.
Lizzy
3/8/2013 07:46:10 pm
Oh Lisa, what a wonderful, heartwarming story. Truly amazing! I sincerely hope you will sit your father down and record all these stories... for all too soon the elders are no longer with us and all we have is our memories. I have spent part of this weekend watching a DVD of my dad telling his life story. Magic! 3/8/2013 09:48:55 pm
I've never met a potato I didn't get along with and this dish is no exception. It looks glorious.
Lizzy
3/8/2013 09:57:26 pm
Maureen, you made me smile, thank you. 3/8/2013 11:26:35 pm
What a great story Liz. I would love to take my father back to the country his parents fled from to see if he can find some relatives. His sisters did attempt to do so a few years back but they had no luck when they visited the tiny town my grandparents were from. I have tried looking on the internet a few times but it is a little daunting when there are so many lost details now.....Your recipe sounds lovely. I would love to give these a try.
Lizzy
3/8/2013 11:33:49 pm
Kyrstie, thank you... please don't give up.... I have yet to write about this but from Australia we were actually able to locate my ex husband's father's family in a tiny village in Poland through a Posmyk family in member who were not related but had family in the NEXT village!!! My ex and his sister paid a visit to Poland and were so glad that they did! 3/8/2013 11:45:38 pm
Thanks Liz, when it comes to my family I never give up :-) One day dad and I will return, even if it is just to do that together. K x
Heidi Resk
16/8/2016 10:17:42 pm
I am trying to trace an arm of the Posmyk family, can you help? 4/8/2013 06:12:48 am
What an amazing story, I can't imagine tracking down someone in a country that has had such upheaval. Great recipe, i have to give it a try. GG
Lizzy
4/8/2013 08:55:11 pm
Thanks so much GG.... thinking back, it was an amazing thing that we did... : ) 4/8/2013 03:32:58 pm
That's a lovely story but I'm so sorry you arrived just a year too late to spend time with her but well done on finding her! I haven't heard of this type of dish before but it does look very 'Eastern Block'. I would like to try it. xx
Lizzy
4/8/2013 08:56:22 pm
Thank you... we were terribly saddened at the time too... later on we paid homage to Oma by her graveside and bought pots of shrubs and flowers to show that someone loved her and cared. xo
Robert Posmyk
4/8/2013 04:00:21 pm
Liz
Lizzy
4/8/2013 08:57:46 pm
It's my pleasure... thank you for allowing me to share it... and you know there are so many more stories on both side of our families.... it was an amazing thing that we did, such an adventure and I'm glad that we did it and can look back now and laugh at some of what happened! My pleasure re the tribute... I hope that Mike gets to read this.
Another lovely post Lizzy. One day I'll tell you an hilarious story from when my husband and I tried to track down his great grandmothers grave in Ireland - it was crazy!
Lizzy
4/8/2013 08:58:20 pm
Thanks Amanda... sounds like you have a wonderful and funny story to share... I look forward to hearing it : )
Lizzy
4/8/2013 08:54:30 pm
Dear Zsusza, in response to your considered reply, which I have also copied below. 4/8/2013 09:43:00 pm
Such an unusual recipe. I have to try it. I love the sound of the sour taste of mustard and vinegar.
Lizzy
5/8/2013 12:08:12 am
Rosa, how wonderful! Food brings the world closer together : ) 5/8/2013 12:59:17 am
What a frustrating time for you Lizzy, and such a shame you didn't reconnect.
Lizzy
5/8/2013 09:56:56 pm
Bec, thank you... at least we did get to meet this Oma when she visited... so bittersweet really. 5/8/2013 09:36:30 pm
what a beautifully sad story! Thank you for sharing it, and the recipe :)
Lizzy
5/8/2013 09:57:11 pm
Tandy, thank you... happy and sad : )
Lizzy
9/8/2013 10:10:58 am
Thanks Fiona, I will let Peter know xo 7/8/2013 01:47:27 am
What a touching story and dedication. I have had similar potatoes during our visits to Germany so I can imagine the taste of these delicious sounding potatoes.
Lizzy
9/8/2013 10:11:11 am
Karen, thank you very much : )
What a beautiful story and post. My Hungarian grandmother's parents immigrated to Canada about five years before she was born. She always had an accent even though she spoke no actual Hungarian other than the basics. I always wondered why her cooking didn't reflect her heritage and now I know I've missed out on some amazing Hungarian recipes...please post more from that book! It sounds like something I should get my hands on :)
Lizzy
11/1/2014 11:43:52 am
Dear Bernice... thank you kindly... I am so glad you liked this recipe... I will post more from the book... yes, if you can find a copy by all means buy it xo
Andrea
11/1/2014 11:39:24 am
A beautiful story Liz, thank you for sharing, I followed the link to this recipe after reading your latest post on potatoes. I'm so glad I did, I have a tear in my eye, family and connection xx
Lizzy
11/1/2014 11:43:12 am
Andrea, thank you very much xo Comments are closed.
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Welcome...Üdvözölöm
Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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