Season One - episode 5: Pécs & Mohács

Sip, Savor, Sing: A Perfect Day in Mohács & Pécs
Today we visited Pécs and Mohács, Hungary. It was the perfect place for our next adventures of Café and Cake in Every Country!  Pecs, (pronounced Peesch) Hungary, is a charming city in central Hungary with about 150,000 residents.  We enjoyed the weather, watched people, and tried their poppy seed and blueberry pastries.
 
Southeastern Hungary is well known for its amazing architecture that is particularly evident in the churches of Mohács and Pécs. Strolling through the charming town of Pécs you will notice the impressive Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul.

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The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul—often simply called Pécs Cathedral—is one of Hungary’s most historically layered and architecturally unique churches, and it’s especially admired for Its four towers rising over Dóm Square make it one of the defining landmarks of Pécs. But, more than anything else it is known acoustics!  Every design of this building, every building stone, pillar and sound wave direction was considered in the construction to amplify the sound. The acoustics of this building were AMAZING!
 
The acoustic quality I’m referring to comes from a combination of architectural features rather than a single modern design feature:

• Vaulted and coffered ceilings: The cathedral features a richly decorated, enclosed ceiling structure with painted panels, (including depictions of the apostles), which helps contain and reflect sound evenly.
• Massive stone arches and columns: These create a resonant interior volume, allowing sound—especially music—to travel clearly without distortion.
• A long nave and sound friendly layout: The elongated central space enhanced the natural reverberation, ideal for choral and organ music.
• Minimal sound absorption: Stone, plaster, and tile surfaces reflect rather than absorb sound, producing that full, immersive echo you notice when inside.

 
Together, these elements create what describe as a “wrapped” or enveloping sound experience—almost like the building itself becomes part of the instrument.
 
Unlike some cathedrals where sound dissipates upward into vast domes, Pécs Cathedral’s more inverted dome ceiling structure help circulate sound within the catacombs. That’s what gives it that distinctive clarity—especially during organ performances or choral music. 
 
We didn’t hear their massive organ play. But, after we were escorted down to the catacombs of the building and had the ceiling design explained everything to us, our tour guide offered to sing for us.  Of course, we said yes!  Little did we know that she was a classically trained soprano and had a performance quality voice.  She obliged us with a stirring rendition of Ava Maria!
 
After a exuberant round of applause she asked if anybody else wanted to sing for the rest of us?  No? No takers?  Then somebody started singing Amazing Grace and the entire tour group started in and it sounded – Heavenly!

Food for Thought: Hungarian Wine
Today, Hungary is enjoying a wine-making resurgence with many private and family wineries gaining international attention.  We toured, and experienced a wine tasting at Villäny.  According to our tour guide, Villány's world-class wines benefit from a warm, climate that is ideal for growing native Kékfrankos and Portugieser grapes, plus red Bordeaux varieties like cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and Merlot.

The road into Villány cast a bright sunshine on the landscape that led to a family-owned vineyard and winery. At the winery, we were welcomed not as customers, but as guests stepping into a family story shaped by generations of growing grapes, wine making, and creating family traditions.  While our host may not have been the patriarch, he was their spokesman of the day.  We were told that he was the only one who spoke good English.  Wrong!  I barely understood a single word he said.
 
We gathered around their tasting tables that felt more like a large family dining table, where each glass was presented and carefully explained, albeit the experience unfolded slowly; the spokesman showed us their rich Kékfrankos and Portugieser, alongside cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot. With each new wine for which he introduced us, the more explanation about the philosophy behind that particular wine was told.  
 
Our host also spoke of their beginnings a quarter century ago, driven by the belief that Hungary could produce wines far better than what many had known. That belief, now shared with the next two generations, showed off a family heritage and love for their wine making craft.

From there, we stepped into their small but impressive wine cellar, where the atmosphere shifted to something quieter and more visible to the wine making process. The soft rumble of aging barrels created a steady rhythm, almost meditative. It felt like the heart of the winery—where time and nature worked together in silence. Standing there, it was easy to sense that wine here had not been rushed, but allowed to become a world class wine that they suggested it was. We were all anxious to try the wine that he tapped and served us straight from the barrel.

As the tasting came to a close, what lingered most was not just the wine, but the feeling—of a family heritage and a shared passion poured generously into every glass.

Here’s a recipe that our tour guide gave each of the visitors in our group:
Hungarian Chicken Paprikash with Dumplings - Servings: 8
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1-2 tablespoon oil
• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 10 ounces sour cream
• 2-1/4 cups water
• 3/4 cup flour
  

Directions:
De-fat, and tenderize chicken. Cut into bite-sized pieces. With oil, brown chicken in a large pan on medium-high heat (6-10 min).

Add paprika, onion powder, salt, pepper, and chicken broth to the chicken in the pan. Stir them to mix. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer and put a lid on and let simmer for 25 minute.

In a container with a lid (Tupperware is good) mix water, flour and sour cream for the chicken. Shaking the mixture aggressively is the best way to ensure a smooth mix. Set aside mixture for later.

Meanwhile, the chicken should be about done simmering. Using a spoon, draw some of the chicken sauce and put it into the sour cream/flour/water mixture that you had set aside. This is important to prevent sour cream from curdling. Put the lid on and shake the mixture once more. There should be no flour or sour cream chunks in the mixture.

Finally, stir the mixture into the chicken pan. Mix until consistent. Bring the sauce to a boil stirring occasionally for sauce to thicken.

Usually, chicken and sauce are served on top of the dumplings.