It was tender, the sauce was rich and the bread dumplings were soft enough to soak up the sauce. Once I realized what venison was, I definitely looked at my plate a little differently. I think my initial reaction had more to do with the idea of eating deer than with the actual taste. By then, though, I had already eaten half of it and knew I liked it. So, I kept going.
It ended up being one of the meals that surprised me most during the trip. I still would not say I’m suddenly willing to eat absolutely anything, but studying abroad has made me more open to trying foods I probably would have avoided at home.
Goulash is common throughout Central Europe, although the ingredients and preparation can vary by country, region and restaurant. The version I had was made with pieces of venison cooked in a thick brown sauce. Goulash is usually prepared by slowly cooking meat with onions, seasonings and paprika until the meat becomes tender and the sauce develops a deeper flavor. Since I ate mine at a restaurant, I do not know the exact recipe they used, but the meat was very tender and the sauce had a rich flavor.
The bread dumplings also surprised me. When I hear the word “dumpling,” I usually picture dough filled with meat, vegetables, or something similar. These were completely different. They were soft slices of bread-like dough with nothing inside, served alongside the goulash so they could absorb the sauce.
By the end of the meal, I understood why they were paired together.
