Fried Flatbread · Market Staple

Lángos

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Its name literally means 'flame' — it began as bread dough Hungarian bakers fried up while their wood ovens were still heating.

Lángos is a disc of yeasted dough deep-fried until puffed and golden, then topped hot with sour cream, grated cheese, and often garlic butter or garlic water. It's sold at markets, fairs, bus stations, and lakeside stands all over Hungary.

Why it's made this way: It started as a way to use leftover bread dough in the residual heat of a cooling brick oven, before becoming a fried-to-order market food in its own right.