In Hungary we don't have a national bird or a national flower or a national lizard or anything like that. At least I don't think we do. But in the last few years, each St. Stephen's Day (August 20), on the birthday of the nation, we have gotten a new national cake. This is chosen by a professional jury and gives a creative young confectioner - a serious profession in this country - a chance to shine. It is simultaneously served up for the pre-firework crowds down by the Danube embankment and unveiled at participating pastry shops around the country, where it will be available throughout the following year. If it catches on, it might join the general repertoire, like the Pándi sour cherry cake of 2009 did.
This year it is the Kecskemét-style apricot millet cake, which looks a bit more appetizing in the professional shot of the entire cake. I like it. Reminds me vaguely of a minimally sweetened key lime pie, but with apricots, which is good because I like apricots and don't like my pastries overly sweet. (One day I shall propound my theory of the Sacher torte here.) Apparently it is good for you and diabetics and flour-intolerants can eat it too.
It will be interesting to see how this contest takes shape over coming years as we run out of the distinctively hungarian fruits (e.g. plums, sour cherries, apricots, grapes, apples, peaches) to make innovative cakes out of and we either shuffle the deck, magyarize the banana and the pineapple, or someone will have to come up with cakes made from Unicum and winter salami.
So patriotic today even went out on the balcony to peek at the top-third of the fireworks that was not obscured by the rooftops between here and the river.
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