17. When I visited the Magyar capital, I had the chance to watch a football game of Ferencváros. However, my most vivid memory is when I tried goulash, a delicious stew. Which country does the capital that I was visiting belong to?
From Quiz Oh, the Places!
Answer:
Hungary
Located at the geographical heart of Europe, Budapest was actually three separate cities until 1873, when Buda and Óbuda from the west side of the Danube, united with Pest from the east side to form one larger city. The story of Budapest starts much earlier however, when the Romans took over a settlement named Ak-ink from the Celtic tribe Eravisci and renamed it Aquincum in the late first/early 2nd century AD. Aquincum became the capital of the Pannonia province and corresponds to the Óbuda part of Budapest. Óbuda, which means Old Buda, is now considered a district of Budapest. Buda became the capital of Hungary in 1361, but it fell under the Ottoman Empire's rule for nearly 150 years during the 16th and 17th century. Pest, the final piece of Budapest, is the sole part in the east side of Danube, yet it covers much more ground. Upon the construction of the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in 1849, the three cities were not separated by the river anymore, setting up the ground for their eventual unification.
Nowadays, Budapest has a metropolitan population 3.3 million people, making it the largest city in Hungary. Any football (soccer) fan will have the chance to catch a game or two, since there are more than half a dozen teams in Budapest, the most famous of which are Ferencváros and Honvéd. If you're a fan of Formula 1, an F1 Grand Prix takes places every year in late July in the Hungaroring circuit less than 20 km from Budapest, with the first one having been held in 1986.
Goulash gets its name from the word "gulyás", which means herdsman. It is the most famous Hungarian dish, and it is a stew that contains meat, usually beef, as well as noodles, vegetables and spices, though there are several different versions of the recipe. Goulash is also consumed in other countries near Hungary, such as Austria, Germany, Croatia, Serbia and the Czech Republic. If you visit Hungary, don't miss the chance to try a hot dish of goulash!