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8 plants worth knowing

Hungary

Hungary lies at the heart of the Pannonian Basin, and most of the country is taken up by the Great Hungarian Plain – once an endless steppe known as the puszta, today mostly farmland. Remnants of the puszta, salt meadows and sandy grasslands are protected in the Hortobágy and Kiskunság national parks, while in the north the Mátra, Bükk and Zemplén ranges of low mountains are clothed in oak and beech forests. The warm continental climate favours vineyards and paprika growing.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Chili pepper 1

    crop · Hungarikum – a symbol of Hungarian cuisine

    Chili pepper

    Capsicum annuum

    Without red paprika from Szeged and Kalocsa there would be no goulash or pörkölt – it is the most Hungarian of spices.
  2. Grapevine 2

    climber · Tokaj vineyards are mentioned in the Hungarian national anthem

    Grapevine

    Vitis vinifera

    Tokaj, “the wine of kings and the king of wines”, is famed for its sweet aszú wines made from grapes touched by noble rot.
  3. European feather grass 3

    grass

    European feather grass

    Stipa pennata

    “Orphan girl’s hair” – the Hungarian name for feather grass, whose silvery awns sway in the wind over the puszta and adorn herdsmen’s hats.
  4. Black locust 4

    tree · Acacia honey from Hungarian black locust has hungarikum status

    Black locust

    Robinia pseudoacacia

    Although it comes from America, the “akác” has become part of the Hungarian landscape – it makes up about a quarter of the country’s forests.
  5. Chamomile 5

    herbaceous plant

    Chamomile

    Matricaria chamomilla

    Hungarian chamomile from the salty meadows of the puszta is said to be among the world’s best – the country has long been a leading exporter.
  6. Apricot 6

    crop

    Apricot

    Prunus armeniaca

    Apricots from around Kecskemét and Gönc are the raw material for Hungary’s most famous pálinka – barackpálinka.
  7. Sunflower 7

    crop

    Sunflower

    Helianthus annuus

    In summer, yellow sunflower fields stretch to the horizon – Hungary is one of the leading sunflower seed producers in the European Union.
  8. Onion 8

    crop · The Makó onion has hungarikum status

    Onion

    Allium cepa

    The pungent, long-keeping onion of Makó is a hungarikum – Hungarian goulash, pörkölt or paprikash is hard to imagine without onions.