One of the common delicacies you’ll find at a typical Christmas market and other outdoor events is the Langos (pronounced lan-gosh).
- Giant frisbee-sized fried potato dough
- Tastes better than it sounds
- See also: Food from Vienna
So what’s a Langos?
There are various ideas about what a proper Langos should be. But in Vienna they’re made from a flattened potato dough, which is deep-fried and then coated in garlic paste.
This is not as bad as it sounds. Though, needless to say, you won’t find any mention of Langos in a healthy eating guide (other than next to a warning label).
The Viennese Langos is a large, flat, round, crispy snack which can be quite warming and filling on a cold winter’s night. And, as a bonus, you can always use it as a protective shield if, for example, it rains.
The snack has its origins in Hungary. There the name appears to apply to both a bread and potato version, but one generally thicker than the Vienna equivalent and with more toppings (particularly cheese and sour cream). Some specialist Langos food trucks you might find at Vienna festivals commonly offer a range of such toppings, too.
The Langos appears regularly at outdoor events, such as Christmas markets, sports events (they serve them at my eldest son’s football club), etc.. The best ones are those where they make the Langos dough fresh on-site before frying. The ready-to-fry dough is fine, but rarely as good as the fresh version.
Finally, one word of caution – these monster snacks are almost impossible to eat without getting sticky fingers or faces. Bring wet wipes.
Bon appétit.