Wander around a Christmas market and you may encounter an alarmingly-large snack that enjoys favoured status among locals. The Langos (pronounced Lan-Gosh) may only be second to sausages as the food of choice at outdoor events.
- Giant frisbee-sized fried dough
- Tastes way better than it sounds
- Not likely to be recommended by nutritionists
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What is a Langos?
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 it rains.
Like much traditional food, the precise recipe depends on where you are and who you ask.
In Vienna, you deep-fry a flattened piece of dough (leavened or potato-based). Most people then coat the result in garlic paste.
(Needless to say, you won’t find any mention of Langos in a healthy eating guide, other than next to a warning label.)
You normally find this round delight at outdoor events like Christmas markets, football matches in the lower leagues, and funfairs.
The best ones are those where they make the dough on-site before frying. The ready-to-fry Langos dough is fine, but rarely as good as the fresh version. And it’s fine to ask a vendor to give you one without garlic.
The snack actually has its origins in Hungary, where the name applies to various versions. The Hungarian Langos is generally thicker than the Vienna equivalent and comes with more toppings (particularly cheese and sour cream).
Some specialist Langos food trucks you might find at Viennese festivals and markets commonly offer a range of toppings, too.
Finally, one word of caution: these monster snacks are almost impossible to eat without getting sticky fingers or faces. Bring wet wipes.
Bon appétit or Jó étvágyat (as they say in Budapest).