I recently developed a sous vide pork goulash for a regional distributor.  The company has a a customer base of Eastern European delis and grocery stores.  This product was a 5 lb. foodservice pack designed for the hot bar HMR section.  The product combines diced pork shoulder slow cooked with a rich and hearty paprika based sauce. The ratio of meat to sauce is ideal for holding in a hot well or steam table.

 

Originating in Hungary and made with beef by cattle herdsmen, goulash is enjoyed throughout Central Europe and has been adapted to local preferences.    Whether it’s spelled goulash, gulyàs, or gulasz, its broad popularity is due to its importance in the culinary repertoire of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which once stretched from Ukraine to Italy.  In Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria it is more commonly made with pork.  Still the key flavor drivers of sweet paprika, caramelized onions, garlic, carraway and marjoram are maintained.  Debate of whether the dish should have the consistency of a soup or a stew remains on-going.  

 

When looking at the method and ingredients for goulash, I wonder whether it could be the predecessor of Texas chili.   Chili is thought to have been developed by Czech and German butchers who settled in the Texas Hill Country.  Perhaps in their new home it was necessary to replace Hungarian paprika with local red chiles, replace carraway with cumin and marjoram with Mexican oregano.  If so, the popularity of goulash is even broader, extending beyond Europe to America.