Though pork patties are pretty much unheard of at McDonald’s back home, they actually pop up on several international menus (most notably in Germany, where the McRib is a permanent item on the menu).
Frankfurter from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache
If you’re in Frankfurt, you’ve pretty much got to get at least one frankfurter. I’m pretty sure that’s the law? I got this particular one from Bauernmarkt Konstablerwache, which is a great farmer’s market in the middle of the city with a whole bunch of different prepared foods and pastries you can try. The sausage was, not surprisingly, very tasty; it was meaty, nicely spiced, and had a great snappy casing. It even had a very mild kick to it, which was unexpected but thoroughly delightful. This particular vendor didn’t have mustard or any other condiments available, and I was worried that the sausage would be too plain, but it was more than flavourful enough to stand up on its own — no toppings needed.
I can’t say no to a pork sandwich. Whether it’s porchetta in Italy, leitão assado in Portugal, or gua bao in Taiwan, a really well prepared pork sandwich is a thing of beauty. It’s one of the best things in the world.
I had sausages a couple of times in Prague, and they were both okay (well, one was mediocre and one was pretty good, so they average out to okay), but neither were the mind-blowing sausage experience that you’d hope for from a place that really knows their sausages.
It may not have happened in Prague, but I just had that experience in Budapest.
Though pretty much everything I’ve been eating in Budapest has been great, Mangalica Mennyország was a bit of a mixed bag.
There’s no English menu at Norbi Étkezde, only a chalkboard with the day’s offerings written in Hungarian (the restaurant is a tiny little place, with no tables and two small counters on either side to sit); it’s not particularly easy to order here.
McDonald’s in Hungary has a pork burger called the Pig McFarm, and it’s actually pretty interesting.
After having a decent but fairly underwhelming sausage at Václavsky Gril, I had unfinished business. Surely I could find a great quality sausage in Prague.
Apparently the area around Wenceslas Square — one of the main city squares in Prague — used to be crammed with street vendors selling Czech sausages. But the neighbouring restaurants were unhappy about the stands cutting into their profits, and the city elected to remove most of them.
I couldn’t resist. After my amazing (and amazingly cheap) first meal at Edessaïkó, I had to come back one more time.
This time, I tried the pork chop in tomato sauce, and was able to try a variety of sides — pasta, rice, fried potato slices, and roast potatoes.