Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Gluten-Free Delights in the Shadow of Budapest's House of Terror

Budapest’s House of Terror sits on Andrassy utja (Budapest, Andrássy út 60, 1062 Hungary), and no matter where the sun is in the sky, it throws a long shadow. After visiting the building that has represented fear, secrecy, and pain for most of the twentieth century, do not be surprised if you hear your stomach growl and feel a gnawing hunger.

For those who are following a gluten-free diet (and for those who are not) you are in luck. Across the street at Andrassy ut 57 (Budapest, Andrássy út 57, 1062 Hungary) you will find the best gluten-free bakery in Budapest. Corso Cafe will not be found on any travel forums online, and even a Google search for it will not turn up satisfactory results. It is a small cafe, serving assorted teas and coffees along with many wheat pastries on display. However, you need only ask the man or the woman that run the bakery for “glutenmentes” and a bin will be brought out for you to peruse the selection.

The woman, who is also the baker, speaks English making it easier to ascertain which breads are best and what is in each goody. She bakes chocolate and coconut gluten-free spiral pastries, nine gluten-free baguettes, and whole loaves of both white artisan bread and a whole-grain version. All of these are divine. I would suggest making several stops back at the bakery over your visit to Budapest because it is very unlikely that one trip will satiate the thirst for freshly baked gluten-free treats. Be warned that getting there early in the day will not guarantee that gluten-free bread is available as she bakes a certain amount each day and no more. She also starts the gluten-free baking process later in the day than the regular breads, and with this in mind getting there around 2 PM (1400) is usually a good time to pick up bread. Enjoy!


Guest blog post by Kit Norton