Here’s A Delicious Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe To Try Out!
If you want to make a cucumber salad that will have people nagging you for the recipe, this is it.
This authentic Hungarian cucumber salad (or uborka saláta) is the perfect mix of creaminess, sweetness, and sharpness – all rolled into one perfect bowl.
Cucumber salad is a classic Hungarian side dish – but many other countries have similar versions that vary by ingredients like dill!
We are big fans of cucumber salad – we both grew up eating it (in Canada and Germany).
That said, this specific cucumber salad recipe was provided by a great friend of Eric’s back home in Canada.
With Hungarian roots like Eric, his friend’s Nagymama (grandma) and mother were kind enough to share the version their family makes!
Of course, there are so many different variations of cucumber salad that you can create – from more vinegar-based versions to a very creamy cucumber salad that is unique to Eric’s family.
Spoiler: It’s a really creamy cucumber salad (more so than the recipe in this post!).
In any case, this cucumber salad has to be one of our absolute favorites because it’s a nice balance of sweet with creamy and just enough bite from the fresh garlic.
Recipe Tips
If you like the cucumber salad with a bit of spicy kick to it, you can add some banana peppers – but we didn’t do it this time.
Before serving, you can top it off with a dash of paprika or even some finely chopped chives for color.
But, let’s be serious, you can never have too much paprika – the quintessential Hungarian spice!
Also, this cucumber salad should sit in the fridge for a few hours before serving to allow the flavors to mingle.
Speaking of paprika, this cucumber salad pairs well with chicken paprikash if you are aiming to create a well-rounded Hungarian meal at home!
Storage Tips
Once you’re done serving, it’s important to refrigerate any uneaten cucumber salad right away since it has a bit of creaminess to it.
Ideally, the cucumber salad is eaten by the next day. This is because it has already sat in the fridge and gotten a little soggier (which is okay).
Leaving it too long (like overnight or more) will make it extra soggy and the cucumbers will lose any texture/firmness they had remaining.
Related Recipes
For more great Hungarian recipes, check out these authentic dishes:
- Hungarian Stuffed Peppers – A Töltött Paprika recipe for peppers stuffed with meat nd rice in a nice tomato sauce
- Creamy Green Bean Soup – This Hungarian tejfölös zöldbableves recipe is a classic that everyone raves about
- Marhapörkölt – An authentic Hungarian beef and onion stew – goes great with spaetzle (called Nokedli)!
Hungarian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 2 English cucumbers, peeled if preferred
- 1 tablespoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 small chopped hot banana pepper, optional
- 2 crushed cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2/3 cup sour cream
- ground black pepper, to taste
- a sprinkle of paprika
- chives, optional
Instructions
- Wash and – if desired – peel your cucumbers. Thinly slice your cucumbers with a mandolin or four-sided box grater.
- Place the cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle 1 tbsp of salt on top, and put the bowl in the fridge for 1.5 hours.
- After taking the cucumbers back out of the fridge, drain the excess water and squeeze the cucumbers either with your hands or by pushing a small plate on top to remove and drain any additional liquid.
- Add the chopped hot banana pepper (optional), the crushed garlic, sugar, vinegar, sour cream, pepper, and paprika. Mix everything together in the bowl and add more spices or sour cream to taste.
- Refrigerate your cucumber salad for several hours (or overnight). You can add more pepper, paprika, and chopped chives to garnish before serving.
Notes
- If you don’t have a garlic press, you can use a fork on a cutting board to mince the garlic. Simply use the tines of the fork to repeatedly press the garlic clove until it is as finely minced as you want it to be.
- We would recommend refrigerating the salad at least two hours before serving to allow the flavors to infuse. However, if you can’t wait that long, the salad will still taste good if consumed without waiting for two hours.
- If you want the cucumber salad spicy, you can add banana peppers for some kick. You might also add a dash of chili powder (the actual spicy powder not the North American version of chili powder that has cumin in it).
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
Mother in-law makes this all the time at holiday get togethers. Everyone enjoys it