Food Shopping

The Aldi and Lidl model is to stock the top 100 items one needs plus of course the special offers (some quite good).  So usually it's basics for day to day in Aldi and top ups in Auchan or Tesco.  Aldi fruit and veg is quite good as it seems to be delivered each day.

We were OK with Tesco but now we prefer Auchan as I think it has more interesting stuff.  No loyalty at all. Interspar perceived as expensive and doesn't have the range. 

Remember Julius Meinl in Hungary?  Glad to see they've gone - terrible. In fact I feel like kicking all Austrian chains. Billa is atrocious. Fruit and veg often mouldy and out of date. No concept of customer experience.  Take it or leave it.

Fruits in season are OK at the local fruit stall. 

Wine "in season" direct from the vineyard when in the country side.  But drink it right away!

Tescos is the best,and they import most of the produce. Hungary needs to prosecute its Food Processing Factories and look into  food processing purity issues,the Population is being polluted by Chemicals in its food and water supply.

I went to Tesco my first one at the Buda Center and it was rather disappointing! I do not know if that is just a subpar one or what but the veggies and fruit were old looking and the store was not well stocked. Whole ducks were a good price though

maybe that is just a bad one?

Spar at Mammut is good for non food and the food seems good also.

G Roby is good also

I could probably write a short book or leaflet on shopping for food in Hungary.
Short on time today however...
My husband who speaks Hungarian and i usually shop together for food, he picks everything out though in the end.
He loves cooking and must have the proper paprika etc. or his dish is not perfect, or so he says.
He usually buys fresh produce from one of several of the farmers markets but after years of trail and allot of error he knows which vendors put out a display of nice things but when they divey it out and pack it, they reach for the old produce or ones that are about ready to go off.
Meats the same thing, some sausages are great at one butchers stall then the next time you buy the same product, it comes from a different batch and might either be even better or worst then the time before.
Nothing is totally consistant in quality.
We do ourlarge shopping for  the week at Tesco, only because it is close by our flat.
We buy bread at a local shop, jump into Aldi which is also near our flat for some of the weekly specials or a snack or two.
seems we buy one item here and there daily on our walks about town.
Some prices do differ at different shops, we avoid the corner markets  ( the chain shops like Coop)because overall they are overpriced  and the selection is small.

We used to try and support the mom and pop shops but found many times they ripped us off, either with the prices or the weight.
For anyone shopping in the farmers markets a good tip to use if you feel you were ripped off is to look for the scales they have near most of the main doors. You should weight your buys and if you find you have been jipped,then you can report the vendors to the main office inside the market.
We have never reported anyone as of yet but we have gone back to their stalls and told them we found the price and or weight to be off, they always adjust it because they know if they are reported too often they can loose their space in the market.
Helps though if you speak Hungarian or are willing to make a scene.
One time while buying cherries we had to stand behind 3 other people who had an issue with the venders scales, happens allot.
We  always look for the best prices as some vendors in the same markets have a wide range of prices, sometimes it is worth it pay more for better quality and sometimes it's not.
Sometimes we know the vendors are all overpricing a good so we wait a week or two until the prices everywhere go down.
Not that we can not afford it but for the principle, do not want to make someone rich by them ripping off the public.'We always try to eat fresh quality foods and always try to buy like we are locals and not get ripped off because the vendors hear us speaking in English.
Often we will look at items together without speaking, I will take a walk away and let my husband buy alone as he will do the buy in Hungarian.
We have noticed over the years that if you do not speak Hungarian then often you will be paying more for goods.
Just the facts.
Also many of the major grocery shops like Tesco will advertise  a weekly special. When you get to the store the sales item may have run out or in some cases never even was delivered to the shop.
They will have posted the sales prices on the display shelf but replaced the item with a  more expensive one. Pays to double check all goods before leaving the store.
On our trip to the US we bought many boxes of candy as gifts.
Got home and noticed the clerk had charged for more boxes then we had bought, lucky we went back to Tesco and let the service desk know, they were helpful which did surprise us. refunded the difference, in the past we had issues with customer service at Tesco, guess they slowly have learned that not every customer is trying to rip off the store. In the US the customer is always right, in Hu it is usually always the store keeper who is always right, slowly changing but very slowly.

Well we went to that Great Market Hall and brought some produce. The venders were ok and did not have any issues. But i did see the same vender charge some other english speakers more for the exact same thing so i know there is things going on.

( my dad asked how much are these oranges, vender said 300 huf ok cool. then like some other people a few mins later asked same thing, the vendor said 650 huf. we did not say anything then when those people paid and left i asked about that the vendor said he does not like how Americans have ruined his country. my dad and i looked at each other. i said well where do you think we are from, he replied he thought my dad was from Australia and me Israel. Now i see people in Hungary do not even think we are Americans! No wonder people act strange toward me!)

I like Aldi they have lots of candy bars and also much more German products which i need! I eat sauerkraut on just about everything! he hee

Prima is everywhere! And every one of them seems different!

I can not take people who are still living in 1945 mentally.
Yes the US may or may not of screwed things up for Europe but when trouble starts ," Who ya gonna call ?" America of course.
I can say you are probably lucky then that Hungarians don't think your an American if that's they way they do business.
My husband does not have a "typical" if there is a "type" Hungarian face and he was born and raised in HU and can trace his family to Hungary since before St. Stephan. Oh well, probably why his fellow countrymen always try to pull some scam on us.
I do hope we can get together in the Springtime, Anns is still hve  great time elsewhere as I am right now.
Post when you are in the mood, it is interesting for everyone here to read how a "newbie" is doing in Hungary. Take care...

Let's try to stay on topic please.  Please use PM for side conversation or post on another topic.

Thanks all.

Mercurien wrote:

Tescos is the best,and they import most of the produce.

Sure. Like peppers from California that are wrinkled and old from their trip half way around the world. Meanwhile, Hungary produces more peppers locally than most other places in Europe.

Imported, does not mean better.

And there is a growing "slow food" movement that advocates buying local produce.

Mercurien wrote:

Hungary needs to prosecute its Food Processing Factories and look into  food processing purity issues,the Population is being polluted by Chemicals in its food and water supply.

Hungary is required to grow and process produce and other foods under EU standards. If you have proof otherwise, please show it.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Wine "in season" direct from the vineyard when in the country side.  But drink it right away!

What do you consider as wine "in season"? Properly made wine (with some exceptions) can be cellared for years. If it can not, then it probably is not worth drinking to begin with.

Vicces1 wrote:

Tesco? (English chain)

Never. Garbage.

Vicces1 wrote:

Auchan? (French chain)

None near us. Never been.

Vicces1 wrote:

Interspar? (Austrian chain)

Yes. Better quality. Only place near us where I can find organic coffee, for example. And has a more extensive cheese selection than most others stores (how much Hungarian Trappista alone can one eat?)

Vicces1 wrote:

Aldi? (German chain)

Yes. For "staples" such as canned goods, and such things as "American" corn chips (in the larger "American" size bags). Aldi has gotten better over time.

Vicces1 wrote:

Lidl? (German chain)

Yes. But less than before. Have gotten worse over time.

Vicces1 wrote:

I also use a small fruit / vegetable stand nearby to get fresh from the farm produce.  Do you?

Yes. What I do not grow in my own garden, we typically only buy from small vendors. We know their sources (mostly local) and thus know the quality of the fruits and vegetables as well as mushrooms (there are many people that hunt local mushrooms and sell them at "farmers markets"). There is also a Swiss expat near us that makes great (non-Trappista) cheese as well.

Vicces1 wrote:

Also, does anyone have the stores deliver food to you, or do you always go to the store yourself?

Delivery is mainly a city (i.e. Budapest) thing. Not living a city, this is not an option for us.

There are other local Hungarian chains as well such as ABC, CBA. The owners of CBA I have read (?) are close to the current government... if one cares about such things and wants to boycott/support the current government.

FeliciaOni wrote:

( my dad asked how much are these oranges, vender said 300 huf ok cool. then like some other people a few mins later asked same thing, the vendor said 650 huf

By Hungarian law, a vendor is required to write out the price of each product. As stated by Marilyn they can, and should be, reported if they do not.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Wine "in season" direct from the vineyard when in the country side.  But drink it right away!

What do you consider as wine "in season"? Properly made wine (with some exceptions) can be cellared for years. If it can not, then it probably is not worth drinking to begin with.

Good point.

All I know is the vineyard is selling wine from their vineyard in small shop on their site.

I suppose it's from the previous year now I think about it. 

Not Beaujolais Nouveau HU style (if such a thing exists).

They could have it casks and then decant it for the summer season into bottles and containers.

fluffy2560 wrote:

They could have it casks and then decant it for the summer season into bottles and containers.

It depend on the grape. Just two examples:

Pinot Gris (Szürkebarát in Hungarian) : Normally bottled within 6 months after harvest. Best consumed within 6 months to two years after bottling. Tends to oxidize, even in the bottle, so may not be drinkable after two years.

Pinot Noir (the Red wine version -- not as a Sparkling wine or as a Rosé): barrel aged for 1 to 2 years. Bottled, then aged another 1 to 2 years. Then drink or let age even longer if wished (for some great vintages -- a decade of aging is not unheard of).

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

They could have it casks and then decant it for the summer season into bottles and containers.

.
...It depend on the grape. Just two examples:

Usually it's Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc by the side of the road.

I should probably put my 2 cents in on this subject.  Again, this is my experience...

The German stores, Aldi and Lidl, stock a minority of popular but basic goods at decent prices.  But I would never make the mistake of calling them quality goods.  I generally avoid them if possible.

Interspar tends toward the more expensive, slightly better options than Aldi or Lidl, but I still tend to avoid it.  It does have some of the best meats though, so if looking for meat alone, I'd make this a focus.

I find Auchan and Tesco to be almost interchangeable with one or the other meeting my needs for a period of time before the inconsistency of fresh products or unavailability of a product forces me to the other store.  But they are my 2 "Go-To" stores.  Plus the addition of a farmer's market for fresh produce and I really don't complain.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Usually it's Merlot

Have you ever seen the movie "Sideways"?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideways# … e_industry

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

Usually it's Merlot

Have you ever seen the movie "Sideways"?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideways# … e_industry

Hmmm...wine based movies.  New one on me.  I will watch it.  Thanks for the "up"!

We usually buy most of our produce from one of the farmers markets, meat is iffy, if it passes what my husband thinks is fresh, he will buy it. Just the two of us so a tiny bit will do.
We buy mostly fresh non canned or frozen foods. Hardly ever buy snacks, don't like any of the chips, ( potato or corn chips) sold anywhere in Hungary, junk food is usually just a slice or two of cake from a bakery.
We try to buy quality oils and salt for home cooking.
This means we usually are picking up one item here and there from many different shops.
Tesco is where we do our weekly "big" shopping, buying TP, laundry soaps etc. Only use the car about once a week to hit Tesco.
Most times we just take a small backpack, go on a nice city walk and stop in a store for bread, wine or other mid week needs.
We can easily spend just around $50. a week for the two of us, sometimes a bit more, sometimes less.
In the US right now, spending well over $100. a week and seems we hardly even fill up 2 bags for that much.
Produce in the US varies allot, from the local Smiths stores to Whole Foods, prices swing from high to low for the same items in the US.
In HU the prices do vary but not as much as I see in the US at different shops.
Chia seed for example were $5.99 a Lb. at one store, just across the street in a mostly Mexican store we bought the chia seeds for only $1.99 a Lb. Both were sold in bulk, no fancy packages, probably came from the same source.
Most produce in HU probably also comes from the same sources so comparing prices is worth it if one has the time to bargin shop.

Living in district VII and always seeming to be busy I tend to use the local supermarkets/corner shops. I'm aware they are not as cheap as the bigger Tesco stores etc, but need to factor in the time taken for a round trip to these places, seeing as I don't drive.
I like the Spar in the Klauzál market hall, plus it's open on a Sunday. Also there's fruit and veg stalls here which I'll try to use if the stuff looks good. Plus I've bought some really nice honey from the market here.
For a lunchtime sandwich I really like the rolls in CBA near Kiraly utca tram stop. Always seems to have a queue and a problem at the till so only go in for lunch items.
There's a new family run health food shop on Kertesz utca/Kiraly utca corner, I've bought some good healthy stuff here - soya milk and good museli, healthy dried fruit and nuts etc.
They've a massive selection of stuff.

I continue to be surprised that people talk about "farmers markets" and health food stores as having higher quality.   These are surely not any better than supermarkets for quality and the price can be about the same or higher due to lower volume. 

In theory supermarket fresh stuff should be even fresher as their food turnover is much higher.  At least in supermarkets there should be a greater level of inspection and formal checking. 

It's like thinking diesel/petrol is better at say Shell than discounted Auchan fuel. It's produced to the same quality checks as all the other diesel/petrols so why pay more?

Yes, sometimes health food is just overpriced and not worth it.
My husband has turned into a bit of a "Foodie" since retirement, a very good cook with Hungarian dishes.
He has transfered all his logical skills used at his old machinist job into cooking. The right amount of this or that etc.
I am happy to try his "experiments" in the kitchen.
He loves to get the best price possible for anything he buys, not big on shopping but does his research on everything, from buying a car to buying one apple. Not sure why, could be his growing up with a single mom in Budapest and having to start work at age 14.
Hates to be ripped off and would never willingly rip off anyone himself.
We look at all the adds before shopping, he will run over to the farmers markets and look around, if he is not happy with their quality or price we have no problem either shopping at a chain store or going without until either the price or quality improves. We have changed our dinner menu on the spot like that.
He is mad about cherries when in season. Never buys the cheapest one but neither will he buy overpriced ones. Buys perhaps half a kilo from several different vendors at one time, checks each sample out then will go back and buy more from just one vendor.
sometimes even the same vendor will have different quality from week to week.
Of course this takes allot of time to be so picky.
Sort of his hobby, we cook at home and have no problem eating bean soup if everything in the stores is off at the same time.
We compair everything from eggs to bread.
Have learned with time who sells coffee for less, who has better tasting sour cream etc.
We are fugal in Hungary but like to eat nicely.
Hard to believe we are both skinny they way we shop.
Once in the 7th district farmers market, forgot the name right near King St. we checked out some item at a vendor. My husband didn't let on that he spoke Hungarian. Man, they way those vendors at that one stall talked about tourists and the rude things they said in HU in front of us was really too much. We walked away in the middle of buying their produce.
They wondered why we turned and ran away, it can be a problem for non HU speakers, to get ripped off at these markets. At least in the chain stores they charge the same to everyone from what we can tell.
My HU neighbors are 84 and 64 years old, they have been shopping in Budapest for decades. Even at time some clerks try to rip them off too but chances are worse if you don't know what is happening.
Once at a Spar on the Large Blvd. we picked up 2 cans of something, weird because we almost never buy anything in a can.
It was on sale, maybe it was tomato sauce. The clerk overcharged us even though my husband was doing the deal and speaking in HU to her. I noticed she had overcharged him. I told him then and there that the price was wrong. She took offence and pulled the sales ticket out of the register, ripped it up and tossed it in the trash!!
She didn't want to get busted for overcharging us.
Husband told me that many clerks if they can get away with it will overcharge selected people here and there throughout the day. At the end of the day they pocket the difference in the tray before turning it into the shop manager.
Have to keep your eyes on every transaction, sad not to trust anyone.

fluffy2560 wrote:

I continue to be surprised that people talk about "farmers markets" and health food stores as having higher quality.   These are surely not any better than supermarkets for quality and the price can be about the same or higher due to lower volume.

Farmers Markets usually have local produce. And some fruits and vegetables do actually taste better when they are picked when ripe. For example, take tomatoes. There is nothing more tasty than a fresh, ripe, garden picked tomato. And there are thousands of different tomato varieties (7,500 tomato varieties actually), each with a different texture and taste that you might find at farmer's markets but never at a supermarket.

Meanwhile, the ones at supermarkets are usually of only a few varieties that are picked green so they can survive the distance they have to be shipped, and ripen later. So not much of a choice in varieties, and never as "good" in taste.

So it really is a matter of taste..... pun intended. 

Also, for example, with apples. I have 7 different apple trees on my property. Each apple taste is different and of different use. Some are juicy and for eating, and others are better for baking. And I have a tiny selection of possible apples. How many different types of apples does a supermarket offer? Well, only those that are mass produced and that is really a tiny number of all possible options.

So just buying at a supermarket you are reducing your options -- I call that large scale capitalistic-communism in that capitalism on a large business scale, for "economic reasons", often does not really supply more options than a central planning system does? it simply supplies more of the product, but not more variation of the product -- in fruits and vegetables. There are, on the other hand, oddly way too many options of the same processed products.

Which is why I like small business (especially primary and original producers), and frequent them often -- they provide the variability that large operators typically do not as there is no huge profit margin to do so. So if you really love capitalism, which really is about the capacity to offer a broader choice, you should love small businesses and farmers markets. 

Hi,
Just leant of chia seeds and their benefits.
No idea where to find them in Budapest.
Where did you buy them?
Thanks

Xaraki711 wrote:

Hi,
Just leant of chia seeds and their benefits.
No idea where to find them in Budapest.
Where did you buy them?
Thanks

Seen them for sale at Aldi.
Very small package of chia seeds , a bit over priced.
If you look into The Bulk Store, they sell them too , still not a cheap as I bought them in the states but a better deal then aldi.
Tesco may sell them too but you have to look at the health food section of the store.
Many farmers market vendors also sell them but they are also more expensive then the bulk store is.
That store has 2 locations , one in the 9th and one in the 13th.
I have also seed them for sale in different "Chinese shops" the shops that sell everything from soap to toilet bowl cleaner... Not sure how fresh their product is, they sometimes have a health food section inside these shops.
We switched over to flaxseed, I know chia has more protein but I really am not a fan of the taste of chia seeds.