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Chris and Hannah's Page |
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Mudville
Bogracs Page
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| The Bogracs (Pronounced bo-grach) is traditional Hungarian pot used for cooking outdoors. Typically made from sheet metal, either plain or enameled, round bottomed, used without a lid and suspended by a bail over an open fire. |
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| Hungarians will tell you that its use goes back at least to the time when their nomadic ancestors wandered into the Pannonian Basin, and it is probably a lot older. Some say the Attila's Huns carried them and cold chiseled arrow heads out of them when the need came up. |
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They are a feature of cookouts and camping trips in Hungary and come in sizes right up to one large enough for feeding two or three dozen people - accompanied by a wooden spoon you could Paddle a canoe with. Its a pot that a lot of typical Hungarian dishes are made in, things like Gulyas leves (Goulash), Paprikas, and Halaszle (Fisherman's soup).
As a system for cooking in the outdoors over an open fire the Bogracs has a lot to offer. Its very easy to control the heat by raising and lowering the pot, or by setting it gently swinging. Its very efficient of fuel, requiring only the smallest of flames to set it simmering. The rounded bottom of the pot makes it easy to level on three rocks on in a depression kicked in the ground, even if the surface is uneven. Its easy to clean in the field.
It comes with a whole slew of delicious recipes from Hungarian peasant cookery that are easy to prepare, and require just a handful of ingredients (but make sure the Paprika is fresh!).
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There are two basic shapes of Bogracs. I have one of each. The one with the sides sloping inwards is a Porkolt (stew) Bogracs. I don't know of a name for the other one, but is is kind of bell shaped.
In fact you can cook stews and soups in either. There is a style of cooking called Sztrambuc (pronounced strambutz) where you make what is like a fired ball of mixed noodles, potatoes, bacon etc. and it require you to flip this over and over in the pot by hand. For this you need a bell shaped Bogracs.
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Tripod: A simple way to suspend a Bograch over a fire is from a tripod. Three sticks tied together with string will work but its nice to have one that is a little more permenant and stable. The one shown here is made from copper plumbing pipe held together with a ring out of heavy copper wire. The feet of the pipes are capped and soldered. The chain has hooks at both ends which lets you raise and lower the pot. You can also raise and lower the pot by just spreading the legs of the tripod or moving them closer together.
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