The metamorphosis of goulash

When did goulash come to mean a baked pasta dish? Until this past weekend I only associated it with a soup or stew, originating from Hungary, of meat and onions, sometimes with potatoes, whose defining ingredient was paprika. However, Sunday I helped prepare dinner at a local women’s shelter with some other members of my church. The other members called one of the dishes we made “goulash”. It was a baked dish of large pasta shells in tomato sauce; completely different from the dish I know. So I asked several co-workers today at work about this and only one described it as the paprika based. The other five described the baked pasta dish, though one said she added ground beef to the mix. The ages of my co-workers I asked ranged from the early 20’s to late 50’s. Some grew up here in northern California, others in the mid-west or east coast - this does not seem to be a generational or regional thing.

Did some cookbook written during the depression or WWII just appropriate the name for an inexpensive meatless dish, was there another dish with a name similar to goulash, or was there a slow transformation from one to the other? If the last, I can understand how paprika would go by the wayside as many in the US did not (and some still do not) care for “spicy” food; but these are two completely different dishes, not just variations on a theme. The only similarity is that they both contain ingredients that are red. One is simmered, the other baked. One derives it primary flavor from paprika, the other tomato. One has potatoes, the other pasta.

So, in your neighborhood, when goulash is mentioned, which dish is being referred to?
If it was a slow transformation, what is your theory on how the change came about?
Lastly, can you think of other examples of dishes with the same name but that have very little or nothing in common?

Oh, good post, Eric!

I have no answers since I am at Howie's Birthday Chat, but I will later.

Interesting question, Eric.

I had only heard of goulash as the term relates to the Hungarian dish - a stew sort of thing with paprika as a defining element - until my first marriage. In my ex-wife's family "goulash" was a term that seemed to mean any sort of dish made up of mixed-up leftovers. I think it was generally at least somewhat stew-like, but definitely not anything like the Hungarian version and did not contain paprika. I don't think pasta was usually involved and it sounds like the people you've talked to have a fairly specific pasta thing in mind so hers was different from that. So although I haven't heard of a "goulash" made with pasta, I have heard the term applied to something other than the Hungarian dish.

There is a dish called American Chop Suey which is common in New England. My Mom just referred to it as Chop Suey. It is made up of macaroni, hamburger and tomatoes or tomato sauce, onions and various seasonings depending on the recipe. This is often as to in other areas as Goulash. That is what I started calling it. My version includes cheese.

Goulash (macaroni and beef)

1 lb. lean ground beef
8 oz. uncooked macaroni
2 cans tomato soup (undiluted)
1 cup chopped onion
½ - ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni according to package directions.

Brown ground beef and onion in large sauce pan until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain and return to pan. Add soup and cooked macaroni. Stir to combine and heat through. Stir in cheese and heat until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

You can blame Betty Crocker for people falsely believing that Hungarian Goulash contains pasta.

I've never heard of this alternative goulash. I only know goulash to be the Hungarian stew. No pasta! huh!

When I was a kid, my father would make "goulash". It consisted of hamburger, elbow macaroni, and canned tomatoes seasoned only with salt and pepper, but it was not baked. Later in life after having real goulash, I asked several of my friends who grew up in Mid-Missouri what goulash was to them. It was exactly what my father made. I have no idea how this dish became known as goulash in my area.

Jim

In my ex-wife's family "goulash" was a term that seemed to mean any sort of dish made up of mixed-up leftovers.

My parents always referred to this as "slumgully." Has anyone else every heard that term? They are from Wisconsin originally.

In my ex-wife's family "goulash" was a term that seemed to mean any sort of dish made up of mixed-up leftovers.

My parents always referred to this as "slumgully." Has anyone else every heard that term? They are from Wisconsin originally.

My Mom used the term "slumgullion" or at least something that sounded like that, but I don't remember now what it was.

In my ex-wife's family "goulash" was a term that seemed to mean any sort of dish made up of mixed-up leftovers.

My parents always referred to this as "slumgully." Has anyone else every heard that term? They are from Wisconsin originally.

My Mom used the term "slumgullion" or at least something that sounded like that, but I don't remember now what it was.

That was it. It was slumgullion--not gully. They didn't eat or make it. They would usually talk about it (negatively) as something they ate at "someone else's" house.

I googled slumgullion and found a number of recipes, a lot of them similar to my "goulash" or American chop suey. Some had potatoes or corn. One had egg noodles instead of macaroni and another had sausage instead of ground beef. There is even a German Slumgullion (German stew) and they talk about the origin of the word. Their recipe lost me at "ramen noodle soup" though.

This is an interesting thread. It is amazing how things take on a different meaning depending on what part of the country or world you are from.

My mom made 2 dishes that she called goulash. One was the goulash that her Hungarian grandmother made, and one was the dish everyone else is mentioning with elbow macaroni, ground beef, and tomato sauce. At least she always used a goodly amount of onions in it, but it was pretty bland. It was not baked. She grew up in Rochester, New York.

[Jenise]

That was it. It was slumgullion--not gully. They didn't eat or make it. They would usually talk about it (negatively) as something they ate at "someone else's" house.

My mother, who was born and raised in Southern California to an Illinois mother and Texan father, also made a dish she called goulash that was the hamburger/tomatoes/onion sauce mixed with pasta before serving. It wasn't baked, just mixed in the sauce pan and served from that. She also made a dish she called Slumgullion that was similar and which had green bell peppers and black canned olives in it. But too, she used slumgullion as a generic term to describe any thick, chunky, one-pan dish that wasn't a brothy soup or a long-cooked stew. By her definition, goulash was a slumgullion.

You can blame Betty Crocker for people falsely believing that Hungarian Goulash contains pasta.

Actually, this is somewhat fair though not entirely authentic, in that a true Hungarian goulash is often served on spaetzle which is, of course, a pasta.

[Robin Garr]

I've never heard of this alternative goulash. I only know goulash to be the Hungarian stew. No pasta! huh!

Same here! I have seen it served with egg noodles, though ...

That's how I saw it when I was a kid, a stew. Sometimes with some pasta in it, especially bow ties, always with meat. The Hungarian Jews we knew even used matzoh balls.

My wife makes what she calls goulash, same recipe as the Amer. Chop Suey recipe above, only the macaroni is cooked and no onions.

and

<gulp>

she uses velveeta

and I love it

Do I have to leave now?

I never heard of the "American Goulash". I only know Goulash as the Hungarian dish. Here's what Wikipedia says about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_goulash

I tried to see where it originated...I thought for sure it was Campbell's Soup or Betty Crocker, but haven't found that anywhere.

When I read that American Goulash was macaroni, tomato soup, and beef...I thought that sounds like Hamburger Helper...LOL! I have to say, we really didn't have any casseroles growing up except Chicken pot pie in which my Mom used Cream of Mushroom soup. We had lots of baked Ziti though (I guess that's a casserole) and Lasagne.

btw, Racheal Ray has a recipe for "American Goulash"...I know, big surprise...LOL!

Being born and raised in Minnesota, we had a lot of hot dishes don't ya know. Goulash was definitely one of them. Ground beef, canned tomatoes, elbow macaroni. And if company was coming, we'd throw on some American cheese. Ours went into the oven, but only if cheese was involved.

Uffda, that brings back the memories.

Uffda, that brings back the memories.

Patti, it has been so many years since I heard that phrase! Are you by chance originally from North Dakota?

When I read that American Goulash was macaroni, tomato soup, and beef...I thought that sounds like Hamburger Helper...LOL!

Reading through all the previous post, this was my thought too.

Dave R :
You can blame Betty Crocker for people falsely believing that Hungarian Goulash contains pasta.

Actually, this is somewhat fair though not entirely authentic, in that a true Hungarian goulash is often served on spaetzle which is, of course, a pasta.

All the times I have had goulash in Budapest and in Vienna, I have never seen it served on spaetzle. Though I have never seen it served this way, I can understand it being served along side the goulash. That must be an Austrian influence.

she uses velveeta

and I love it

Do I have to leave now?

Yes.

Being born and raised in Minnesota, we had a lot of hot dishes don't ya know. Goulash was definitely one of them. Ground beef, canned tomatoes, elbow macaroni. And if company was coming, we'd throw on some American cheese. Ours went into the oven, but only if cheese was involved.

Uffda, that brings back the memories.

Patti,

What part of Minnesota were you from? My father's side of the family is from Kittson county, the extreme northwest county. I will be going there around the 4th of July for a family reunion. Several of my aunts have said we are going to make lefse one of the days.

In my ex-wife's family "goulash" was a term that seemed to mean any sort of dish made up of mixed-up leftovers.

My parents always referred to this as "slumgully." Has anyone else every heard that term? They are from Wisconsin originally.

My Mom used the term "slumgullion" or at least something that sounded like that, but I don't remember now what it was.

I remember watching Buddy Ebsen make slumgullion on (I think it was) the Dinah Shore show. He was an avid sailer and according to him, it was common for all of the canned goods in the boat to roll around and lose their labels. Slumgullion was made by taking every can that had lost its label, pouring all of the contents into a pot, and heating it up. The people on the show thoughtfully provided him with a bunch of label-free cans and he went to work. IIRC, he ended up with some concoction containing baked beans, corned beef hash, and peaches (among other things).

I was born in Duluth, but raised in southeastern MN. My adult life has been spent in Minneapolis, until I moved to Iowa.

I'm not Norwegian myself, but uffda is a favorite saying. It just says it all.

I consulted my Betty Crocker cookbook, copyright 1961, and find no recipes for either goulash or slumgullion. I found cube steak stew, hash hats, Cellini pies, Pink Bunny (a variation of Welsh Rarebit using canned tomato soup), and a host of other dishes that alternately amuse and terrify me.

Also caught a glimpse of "coffee around the world" - Hawaiian coffee is made with coconut soaked in hot milk overnight, strained, mixed with an equal amount of coffee, and topped with toasted coconut - I had never heard of this one but then I don't drink coffee. Coffee for the Crowd, for 40 cups, involves mixing 1 egg with shell into 1 lb. of coffee, adding 1 cup of cold water. You tie this into a cheesecloth bag large enough to allow room for the coffee to swell. Immerse this into 7 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil in a large coffee pot. Remove pot from heat and leave bag in water for 3-4 minutes. Remove bag and stir. Again, not a coffee drinker but isn't this a bit primitive?