Mangalica Festival

The Mangalica Festival, which features traditional Hungarian Mangalica pork, is one of the top food events in Budapest and a true cuisine show with about 60,000 visitors and live music. This winter festival is held every February on Freedom Square in front of the U.S. Embassy, in Budapest. The Mangalica Festival was a good opportunity to showcase American beef alongside Hungarian pork. These products were not competitors. In addition, the character of the show was oriented toward the street food scene. FAS Budapest cooperated with the organizers of the festival to be the first partner country for the event. American street food culture, featuring gourmet burgers (including U.S. beef, cheese, and sauces) and wines from California were guests of honor at the event. Hungarian Mangalica pork next to the U.S. stands featuring quality beef and wines were symbolic of the U.S.-Hungarian relationship. The U.S. stands were positioned in front of the U.S. Embassy. It associated high-quality products from both countries together in a truly gastronomy-oriented show.

Please see below for impressions of U.S. Ambassador Colleen Bell’s visit to the show: