The Gundel Cookbook, due to be published in November, presents the original recipes for dishes still served today at the Gundel Restaurant in the capital, as well as modernised versions of these dishes; it was unveiled at a press conference in Budapest on Friday.

A total of seventy recipes can be found in the book *The Gundel Cookbook – Classic Recipes and Dishes of a New Era*, which will be published in Hungarian and English by Kossuth Kiadó in the second week of November. The recipes have been compiled by Gábor Merczi, Gundel’s executive chef. Among the recipes are pike-perch Gundel-style, traditional chicken paprikash, tender kohlrabi stuffed with veal, and the famous Gundel pancakes. 

The book is based on the original 1937 cookbook, whose recipes – which remain relevant to this day and have been updated only very slightly – form its core. Alongside the dishes, the book recounts the history of Gundel and its accolades, and lists the famous guests who have dined at the restaurant.

Károly Gundel, a restaurateur and internationally renowned figure in Hungarian hospitality and gastronomy, who gave his name to the restaurant in Városliget and shaped its identity in 1937, initially published his first book in German and English only, thereby ushering in a new era in Hungarian gastronomy. A later edition of the work, revised by his sons, *The Little Hungarian Cookbook*, is the most widely published collection of recipes in Hungarian culinary art, appearing in the greatest number of languages: since its publication, it has gone through more than forty reprints and sold 2.5 million copies. 

Tádé Alföldi, manager of Gundel Restaurant, said that there are currently 160 staff working at the restaurant. „Working here is like an archaeological dig: we have to unearth our traditions, whilst also bearing in mind that life cannot stand still,” said the director, referring to the fusion of traditions and modern techniques that is also a hallmark of the book.