According to the Hungarian folklore's suspicion, in case Jégtörő Mátyás doesn't find any ice, he made it up. It means that if the weather is not cold, the winter will go on. In case he finds ice, he breaks it. If it's freezing, winter will be over soon.

We had surprising sunny weather at +18 Celsius degree. I really enjoyed this early spring, but I’m afraid the winter will come back and still go on for some time.

There is the other tradition and folklore figure on this day. Her (or his?) name is "Kiszebaba" - people dress up a straw doll in wedding cloths (called Kiszebaba) and it is burnt or thrown into the water. It symbolizes the will to keep death, sickness and winter property at a comfortable distance. I was at the folk dance house where I also made 'Kiszebaba' with hope that spring will really be coming soon :)

So the carnival time is over and the period of fasting is coming. I’m half Jewish and half protestant, but I’m not religious, hence I don’t keep the religious traditions and I don’t fast. So maybe in the next couple of weeks, I will share with you those food which are forbidden during the Fast for those religious, so excuse me in advance for it.

Actually, the snail is my "Today's Recommendation", it called “Csiga” in Hungarian, (pronounced as ‘Chi-Ga’) and I hope it isn't forbidden to eat during the Fast time :)
 
I’m quite certain that if you hear the word SNAIL in the name of a food, you will tend to associate it with a French food. Well, we also have a traditional snail, but the Hungarian snail is a pastry stuffed with different flavors. You can find it in any of the Hungarian bakery shops. I prefer it filled with cocoa. It called "Kakaós csiga" and it always reminds me my childhood - we usually have “kakaós csiga” with “school milk” for breakfast in the school once a week :))))

Honestly, I don't used to like preparing dough with yeast by myself. These days, I've got a bread baker, I have fallen in love with yeast cake recipes and I start to knead everything in the bread baker machine.

Let's take a look at the recipe of the home-made Kakaós Csiga ! :)

Ingredients:

For the dough:

50 dkg flour, 7 dkg soft butter, 1-1,5 dkg fresh cake yeast, 3 dl milk, 1 egg yolk, 4 tbs sugar, 1 café spoon salt

For the filling:

circa 1 or 2 tbs butter and cocoa powder mixed with icing sugar (to taste)

Prepare:

1. Mix and knead the ingredients in the bread baker, or if you haven't go bread baker, than mix yeast and 1 tbs sugar in lukewarm milk. Let stand until other ingredients are mixed. Mix yolks with butter and yeast mixture. Add flour and knead well and let rise for an hour in warm place.

2. Flour the board and roll out thin the dough. Smear the dough with butter and stuff with cocoa and icing sugar mixture and roll up like a sheet of paper. Cut up about 2 centimeter thick pieces. Place into the tin. (Use greaseproof paper, like me).

3. Bake in preheated oven about at 175 Celsius for 25-30 minutes. When the snails are half-baked, then sprinkle them with some milk mixture with butter, and then return it to the oven and continue the baking.

4. The snails are ready. Serve and enjoy!"

Source: Hungarystartshere.com