In past times the harvesting was a social event, the families have prepared for this through the year. In those days this was a common event for the whole community, which has been culminated in the harvest dance. In the wine making territories bigger balls, and harvest marches has been held. Nowadays the harvest is still the common event of the family, relatives and friends.

During the time of harvest, the schools have been closed, the umpiring has been intermitted, and the soldiers have given a leave. It was a real feast with tents, an event not to be missed, and an important part of social life, one of the traditional scenes of befriending.

The harvest has been started with noise making, frightening, or maybe with gunshots – this is an old rite of scaring away the evil.

The real work has been started after that. The girls and wives were the pickers, they have shouted to the dough carrier boys and men, who were collected the grape into the “puttyony-s” (the Hungarian name of the dough). The grapes were crashed before the squeezing; the real winemaking was started there. It was natural to hear loud singing of joking during the work.

In the end of the day, the harvesters have been carrying a harvest wreath on their shoulders which has been ornamented with grape clusters, wheat and ribbons. Drinking wine during the dance was natural too; or evens its consequence, a smaller or bigger fight, which was not out of ordinary or particularly offensive.

Making the harvest feast was important for the housekeeper. A groaning board has been waiting for the workers after the harvest. The main course was some kind of mutton or beef made in kettles, and scone. The feast has been finished with “csöröge” dough.

The “csöröge” dough

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar
A little salt
1 – 2 teaspoons of rum
350 g flour
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Beat up the eggs with a fork, and then add the sour cream, the icing sugar, the salt, the rum and the garbled flour. Mush them together until it becomes smooth then let it rest for 30 minutes.

Mush it again, and then stretch it really thin. Cut optional squares with a jagging-iron with making a gash in the middle. Fry both sides in loads of hot oil.

Drop down them well, and then bestrew them with vanilla sugar in plenty. Serve them with marmalade.

Source: itshungarian.com