Edit Neni - photo by Nigel A. JAMESAn Illusion of Simplicity
Excellent cooking is more than the mixing of the right ingredients; it is also a certain feeling which is based upon the mystery of happiness; and Edit Neni from Tilaj (pronounced Tilloy), a small village in a western Hungarian forest, knows how to transform this secret into reality, for she is a master in the art of incredible food!
Edit Neni has a very large family which consists of grown-up children, grandchildren, and, even great-grandchildren as well; and, as is only to be expected, all of them are frequent guests at her table; for the thing they love most is Edit Neni’s traditional country cooking.
Wrapped in an illusion of simplicity, Edit’s culinary skills are based upon the depths of taste which reach far back to beyond the advent of our modern way of living; a period when time lasted longer and people had more of it; and this is the taste of Edit’s cooking: patience and love; and, a sprinkling of a miracle, too!
And the miracle is her kitchen. At her disposal in her very small kitchen is a table that measures no more than one meter long and half a meter wide, a very simple stove with only three rings and an oven, a tiny sink for the washing up - and a very simple cupboard that contains the five pots and pans that she owns! The secret of good cooking, says Edit, is organization, and she is an expert.
Her delicious cakes are always baked well in advance, the soup the day before, and the battered fried chicken, her speciality and everyone’s favourite as well, is produced only minutes before all of her hungry and expectant guests arrive for what is guaranteed to be an experience of pure delight.
So, good cooking doesn’t require a modern built-in kitchen, nor does it need loads of machines, what it does need is a feeling of what’s good and a love of the art of making mouths water. Maybe, a step back to more traditional ways would do a lot of us good; Edit Neni never stepped forward; and that's why a visit to her house is always the same as a mouth-wateringly trip back to the past!
My e-mail address is njmailboy@gmail.com
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