Food & cultureBy Clever Tourists · Published
The best Hungarian souvenirs are paprika from Kalocsa or Szeged, a bottle of Tokaji, pálinka fruit brandy, and, if you want to spend, Herend or Zsolnay porcelain. Hungary is one of the few countries where the food souvenirs are protected by law: two paprikas have EU protected origin, and only brandy made from Hungarian fruit can be called pálinka. Below are 11 things worth buying from our time in Budapest, Eger and Tokaj, how to pick paprika, where to shop, what to leave behind, and how tax-free shopping works. Prices are tiers: $ is small change, $$ a considered purchase, $$$ a splurge.
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Food and drink make up most of this list, and almost all of it is cheaper in a supermarket than in a souvenir shop.
| Souvenir | Type | Price tier | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalocsa or Szeged paprika (PDO) | Food | $ | Market hall, supermarket |
| Gulyáskrém (paprika paste in a tube) | Food | $ | Supermarket |
| Pick salami | Food | $ | Supermarket |
| Tokaji aszú | Wine | $$ to $$$ | Wine shops, Tokaj cellars |
| Dry Furmint | Wine | $ to $$ | Wine shops, supermarket |
| Egri Bikavér | Wine | $ to $$ | Eger cellars, wine shops |
| Pálinka | Spirit | $ to $$ | Specialist shops, supermarket |
| Unicum | Spirit | $ | Supermarket |
| Herend porcelain | Craft | $$$ | Herend's own shops |
| Zsolnay ceramics | Craft | $$ to $$$ | Zsolnay's own shops |
| Hand-embroidered linen | Craft | $$ | Folk-craft shops, market hall upper floor |
• Paprika ($). Hungary's two protected paprikas are Kalocsai fűszerpaprika-őrlemény and Szegedi paprika, both EU PDOs. Buy sealed tins or packets with the name on the label rather than loose powder from an open sack. Édes is sweet, félédes semi-sweet and csípős hot; most Hungarian cooking uses sweet. Good paprika is bright red and smells sweet and peppery.
• Gulyáskrém ($). Paprika paste in a tube, the easiest way to carry the flavour home.
• Pick salami ($). The best-known Hungarian salami, sold in every supermarket. Check your home country's meat rules before you pack it: many, including the US and Australia, restrict meat in travellers' luggage.
More on the supermarket shelf in what to buy at a grocery store in Hungary, and on the dishes in what to eat in Budapest and our Hungary food guide.
• Tokaji aszú ($$ to $$$). The sweet wine from the Tokaj region, made from grapes shrivelled by noble rot and graded by puttonyos: higher numbers are sweeter and cost more. We stayed in Tokaj, where cellars sell direct.
• Dry Furmint ($ to $$). The same grape as aszú, made dry. Excellent value and little known abroad.
• Egri Bikavér ($ to $$). "Bull's Blood", the red blend from Eger, where cellars sell it by the bottle. See our Eger guide.
• Pálinka ($ to $$). Fruit brandy: plum, apricot, pear, quince. By Hungarian law only a spirit distilled and bottled in Hungary from fruit grown in Hungary can be called pálinka, and the name is protected in the EU. Look for the word on the label; "fruit brandy" or "pálinka-style" means it is not.
• Unicum ($). The bitter herbal liqueur in the round bottle. Cheapest in a supermarket.
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• Herend porcelain ($$$). Hand-painted porcelain from the Herend manufactory. The company's own shops are the safe place to buy; elsewhere, check the backstamp.
• Zsolnay ceramics ($$ to $$$). From the Zsolnay factory in Pécs, founded in 1853 and known for its iridescent eosin glaze, introduced in 1893. Buy from Zsolnay's own shops.
• Hand-embroidered linen ($$). Hungarian folk embroidery on tablecloths, runners and blouses. Hand-stitched work has small irregularities and knots on the back; machine embroidery is perfectly even and costs a fraction of the price.
• Budapest's Great Market Hall: paprika, salami, Tokaji and pálinka under one roof, with folk-craft and embroidery stalls upstairs. It is easy and the quality is good, but supermarkets are cheaper for the same packaged brands.
• Supermarkets (Spar, Tesco, Auchan, CBA) for paprika, gulyáskrém, Unicum and wine.
• Wine towns: Tokaj and Eger cellars sell direct; see day trips from Budapest.
• Christmas markets for crafts in December: Budapest Christmas markets 2026.
Our Budapest guide and 3 days in Budapest cover the rest of the city.
• Loose, unlabelled paprika in open sacks. You cannot tell its origin or age.
• "Pálinka" that is not labelled pálinka. See above.
• Porcelain "in the Herend style" without a backstamp.
• Overpriced Váci utca souvenir shops. The same food and drink costs less a few streets away. Our Budapest scams guide covers the street's other traps.
Hungary's standard VAT is 27%, so the refund is worth claiming on porcelain or other large purchases. Visitors who live outside the EU need to reach a minimum spend in one shop on one day; refund operators quote it in the tens of thousands of forint and the figure has changed over the years, so ask the shop and check the form. Get the form stamped by customs at your last EU exit, such as Budapest airport.
• US: one litre of alcohol fits in the $800 duty-free personal exemption if you are 21 or over; the rest pays duty. No salami.
• Liquids: pack wine and pálinka in checked luggage.
More in things to know before visiting Hungary, tipping in Budapest and our souvenirs by country guide.
Paprika from Kalocsa or Szeged in a sealed tin, a bottle of Tokaji, or pálinka. For a bigger gift, Herend or Zsolnay porcelain from the makers' own shops.
Sweet (édes) Kalocsai or Szegedi paprika, both EU protected, in a sealed tin or packet with the name on the label. It should be bright red and smell sweet.
By Hungarian law, only a spirit distilled and bottled in Hungary from fruit grown in Hungary can be called pálinka, and the name is protected in the EU.
The Great Market Hall for paprika, salami, wine and folk crafts, supermarkets for the same packaged food for less, and the makers' own shops for Herend and Zsolnay.
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