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Tökfőzelék – Hungarian Stewed Squash

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image of Tökfőzelék is a Hungarian Stewed Squash recipe with Sour Cream and Dill cooked in the traditional Hungarian főzelék style.

What Is Tökfőzelék?

Tökfőzelék is a Hungarian Stewed Squash recipe with Sour Cream and Dill. It is one of the unique tastes of Hungarian Food. And it’s pretty much the only recipe I have found that makes use of the spárgatök squash variety, a vegetable grown all over Hungary.

This Hungarian summer squash is very similar in size, taste and texture to a marrow and it certainly needs some imagination to give it some appeal. But this főzelék recipe a staple in many Hungarian homes—and for good reason. It’s cheap, easy to make, and incredibly satisfying.

How to Cook Tökfőzelék?

It is very easy to make tökfőzelék. You just grate the tök and then stew it with milk and a little vinegar. You then thicken it with a roux made from tejföl (sour cream) and flour. And then you finish it off with chopped dill.

Love Hate Relationship

As far as I can tell, Hungarians either love it or hate it. I suppose it’s a bit like Brussel sprouts in the UK. Some people genuinely love it. Their eyes light up when they see the tök hit the markets in the summer. Others shift awkwardly in their seats, and stare at the floor when you ask them about it. They can only say it’s ‘not to their taste’. But whilst I am not a big fan, it is a regular dish on our table.

Adrienn is one of those that loves it. So much so that I asked a friend to send tök seeds from Hungary so I could grow it at the allotment in the UK, because I have never seen it outside of Hungary. It grew very well indeed. And she was able to have a welcome taste of home. Now we live in Hungary, there is no need to grow them ourselves. There is not shortage of supply of tök in the local markets when it’s in season.

How To Serve Hungarian Tökfőzelék

Tökfőzelék is incredibly versatile. You can either eat tökfőzelék on its own. Or you can also serve it with a range of topping. Here are a few serving suggestions:

  • Dressed with a ladle of pörkölt – adds a meatier dimension to the vegetable stew.
  • With a sunny-side-up egg – Classic and simple. The runny yolk mixes with the stew beautifully.
  • Topped with crispy sausage or bacon – For a heartier meal, add some crunch and salt.
  • With crusty bread – Because every good stew deserves something to mop it up with.

The recipe below is exactly how we make tökfőzelék at home. For a true authentic taste, you really do need to use spargatök. But unless you can buy some seeds, they will be pretty hard to get outside of Hungary. But you will get a similar result from zucchini or marrow. So perhaps next time you have a zucchini glut. Or you come home from holiday and your zucchinis have turned into giant marrows, this recipe might be worth a try.

Let me know if you love it or hate it!

🇭🇺 Jó étvágyat

Also Read

Looking for more classic Hungarian dishes? If so, you might be interested in these posts:

Or take a look at my full collection of Hungarian recipes for more Hungarian flavours.

image of Tökfőzelék is a Hungarian summer stewed squash made from Hungarian summer squash
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Tökfőzelék – Hungarian Squash Stew

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 people
Tökfőzelék is a Hungarian Stewed Squash recipe with Sour Cream and Dill cooked in the traditional Hungarian főzelék style.

Equipment

  • Kitchen Knife
  • large saucepan
  • Grater

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp pork dripping or extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika powder
  • 1 kg tök (after peeling and de-seeding coarsely grated)
  • 500 ml full fat milk
  • 3 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 250 grams tejföl (sour cream)
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 3 tbsp dill (finely chopped)
  • salt

Instructions 

  • Heat the dripping in a large pan until melted and add the onions. Sauté the onions on a low heat until soft but not browned, about 12-15 minutes.
  • Add the paprika powder and cook for about a minute until the paprika powder has been absorbed into the remaining fat and the onions have taken on a deep red colour.
  • Add the grated tök and cook for about 10 minutes on a medium heat, taking care not to let it burn or stick to the pan.
  • Add the milk, vinegar and sugar, and well as salt to taste, mix well and bring to a boil, the reduce to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Mix the flour with the tejföl/ sour cream to form a roux and add to the tök mixture and stir thoroughly until the mixture thickens.
  • Add the dill and stir through the tök, check for seasoning, and then serve.

Notes

Tökfőzelék can be served on its own, or with a pörkölt.

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