Karl Gundel

Karl Gundel , actually Gundel Károly , (born September 23, 1883 in Budapest ; † November 28, 1956 there ) was a Hungarian cook .

Life

The son and successor of Johann Gundel (* 1844 in Ansbach, † 1915 in Budapest) is considered a style-defining chef of the Hungarian cuisine of the 20th century. His culinary art was mainly inspired by French influences.

Gundel learned not only from his father, but also from the large hotels Ritz and Adlon. Later he went on a journey through Germany, Switzerland, France and England. He spoke four foreign languages. Returned to Budapest he took over in 1910, named after the predecessor "Wampetich restaurant" in City Park ( Városliget ), a garden restaurant in the immediate vicinity of the zoo, which under his leadership as Gundel Restaurant became a top restaurant with an international reputation. He also leased the restaurant in the Hotel Royal from 1920-25 and the restaurants in the Hotel Gellért from 1927-48 .

Gundel had 13 children. The head of the house lived with his family on the upper floor of the restaurant. His wife examined all the dishes herself daily. He was a passionate collector of cookbooks from all times and countries.

Gundel himself invented new dishes (20 dishes are mentioned in the specialist literature), the best known of which are the Gundel pancakes with a nut-raisin-rum filling and rum-chocolate sauce. He was extremely active, a member of various specialist commissions and associations.

Much of his fortune was lost during the war. After the war, however, he continued to work with unbroken faith. The restaurant in the Stadtwäldchen opened again in the summer of 1945, and the Gellért restaurant in August 1946. In 1949 both were nationalized. In 1948 he lost his eyesight and was unable to work. After numerous operations, he died of cancer in 1956.

Today the Gundel-Restaurant (restaurant in the Stadtwäldchen) still bears witness to the size of that time. The name Gundel also bears a technical secondary school in Budapest, which annually holds an international cooking competition for vocational students.

Works

Small Hungarian cookbook . Corvina Publishing House, Budapest 1999, ISBN 963-13-4539-4 (reprint of the 1934 edition).
The development of Hungarian cuisine by the end of the 18th century . 1943.
The art of receiving guests .
The catering industry .
Hungarian cuisine. Recipe book . 1934, ISBN 963-13-5165-3 (in German, 1937 in Hungarian)
120 genuine Hungarian dishes . Greif-Verlag, Munich 1956.
Hungarian cooking recipes . Pannonia-Verlag, Budapest, copyright Karoly Gundel 1956

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Gundel, Karl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Gundel, Károly (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	hungarian cook
DATE OF BIRTH	September 23, 1883
PLACE OF BIRTH	Budapest
DATE OF DEATH	November 28, 1956
Place of death	Budapest