Twenty-four teams cooked on three legs in Baka over the weekend. So who won?
On Saturday of last week, the IV. Bakai Three-Legged Festival, which was primarily about mouth-watering flavors, but anyone who wanted could try their hand at more than just cooking.
The event has been organized by the Baka volunteer firefighters for years, but this year the local sports organization also took part in the work. The proceeds will be used to benefit the firefighter's association.
The whole story started when a couple of us went to a pot-cooking competition, the organization of which left something to be desired, so we thought that we could organize a much better one".
said the main organizer Zoltán Bertalan, the mechanic of the local volunteer firefighting association.
So, the small team set about organizing the first "three-legged" festival in 2018, partly as a "trick", but with even more energy. I think it is not difficult to figure out what the three legs refer to in the name. Of course, the cauldron, the three legs of the stand holding it, and the "rules of the game" of the cooking competition also refer to this.
Any delicacy can be prepared, but it must only be cooked in a cauldron. This is also what makes this festival different from traditional goulash cooking competitions.
As I looked at the tags posted on the teams' tents, on which the name of the hot pot dish being prepared was pinged, I suddenly found no two alike, be it Tüskevár fish soup, beef stew, tripe stew with joints, foal tok with nokedli, wild ragout with tarragon, shepherd's tarragon, rooster stew, venison stew or just roll with surprise.
28 of the thirty applicants came to the first festival, but the organizers considered this number to be too many, so they maximized the number of competing teams at 25, exactly half of which, 12 and a half, are from Baka, and the rest are mostly from the district and they came from neighboring districts, but a team from the Czech Republic was also present.
The entry fee for a team was set at just 10 euros. The tents, benches, and cutlery had to be transported here, but according to Zoltán Bertalan, this can be solved without any problems for 25 teams with the help of the surrounding villages.
The organizers are proud of the fact that over the years they organize everything on their own, without tender support. However, I learned that many local and surrounding companies support the event, for which the Zoltáns are very grateful. For example, the 45 valuable raffle prizes were collected from supporters' donations. Those who were lucky could even take home a "smart" TV.
24 of the 25 teams entered in the minutes finally arrived, and their members started their preparations during the morning. The official opening of the event was at 1:00 p.m., and the competition started at a quarter past two. At 2:00 p.m., the local soccer team competed against the Vásárúti team, and at halftime the chant "I'll beat this!" a game of skill called A nail had to be hammered into a log with a blow and an outstretched hand. Those who succeeded advanced to the next round.
After the match, you could buy raffle tickets and supporter's pot tickets worth two euros, which could be used to enjoy a meal of your choice. And the skill game called "beer swing" was about drinking beer from a glass with the help of a mechanism that can be mounted on the back and four strings.
This game was already tried last time, according to Zoltán, there were those who managed it in 3 seconds, but there were also those who didn't do it in 3 minutes. By four o'clock, the hot dog and the pancakes were ready, and we could eat cotton candy.
The food had to be ready at a quarter to five. From 5 p.m., before his show, Krisztián Lentulai, a well-known TV personality, explained the jury's decision.
Each competing team received a gift package made up of home-made food, as well as a handicraft medal, and the first three winners could take home a ceramic plate, and the jury also awarded a special prize. The raffle prizes were drawn at eight in the evening, and the fun lasted until the morning. As for the accompanying programs, the children had a bouncy castle, a petting bunny, and could try face painting and glitter tattoos.
The event's medical care was provided by the Upper Patony Red Cross, but in addition, the volunteers could measure their blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
In the end, the local Barnus team won the cooking competition with their wild boar stew, the second place went to the Tetőfedők team, also from Baka, with their pork belly cabbage. In third place, the team of Húszábalós (Mäsožravci) from the Czech Republic finished with a roll surprise.
The special prize of the competition was won by the local ÖTT Raisins team with their paprika fries, and the Nagyok from Bős with their stuffed cabbage.
Featured image: Gergely Lacza/Ma7.sk
