One of the most popular attractions of Budapest is the historic red-brick market hall at Fővám Square, visited not only by tourists but also by ordinary locals shopping for fresh meat and produce at the many colorful stands loaded with regional fruits and vegetables. Now the Great Market Hall offers visitors even more to feast their eyes on with the recent addition of “Hungaricum Street”, a stylishly designed exhibit of Magyar-made culinary specialties and prized inventions found amid the hall’s basement level, on view for no entry fee.

In the modern display cabinets of the Great Market Hall – declared as the most beautiful market in Europe by CNN in 2013 – we can now examine classics of Hungarian gastronomy like paprika, salami, Tokaj wine, pálinka spirits, Unicum bitters, foie gras, and acacia honey, presented alongside prominent Magyar-made inedible products like Zsolnay porcelain and flowery embroidery, and lesser-known national treasures like soda water, lavender goods from Tihany, and onions from Makó.

Also on view here, the Rubik’s Cube takes a place of honor as the world’s best-known Hungarian invention, featured along with the more recently developed made-in-Hungary breakthrough of Gábor Domokos, the Gömböc – the first known homogenous object with one stable and one unstable equilibrium point, and one of the most important Hungarian research findings of recent years (pictured below).

Another impressive element of “Hungaricum Street” is the 180-centimeter-tall egg presenting the relationship and contrast between colors, with the help of advanced lighting technology. The strength and beauty of the colors prevail on the egg’s white surface with amazing attractiveness, and their ever-changing harmonic interplay is fascinating to observe.

At the end of “Hungaricum Street”, with the help of a 3D map, we can also learn more about the 22 Hungarian wine regions and typical grape varieties as well. All together, this new exhibit provides an excellent overview of Hungary’s most classic treats and treasures, and is well worth discovering for visitors and locals alike.