Happy birthday to you … dear market, Happy birthday to you!
Wow, time flies! It’s already seven years since the first Tokaj-Hegyalja Market and we – the seven core organisers – arrived early to set everything up, to welcome the market goers and then wait patiently to see who would arrive. Who was curious about local artisans? Well, as it turned out, plenty of smiling people! Many friends, friends of friends and other locals plus visitors to the region. And it went from strength to strength!
And what did they find? Well, an incredible array of cheesemakers and cold meat producers. Jam makers and Tokaji wine vinegar enthusiasts. Organic juice and plenty of the most delicious honeys and typical Hungarian gingerbread. Ceramic artists and wooden toy makers, leather workers and soapmakers. Blacksmiths and felters, jewellery makers and basket weavers. And many, many more. Although naturally some producers have come and gone, at least one third of the original group are still regulars. And there are always new people who bring their wares to share.
Who will arrive to celebrate the seventh anninversary of the market which quickly found a place in our hearts? Hopefully many old and new faces! And I’ll be there selling my friend’s cheeses – I changed from organiser to seller a couple of years ago and love both sides of it. hope to see you!
Each market has a theme – and naturally this is the birthday and aster celebrations rolled into one. So, birthday cake and balloons, Easter egg painting and preparations, book launch and wine tasting with Disznókő wines with Gergő Ripka (10.30). Plus an Easter menu at the Sárga Borház Restaurant where you can chill out on the beautiful terrace under the shade of the old chestnut trees!
The magic of the market? Well, the place certainly is part of it. At the western entrance to the Tokaj Wine Region, the venue is the Sárga Borház (a restaurant popular with winemakers) on the Disznókő estate (one of the only larger estates where the winery is set in its vineyards). The marketgoers can not only buy their favourites and maybe try some new ones, they can also walk up to the Folly on the hill next to the “Wild Boar” Rock (after which the winery is named) for a stunning view stretching further than the eye can see.
But not only the place is magical. The sense of community is tanglible. The cheerful banter between producers, and with their customers faithful and new. And I haven’t even mentioned the outstanding products. An incredible array of beautifully presented handmade items of the highest quality. There’s no rubbish here – either on the tables or the floor! Just lovingly made delicacies and handcrafts. And often you can peak into the process too. Watch the blacksmith who often comes from Szerencs with his furnace, rythmically banging the iron and showing his ancient craft. Or the soapmaker who wraps her soaps in felt decorated with delicate flowers. The artist who paints her signs, the brush drawing colour across the wood.
The effect of the market? Well, it definitely fulfills its role as a meeting place. Just like any local town or village market, but drawing people from a slightly larger radius. So there is always that pleasant buzz as people chat to friends, colleagues and producers. And here are people that come regularly from the larger local cities of Debrecen, Miskolc and Nyíregyháza 50, 60 km away. Some even time their annual visits from Poland and Slovakia to coincide with the market!!
As well as being a social event, the market also plays an important economic role in the wine region. As the first market in the region of its kind, several locals were inspired to actually make money from their hobby, from their passion. The market is a forum for emerging producers – particularly of cheese and jams/cordials – who established a firm customer base and then went on to open the places they create in to the public.
For example master cheesemaker Sanyi Bodnár of Mád who is one of those redefining the concept of cheese in Hungary, a country not traditionally renowned for its high-quality cheese. But Sanyi is one of a few who are changing that by offering excellent cheeses and is satisfying the ‘inner mouse’ of many! Indeed, he and his wife are bringing out many people’s ‘inner mouse’ as they taste something so completely different from the poor excuse for cheese which is generally available in the shops.
I’m sure you’ve heard of wine tasting, but jam tasting? Kriszta of Ízes Örömest is a dedicated producer who is taking the art of jam to a new level. In her beautiful tasting room set in a garden where many of the raw ingredients grow, guests can sample her delicious cakes along with her creative range of jams and cordials. What a delight!
Where are producers from? Almost all come from a 40km radius of our county border, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén. But there are a few who come from further afield, for example bringing things not made locally like the softest leather gloves, sheepskin rugs and embroidered tablecloths from Transylvania. So the market has a touch of the fair too, particularly as it’s enhanced by live music, as well as occasional exhibitions and presentations (like soapmaking).
Where is the market? The Disznókő estate is just out of Szerencs, on the road 37 and starts by the Mád/Mezőzombor roundabout.
When is the market? The second Sunday of every month, and you can follow it on Facebook here. Tokaj-Hegyalja Market Days in 2019
10th February
10th March
14th April
12th May
9th June
14th July
11th August
8th September
13th October
10th November
8th December – Christmastide, Advent fair
