The famous gray beef of Hungary

“In Bazsger (Hungary), there lives a beast, huge as an elephant. Its skin itself weighs as much as two strong oxen. Its head is as large as a calf; its horns are as large and as long as the trunk of an elephant. People hunt it, and call it “attakda”. A beautiful animal.”

Male and female species are rather different. Males are gray, and weigh around 1500-2000 pounds (700-900 kg), the color of females has a blue touch, and they weigh around 1200-1300 pounds (550-600 kg). The large animals are robust and strong, but at the same time, amicable.
The meat of the gray cattle is widely known as excellent. They are the toughest of livestock. They were never stalled, but lived on open pasture all year round; eating grass and reed during the summer, and finding moor beneath the snow during the winter.
Stockmen (cowboys; gulyás – from whence comes the word goulash) were in charge of keeping and driving the herd. It was a complex and dangerous job; they had to keep alert against attacks from rascals (betyárok) and wolves. On occasion, they drove the herd on foot as long as 620 miles (1000 kilometers) for a fair.
The largest cattle fairs were held in Vienna, Munich, Strasburg and Venice. To cross the Danube River, animals either swam by thousands, or were transported on ferryboat. In King Matthias’s time (1458-1490), Hungary was just as prosperous as Europe’s leading states, and this is in part due to the prevalence of gray cattle keeping.

The breed probably arrived with the 9th century Hungarian immigration from the east to the Hungarian lowland. In the middle ages and early modern times the breed was esteemed particularly for its beef, being herded live to the markets of Europe. Nowadays Hungarian Grey cattle are kept mainly as tourist attractions in the Hortobágy National Park, but serve also as gene banks, due to their reported resistance to cattle diseases which affect more highly bred cattle types.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, longhorned Gray Steppe cattle were the foremost breed in Hungary. Used both for draft purposes and for beef, they were yoked in teams of four or more to pull merchant wagons across the steppes, sometimes in long caravans. However beginning about 1850, they began to decrease in numbers due to crossbreeding and the increasing use of Simmental.
In 1861 a superior herd of a Hungarian nobleman was moved to a state farm. Here the breed was selected for early maturity and heavy muscling. In addition, some lines were selected for increased milk production. But the breed continued to lose popularity. By 1975, only two herds remained with a total of 300 cows. By 1982 stock had increased to 850 cows in 6 herds. One of these herds is in the open-air museum at Hortobagy.

Today, cattle are grazed across the pastures of the National Parks year round, being integral parts of the puszta scenery as is the above mentioned sweep well or the legendary mirage. The cattle brave the often extreme weather conditions of the puszta – winter freezes, summer heat, thunderstorms –, the cows often giving birth to their calves on the February snow.
Gray cattle herds are essential for the upkeeping of the protected grasslands; therefore, Kiskunsag National Park owns a herd of 1500, to preserve the gene pool, and to maintain the protected natural environment. Their meat is used for fine Hungarian specialties, such as salami, ham, and fatty.