goulash

American  

[goo-lahsh, -lash] / ˈgu lɑʃ, -læʃ /

noun

1. Also called Hungarian goulash.  a stew of beef or veal and vegetables, with paprika and other seasoning.

2. a heterogeneous mixture; hodgepodge; jumble.

3. a deal in bridge for producing hands of unusual distribution, in which the players arrange their cards of the previous deal by suit and the dealer, after cutting the cards, distributes them without shuffling in three rounds of five, five, and three cards each.

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goulash British  

/ ˈɡuːlæʃ /

noun

1. Also called: Hungarian goulash.  a rich stew, originating in Hungary, made of beef, lamb, or veal highly seasoned with paprika

2. bridge a method of dealing in threes and fours without first shuffling the cards, to produce freak hands

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Etymology

Origin of goulash

1865–70; < Hungarian gulyás, short for gulyáshús herdsman's meat

Explanation

Goulash is a meat and vegetable stew that's seasoned with paprika. You should try goulash if you ever get the chance to visit Hungary, where it's one of the national dishes. The Hungarian word for this delicious dish is gulyáshús, from gulyás, "herdsman," and hús, "meat." Historically, goulash was a stew cooked by shepherds using lamb or beef. The paprika came later, but today it's a vital part of an authentic goulash. North Americans sometimes use the word for a mixture of beef, macaroni, and tomato sauce, but true goulash is spicy and thick — and it definitely doesn't include macaroni.

Example Sentences

Mr. Jukic is right that the goulash of the old Central Europe is gone forever.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Now, each weekend, the restaurant features two new guest chefs: one recent pairing brought Oxana from Ukraine, who made potato dumplings and beef goulash, and Yumi from Japan, who served yakitori and eggplant dengaku.

From Salon • May 14, 2025

A bowl of Hungary’s trademark goulash soup for $12.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 13, 2023

Former federal prosecutor and impeachment expert Frank Bowman called the dismissal motions “an embarrassing goulash of mischaracterized facts and inverted logic, not to speak of misapplied legal citations.”

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2023

“Good goulash, good school!” she said, as she, too, voted in favor of keeping the school as it had always been.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood