When I heard that Elif Batuman had penned a new book–Either/Or, to be released this May–I immediately pre-ordered a copy. When I discovered that said book is a follow-up to her 2017 novel, The Idiot, I think I audibly cheered. And decided it was time to revisit The Idiot in anticipation of the narrator, Selin’s, next chapter. Luckily for the culinary aspects of this blog, The Idiot makes multiple references to Chicken Paprika, a saucy and flavorful Hungarian dish.
The Idiot Book Summary
The Idiot follows Selin as she navigates her freshman year of college at Harvard University in 1995. Over the course of this year, Selin, the daughter of Turkish immigrants, pursues an interest in linguistics. She also pursues an interest in Ivan, a Hungarian senior in her intro to Russian class. Discovering email for the first time (this is 1995), Selin begins an electronic correspondence with Ivan in which they attempt to make sense of the world and each other.
When the school year ends, Selin travels to Hungary to teach English, with the hopes of spending some quality time with Ivan. The summer does not pan out exactly as Selin had hoped. But through her experiences she learns more about the world and herself.
The Idiot Review
A New York Times review of The Idiot criticizes the lack of action in the relationship between Selin and Ivan. The book is 400 pages of a slow burn that never really gives the reader a satisfying culmination. I would argue, however, that this is the point of the book.
Selin’s experience of the world is heavily grounded in language. If language is a construct through which we filter our experiences in order to make sense of them, which also simultaneously distances us from the immediacy of these experiences, Selin represents this to the extreme. Well-read and highly studious, Selin struggles with forming an opinion or having an original experience without hyper-analyzing it through the filters of language and literature. She has a difficult time orienting herself in her surroundings without using literature as a reference. Girl buys a coat because it reminds her of Gogol.
This emphasis on language over real, lived experience creates a distance between Selin and the world around her. And this novel is largely about Selin trying to come to terms with herself as an individual person existing in the real, physical world. It is about figuring out one’s identity not through the words of a teacher or a text book, or even a great literary writer, but through the active process of living in the world. And, as Selin discovers, this can be painful and awkward and confusing.
At times Selin’s attempts to be original and eccentric feel a little pretentious and forced–again, girl buys a coat because it reminds her of Gogol. But her awkwardness and efforts to make sense of the world ultimately render her a likeable character, relatable to anyone who has ever been a young adult struggling to figure things out.
Batuman is a highly original author, whose writing I thoroughly enjoyed. The Idiot is simultaneously a love letter to language and a recognition of its shortcomings. I also really dig the fact that this was set in the 90’s and starts with the line “I didn’t know what email was until I got to college.” Can we go back to then? I look forward to reading more of Selin’s adventures in the follow-up novel, out in May.
Chicken Paprika in The Idiot
During Selin’s summer in Hungary, she eats chicken paprika multiple times. Chicken paprika, or paprikash, is a traditional Hungarian dish. The name derives from the heavy inclusion of paprika in the dish.
“‘I brought you here because Gyula’s mother makes a very nice paprikás chicken with homemade noodles,’ Margit whispered”
The Idiot
To make my chicken paprika, I used the recipe in The Joy of Cooking. My husband and I received The Joy of Cooking as a wedding gift, and it is by far my favorite cookbook. I use it constantly, both for recipes and as a general reference. I’ve yet to try a recipe that isn’t a winner.
The Recipe
All chicken paprika recipes agree that the base of the dish is chicken with a very healthy dose of paprika. Some of the other ingredients, like tomatoes, are more hotly contested. This recipe from The Joy of Cooking seems to be fairly basic (don’t mistake basic for bland), with the opportunity to modify it if you want.
This recipe calls for a medley of bone-in chicken parts, but I went with strictly thighs because I’m a thigh girl myself, and because that was literally the only chicken product available on the barren shelves of my grocery store (hello, 2022). The recipe also calls for either vegetable oil or rendered lard in which to brown the chicken and cook the onions. In place of this I used some rendered goose fat from my Christmas goose, because it makes everything INSANELY good.
After browning the chicken and cooking the onion, you simply add chicken stock, paprika, garlic, and a bay leaf, and let it cook until the chicken is up to temp. I also added some cayenne pepper to turn up the heat. Once the chicken is done, remove it from the heat and stir in sour cream.
I served it with some homemade spätzle (German egg noodles), which was fun (v. messy) to make. Following advice from The Joy of Cooking, I served it with some lemon wedges to squeeze over the dish. This really added something nice to the flavor.
Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of The Joy of Cooking here and enjoy these awesome flavors while you let The Idiot transport you back to the 90’s.
