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court life
ROYAL WEDDING (SZÉKESFEHÉRVÁR)
For the first time, on the 24-25th of June 2005, an imitation of the wedding of King Matthias and the Neapolitan Princess Beatrix and a royal feast took place in Székesfehérvár, adapting to the new requirements of gastronomical tourism. The 25 thousand visitors and the positive feedback which the organizers of the event afterwards received, suggested that the summer festivities in Székesfehérvár proved to be a good idea. Driven by the enthusiasm caused by this success, on the 24-25th of June 2006 the city organized a replica wedding of Saint Ladislas and the Swabian princess Adelheid of Rheinfeld, where an entire ox was roasted on a spit, they replayed the wedding ceremonies, the reception of the bride, one could meet with the warriors of the period, there were show-makers and "csepűrágó", that is, actors, too. The outspoken aim of the organizers was to evoke "the exciting and controversial atmosphere of the Hungarian Middle Ages" in which the once-extant "prehistoric Hungarian culture and system of beliefs lived side by side with the more and more widespread Christian culture," "when the sound of Shamanic drums mingled with the songs of troubadours and the Gregorian melodies."
COMPETITION OF ROYAL COOKS IN NAGYSZAKÁCSI
The village of Nagyszakácsi in Somogy County was originally the property of the royal cooks; King Matthias, Vladislav II, and Lewis II all granted them estates in the area. A charter first mentioned it in 1466 as Nagzakach, and it already enjoyed municipal privilege. In the fifteenth century the village was the residence of numerous gentry families, most of whom were descendants of royal cooks. Seventy-two of these families still practiced the culinary art.

Today, the residents of Nagyszakácsi honor their culinary heritage with the "Renaissance Cooking Festival of Nagyszakácsi". On 3-5 August 2006 they organized the fourteenth contest for the titles of "royal chef" and "royal sous-chef". The rival teams were required to submit and prepare an eight-course menu of the specialities of the renaissance or baroque, the high cuisine of aristocratic and royal courts.