In the late 19th century, a colony of Hungarians and small numbers of associated people settled in Georgia's Haralson County, as recounted here. They concentrated their economic energies on cultivating wine grapes and succeeded brilliantly until alcohol prohibition in the state arrived in 1908, destroying the industry and their personal economic lives. In consequence, nearly all departed for new homes in the northern United States.

During their time here, these folks undoubtedly prepared foods from Hungarian cuisine when possible. We know for certain that besides wine grapes, peaches and apples were exploited in the county during the 19th century. It is reasonable to believe that potatoes and plums, key ingredients to a very popular Hungarian dish, would have been brought forth as well. Indeed, a 1904 volume published by Georgia's Department of Agriculture, titled Advantages of Georgia for those desiring homes in a genial climate reported that

HARALSON COUNTY.-- ...
"Products : Agricultural : cotton, corn, wheat, oats, rye, sorghum-cane, Irish and sweet potatoes, field-peas, ground-peas, crab grass and clover; Horticultural : apples, peaches, plums, cherries, grapes, berries, melons"

Plums on the Tallapoosa A century before Georgia's Budapest colony was planted, the famous report by George Washington's Indian agent Col. Benjamin Hawkins, A Sketch of the Creek Country in the years 1798 and 1799, observed that just below the falls of the Tallapoosa River in what would become east central Alabama, two Muskogee ("Creek") Indian settlements could boast some plum trees - if all too little else: Took-au-bat-che ... is situated on the right bank of the Tallapoosa, opposite the junction of Eu-fau-be, two and a half miles below the falls of the river... The town is on the decline. Its appearance proves the inattention of the inhabitants. It is badly fenced ; they have but a few plum trees... Aut-tos-se, on the left side of Tallapoosa, below and adjoining Ca-le-be-hat-che. A poor, miserable looking place... They have some plum and peach trees...

At the left, circled in red, are the two plum-growing towns on the Tallapoosa River noted in the 1798-1799 report by Benjamin Hawkins.

The figure above is derived from Georgia and Alabama: improved to 1825 by H.S. Tanner. Fort Decatur was built March 1814 by Colonel Homer Virgil Milton. Roughly 55 miles up the Tallapoosa River that same month, Andrew Jackson came to national attention for the first time, defeating the Red Sticks at the pivotal Battle of Horseshoe Bend, by leading a combined force of US army troops, Tennessee militia, Creeks and Cherokees. One of the plum-growing towns, Took-au-bat-che, is where in 1811 under the Great Council Tree the legendary Shawnee chief Tecumseh had urged the Creek to join his inter-tribal federation to rise against the ceaseless American expansion into Indian homelands. Nearby is Tallassee (ancient Talisi), birthplace of another famous Indian resistance chief, the Seminole leader Osceola. Three centuries earlier, in mid-September 1540, Hernando De Soto was recorded as arriving in Talisi (supposedly some 12 to 13 leagues from Indian emperor Tascaluza's town) where he spent a fortnight. De Soto scholar Prof. Charles Hudson locates this main town of De Soto's Talisi about 50 miles NNW of the Tallassee on the 1825 map, near today's Childersburg, AL. (This is not really a contradiction, as states can relocate over the centuries: the only part of the Roman Empire known by that name today lies far from its urban origin in central Italy, on the Black Sea, viz. Romania.) The De Soto expedition would cross the lower reaches of the Tallapoosa River we see in the map above during October 1540.

Above, left to right, Chiefs Tascaluza, Tecumseh, Osceola John Anderson's song, Seminole Wind conjures up the ghost of Osceola in the section excerpted above.

Various recipe descriptions for Szilvásgombóc appear online at these locations:

• June Meyer
• Recipes wiki
• Group recipes
• Nic's recipes
• Epicurious
• Susan Derecskey
• Food geeks
• East European food

Szilvásgombóc is so beloved by Hungarians (not to mention the other East Europeans who also make it) that it inspired a brand-new song of praise in a 1993 musical show in Hungary. Below, we present performances of the song.

The original Magyar ("Hungarian") lyrics of the song
and an amateur machine-aided English translation

A padlás (musical) : Szilvásgombóc - dalszöveg

Translated from Magyar to English using Babylon and tweaks by RF

Íme a Föld.                               Behold the land.                    
Sose lehet tudni,                         What may be I never know,                 
hogy hol van a fent és lent.              that comes from above and below.
      
Íme az ember.                             Behold the man.                      
Nem lehet látni,                          Who may not find his place,                   
de ott van a lényeg benn:                 but there is the inward essence:      
                                                                               
Van-e titka?                              Is it the secret?                    
Van-e íze?                                Is it the taste?                     
Van-e szíve, ami jó?                      Is it the heart, which is good?      
Van-e magja?                              Is it the crumbs?                     
Van-e még egy?                            Is it even one?                       
Van-e húsa olvadó zó?                     Is this food by melting made?        
Ember, mint a Föld olyan,                 A man, like a land,                  
Gombóc nak is lelke van!                  is given spirit by dumplings!        
                                                                               
Szilvásgombóc!                            [O] Plum dumplings!                  
ó-ó-ó-ó!                                  O-O-O-O!                             
Felszín édes hó...                        Sweet surface snow...                
Rajta aranyszínu" morzsa!                 Her golden crumbs!
                      
Szilvásgombóc!                            [O] Plum dumplings!                  
ó-ó-ó-ó,                                  O-O-O-O,                             
Megkóstol ható!                           Providing taste!
                     
Benne van a kenyér, benne van a víz!      It is the bread, it is the water!    
Benne van a tudás, benne van az íz!       It is the knowledge, it is the taste! 
Benne van az ido", benne van a só!        It is the time, it is the salt!       
Benne van a válasz: embernek lenni jó!    It is the answer: a man be good.
  
Jó, jó, jó, jó                            Good, good, good, good                
Rajta hó, ami tu"zforró,                  It's snow, which burns hot so,       
Jó, jó, jó, jó                            Good, good, good, good                
Olyan illat osan olvadó!                  Perfumed crumbly surfaces melting!     
Jó, jó, jó, jó                            Good, good, good, good                
Ez egy jóízu" kisbolygó!                  This is a savory asteroid!          
Jó, jó, jó, jó                            Good, good, good, good                
Gomboóóc!                                 Duuumpling!
                          
Szilvásgombóc!                            [O] Plum dumplings!                  
ó-ó-ó-ó                                   O-O-O-O                              
Jaj, jaj, jaj de jó!                      Woe, Woe, Woe but good!              
                                                                               
Szilvásgombóc!                            [O] Plum dumplings!                  
ó-ó-ó-ó                                   O-O-O-O                              
Megkóstol ható!                           Providing taste!                     
Ez az édes kisbolygó.                     This sweet asteroid.                 
                                                                               
Szilvásgombóc!                            [O] Plum dumplings!