[goo-lahsh, -lash] 
| 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. |
| gou·lash (gōō'läsh', -lāsh') n.
[Hungarian gulyás (hús), herdsman's (meat), goulash, from gulya, herdsman.] |
goulash
traditional stew of Hungary. The origins of goulash have been traced to the 9th century, to stews eaten by Magyar shepherds. Before setting out with their flocks, they prepared a portable stock of food by slowly cooking cut-up meats with onions and other flavourings until the liquids had been absorbed. The stew was then dried in the sun and packed into bags made of sheep's stomachs. At mealtime, water was added to a portion of the meat to reconstitute it into a soup or stew.
Learn more about goulash with a free trial on Britannica.com.