Travel bites: This nation's signature street food is essentially deep-fried pizza

Biting into a piping hot slice of pizza has to be one of the world’s greatest pleasures. But launch too quick off the mark and you take the risk of burning your mouth – or the unpleasant sensation known as ‘pizza palate’.

In Central Europe you will find a genius and delicious fast-food solution that will safeguard the interior of your mouth from certain incineration.

Lángos is the beloved deep-fried flat bread of Hungary, that on first inspection resembles a dry pizza. After being cooked in hot oil, the golden brown disc is then topped with raw ingredients. One of the most delicious ways to order it is with the simple topping of cold shredded cheese.

Instead of molten-hot cheese that has the potential to destroy the roof of your mouth, the refrigerated cheddar provides pure relief in the heat of the moment, and as the toppings slowly melt into the puffy fried base, you still get that sought-after hit of cheesy umami.

The name lángos comes from the Hungarian word for flame. There are varying stories of when and where the flat bread first originated. Some say it was introduced by Ottoman Turks who ruled Hungary for around 150 years; others report it was baked as a treat on bread making days in Hungarian homes.

The bread moved from the wood-fired oven to the fryer following the Hungarian Uprising in 1956 when small businesses started to cook it in lard and oil. Up to the early 1980s there were only three common varieties of the street food. Today, nearly anything goes on top, with the combination of sour cream and grated cheese being one of the most popular and delicious.

Other ways to enjoy lángos are rubbed with a touch of garlic oil and salt, or loaded with Hungarian kolbász sausage. Contemporary creations include chorizo, red onion and cheese, or the decadent dessert option of Nutella and banana.

It is best eaten fresh from the fryer.

Budapest is one of the best places to find the beloved street food.

What first started as a tiny food stall beside an old subway station, Retro Lángos is now one of the most popular places in the Hungarian capital to enjoy lángos. A plain lángos with or without garlic starts from €2.50 (NZ$4.50) ().

Situated between ruin bars along Budapest's busiest party street, The Street Food Karavan is packed with food vendors serving the traditional fried bread in its to lángos burgers ().

Lángos is fast becoming a new festival and fairground favourite in New Zealand.

Auckland-based street food vendor Langos Fried Bread Puffs serves classic and contemporary takes, including the combinations of feta and tomato, and watercress and walnut pesto.

In New Plymouth, I Love Langos is a popular go-to at Seaside Market (), while Liam’s Hungarian Langos hops around events and markets in the South Island ().