“What do ghosts eat for dinner?”/“Ghoulash.”

Goulash doesn’t contain any ghouls, but there’s a Halloween riddle:
 
Q: What do ghosts eat for dinner?
A: Ghoulash.

 
“Ghoul-ash” was cited in Halloween-related news stories in 1946 and 1952. “What four things do monsters enjoy eating on Halloween? Ghoulash and I Scream with booberry pie and ghoul-aid” was posted to the newsgroup alt.humor on October 15, 1998.
       
“What do ghosts eat for breakfast?”/“Dreaded wheat,” “What do ghosts eat for breakfast?”/“Ghost Toasties,” “What do ghosts eat for breakfast?”/“Scream of Wheat,” “What do ghosts eat for lunch?”/“Boo-logna sandwiches,” “What do ghosts eat for lunch?”/“Spookghetti” and “What do ghosts eat for dessert?”/“I scream” are related Halloween riddles.
   
 
21 October 1946, Pottstown (PA) Mercury, “In Hollywood” by Jimmie Fidler, pg. 4, col. 4:
Wonder if Boris Karloff favorite dish is ghoul-ash?
 
23 October 1952, Indiana (PA) Evening Gazette, “Neff and Edgar Bergan in Halloween Hi-Jinx,” pg. 10, col. 6:
Bill Neff, the Mystery Man, seems to have famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen in just the kettle of “ghoul-ash” Charlie McCarthy would like.
 
20 October 1956, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), pg. 10, col. 4:
Anyone For Ghoulash?
Try It, Come Halloween

 
30 October 1974, Hartford (CT) Courant, pg. 64, col. 6 photo caption:
Ghastly Repair
Mrs. M. Allyn Wadhams of the Bloomfield Senior Citizens’ Club reaches to adjust a ghoulash decoration at the club’s Halloween Party Tuesday.
 
27 October 1979, Atlanta (GA) Journal and Constitution, “Great Ghoulash” by Amy Greene, pg. 61-T, col. 3:
CREATURES AND CARNIVALS, houses and horrors, parties and pumpkins, are all part of the Halloween adventures of the coming week.
   
Wikipedia: Goulash
Goulash (Hungarian: gulyás [ˈɡujaːʃ]) is a soup or stew of meat and vegetables, seasoned with paprika and other spices. Originating from the medieval Kingdom of Hungary, goulash is also a popular meal in Central Europe, Scandinavia and Southern Europe.
 
27 October, 1982, Boston (MA) Globe, “Kids’ Cooking: A few tricks produce a lot of treats for Halloween Give your party some punch” by Susan Manlin Katzman, pg. S37, col. 1:
Spook-ghetti, ghoul-ash, or ghost beef and grave-y are just the things to make most people say that you are “the ghost -ess with the mostest!”
 
Google Groups: alt.humor
Halloween Humor - 25
Craig Bennett
10/15/98
(...)
What four things do monsters enjoy eating on Halloween?
Ghoulash and I Scream with booberry pie and ghoul-aid.
     
22 July 1999, Los Angeles (CA( Times, “The Kids’ Reading Room,” pg. D9, col. 4:
What does a Hungarian ghost eat? Ghoul-ash. (David, 5, Los Angeles, Park La Brea Elementary)
 
Google Groups: alt.teens.penpals
Second Servings.
merry mcgrath
7/24/99
What does a Hungarian ghost eat?  Ghoul-ash.
 
Google Books
The Sleepover Joke Book
By Sandy Ransford
Illustrated by Emily Bannister
New York, NY: Puffin Books
2003
Pg. ?:
What do Hungarian ghosts eat?
Ghoulash.
 
Google Groups: alt.creative.writing
What does a ghost eat?
omjaram
10/21/04
(...)
I know you won’t be able to resist goblin up this full-corpse meal. Bone appetit!:
 
Grains
Ghost Toasties      
Scream of Wheat
Pentagram Crackers with Poisonbury Jam      
Brain Muffins
                     
Entrees
Hungarian Ghoul Ash  
Frank ‘n’ Stein
Stake Sandwitch      
Halloweenie
Grave-y
Littleneck Clams      
Black Catfish
Warlocks and Bagels, with Scream Cheese      
                     
Side Dishes
Spook-ghetti          
Deviled Eggs
Artichokes            
Skullions
Scarrots                
Ghost Liver Pate
                   
Fruits
Adam’s Apples          
Nectarines
                   
Desserts    
I Scream
Boobury Pie              
Boo Meringue          
Ghoul Whip
Terrormisu            
Ladyfingers
Ghoulda Cheese        
Monster Cheese
                     
Beverages
Ghoul Ade
Coffin with Scream
Zombie
Apple Spider
   
Google Groups: rec.humor
Re: halloween pun?
Tim Bruening
10/29/04
(...)
Goulash: What ghosts eat for dinner.  They like to goblin it up.
 
Google Books
Extreme Monsters Joke Book
By Nikki Bataille Lange
Illustrated by Tim Stuby
Columbus, OH: Brighter Minds Children’s Publishing
2005
Pg. 34:
What do ghosts eat for dinner?
Ghoulash!
 
Google Books
Penguin Pocket Jokes
By David Pickering
New York, NY: Penguin Books
2006
Pg. ?:
What do ghosts eat for breakfast?
Dreaded wheat.
 
What do ghosts eat for lunch?
Spooketti.
 
What do ghosts eat for dinner?
Ghoulash.
     
Twitter
Graham Andrews
‏@wouldbegolfer
What do ghosts eat? ghoulash!
2:33 PM - 31 Oct 2009
 
Twitter
jrb
‏@jrb
Q: What do ghosts eat?
A: either Ghoulash, or Spookghetti
#crackerjokes
5:53 AM - 31 Dec 2010
   
Google Books
The Funniest Spooky Joke Book Ever
By Joe King
London: Anderson Press
2011
Pg. ?:
What do ghosts eat for breakfast?
Dreaded wheat
 
What do ghosts drink at breakfast?
Coffee with scream and sugar.
 
What do ghosts eat for lunch?
Ghoulash
 
What do ghosts eat for dinner?
Spook-ghetti