Slovak national cuisine. Slovak cuisine. Recipes and dishes of Slovak cuisine Slovak cuisine national dishes
Slovak cuisine deservedly occupies a special place among the cuisines of other Slavic peoples. It is famous for its satiety, ease of preparation, abundance of spices and great ingenuity of local cooks and housewives. Slovaks can cook a delicious lunch from anything you can find in your refrigerator, and the specialties of this people are traditional dumplings, aromatic Spiš pohutka, delicious roast duck with sauerkraut, Loksi potato cakes and, of course, various first courses and soups .
Brynza is one of the favorite products in Slovakia. Special Slovak “Halushki” are prepared with it and they even dedicated an entire festival to the cheese. It usually takes place at the height of summer. And the essence of the celebration is to eat dumplings with cheese at speed. Local residents love this holiday very much.
What no meal in Slovakia is complete without is soups. There are a great variety of them: cheese, garlic, mushroom. After them, Slovaks prefer something meaty: schnitzels, stews, goulash, various smoked meats and pates. Most of these dishes are prepared from chicken, beef, and less often pork. They prefer not to process the meat; they prefer to eat it exclusively natural and fresh, in sauces, aromatic dressings or in combination with sour sauerkraut.
Flour products occupy a special place in the national cuisine of Slovakia. They are less often similar to our Russian sweets, and they are based on traditional homemade recipes. For example, “Guardians” is usually prepared on holidays. These are small bread pies made from special dough with a small amount of salt. But “steamed chowder” is filled with chocolate and is also served only on special occasions. Slovakia also loves apple cookies.
Housewives passed down recipes from generation to generation, writing them down in a special book, preferring to keep them secret. So even today, many families keep such home-written cookbooks. However, young people rarely use them, preferring to spend less time cooking.
Traditionally, women cook in families and men are tasked with frying meat, but more and more residents prefer fast food. The biggest family holidays are Christmas and Easter. At celebrations, it is customary for family and friends to gather, prepare special dishes and make toasts.
In contrast to fast food, Slovakia also has a lot of restaurants serving national cuisine - kolibs. They are also called robber huts. This name appeared a long time ago, when robbers set up inns in the most picturesque places. Any traveler could stay there and be provided with shelter and food. Now it is in Koliby that you can try the whole variety of Slovak dishes and feel the hospitality of this people.
Let us note that Slovaks are a very soulful people with rich traditions and a language very similar to Russian. At the same time, their national dishes are not inferior to leading European cuisines. If you are lucky enough to be in Slovakia, be sure to try dumplings, home-cooked game and garlic soup in a bread pot.
Beer is usually associated with Germany or the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, in neighboring Slovakia this drink is also widespread and loved. Although Slovak beer is known in the world, unfortunately, it is little known, as are some of the most interesting dishes of Slovak cuisine.
The best way to try original Slovak dishes is in koliby, local restaurants. They are also called robber huts. The name is associated with an ancient tradition: then the robbers set up inns in the most picturesque places, where any traveler could get shelter and food. And in some cases, lose your wallet.
As for dishes, there are plenty of them in Koliba. Slovak cuisine is characterized by the widespread use of all kinds of meat, especially pork and chicken. One of the most common dishes throughout the country is Spiš pohutka, which is goulash with champignons and potato pancakes. A variety of meats are used for goulash.
All food is washed down with a huge amount of beer of various types. The most famous Slovak beer is Topvar. Topvar comes from the small town of Topolcany, located in Western Slovakia. Topvar is generally a light beer with a moderate alcohol content (about 5%). More bitter is Stein beer, produced in Bratislava, the capital of the country. It is well known in many countries where this type of beer is exported. Beer bars and pubs often serve Martiner Porter, a dark beer. Or the so-called Rezany - a mixture of dark and light beer. Urpin, a well-aged light or dark beer made in Banska Bystrica (Central Slovakia) from first-class malt and hops, is also quickly gaining popularity. Light urpin is somewhat reminiscent of Czech Pilsen, dark - Guinness, but weaker than them. In various types of Urpin, the alcohol content ranges from 3.3 to 5.6%. It has been produced since 1501. In Slovakia, they also produce non-alcoholic beer for those who like to drink while driving, since drinking regular beer is prohibited for drivers. The favorite beer of Evgeniy Sokgobenzon, director of the capital's Pilgrim Tours company, is light Krušovice. And Olga Sevostyanova, project manager of the Moscow representative office of the Slovak travel agency Wili Travel, prefers the softer Smednik mnih, which literally translates as thirsty monk. There is a legend that this “sweet” beer for women was invented by an unknown monk (mnich), who wanted to treat one of the parishioners he liked. This beer is produced in the city of Presov, and like any other beer, it is quite inexpensive: a half-liter mug in a bar will cost only 20 crowns ($0.5). A bottle in a supermarket costs even less - 10-12 crowns.
In addition to beer, in Slovakia it is worth trying several other drinks produced here of varying strengths. For example, excellent white and red wines from local grape varieties. Young people and women are very fond of Fernet, a kind of liqueur with a strength of up to 35o, mixed with tonic. For some reason it is also called Bavarian beer. Slightly stronger than Demenovka are liqueurs infused with herbs. Various fruit and berry vodkas - pear, raspberry, etc. - have a strength of 35-38o. But slivovitz is not considered vodka. This is a well-refined moonshine, reaching a strength of 52o in some cases. Slovaks themselves don’t drink slivovitz that often, preferring Borowiczka to it - gin with a strength of 40-45o. Experts say that Borovichka is much better than the famous Befeater, because it has a less persistent smell. And finally, a purely tourist drink, served in many kolibas in Slovak resorts. This is the so-called Tatra tea - diluted alcohol with herbs, which burns in the hands of an astonished tourist. While serving the drink, the waiter sets it on fire.
Many people traveling around Europe unfairly ignore Slovakia. There are practically no excursions there; people fly into Bratislava for a few hours on the way to Vienna on an excursion or back. One of my friends tried to buy a tour to Slovakia from Russia, the travel agency simply didn’t understand her and asked again: “maybe we should go to the Czech Republic after all?” I believe that every country has aspects that deserve attention. Slovaks are a very soulful people with rich traditions and a language so similar to ours, Russian. By the way, they love Russians, and our culture is close to them.
Maybe that’s why you can find such favorite dishes as cabbage soup and dumplings on the Slovak menu? As you may have guessed, today I will tell you about Slovak cuisine.
Slovak cuisine has been greatly influenced by neighboring countries - the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Hungary. Characteristic for the kitchen meat dishes (usually pork), potatoes, dumplings, thick sauces and cheeses. Sour sauerkraut is also common here. Bread is very important when eating in Slovakia.
So, let's look at what it consists of Slovak lunch.
The most famous first course is thick sauerkraut soup (kapustnica), which includes meat, sausages and mushrooms. The cabbage recipe varies depending on the region of the country. During fasting, cabbage soup is prepared without meat, but dumplings, sour cream and potatoes are added to it. Sometimes cabbage soup is compared to Russian cabbage soup.
If you don’t like cabbage, you can order garlic soup, which is usually served not in a plate, but in a loaf of bread.
Lovers of meat soups will appreciate it goulash soup, which is also served in a loaf of bread.
You can order for the second one cheese dumplings (bryndzové halušky), which include potatoes, flour and smoked pork with lard. Unlike Ukrainian dumplings, Slovak dumplings are saltier and smaller. As a rule, dumplings are served with a glass žinčica – a drink made from goat milk.
You can also choose one of the meat dishes for the main course. The variety of second courses is evidenced by menus from different restaurants.
We chose the goose leg with potato dumplings.
By the way, dumplings (knedľa)- a traditional Czech side dish - also popular here. Simply put, these are boiled pieces of dough or potatoes. They can have different fillings. There are even sweet dumplings. The photo below shows goulash with dough dumplings.
While eating, don't forget about beer. The most popular brands of beer in Slovakia are: Dobre pifko, Popper, Palatín, Šariš, Steiger, Topvar, Kelt.
You can order wine for dessert. The wine is produced in 6 wine-growing regions located in the southern part of Slovakia. Slovak wines are popular in neighboring countries. The most common grape varieties grown in Slovakia include Veltlínské zelené, Rizling vlašský, Frankovka modrá, Svätovavrinecké, Rulandské biele.
Our lunch is over, and finally I want to give you the addresses of two restaurants and cafes that we especially liked during our stay in Bratislava.
Restaurant Slovak pub
- Address: Bratislava, Obchodná 613/62
Restaurant Bratislavský Meštiansky Pivovar
- Address: Bratislava, Drevená 8 and Bratislava, Dunajská 21
Cafe Kaffee Mayer with amazing desserts
- Address: Bratislava, Hlavné námestie 4
I attach photos of the desserts below.
The national cuisine of Slovakia was formed under the influence of Hungarian, Austrian, German and other European cuisines. The successful combination of the European school with components of national flavor predetermined the wide variety of this cuisine. In general, the dishes are quite simple to prepare, but, nevertheless, very tasty, satisfying and healthy. The main brands of local cuisine are meat, dumplings, dumplings, cheese, beer, wine.
Meat is widely used in many Slavic cuisines. Slovakia, in this sense, is no exception. Pork and chicken are especially popular here. You should definitely try the favorite dish of Slovaks “ Spiš pohutka» - meat goulash with champignons and potato pancakes. Another traditional dish is “ baked boar's knee» - fried pork leg. It’s not uncommon to find “ baked goose with dumplings", « roast duck with sauerkraut", a variety of game meat pates, "schnitzel" and " goulash in Slovakian", « pork envelopes"with cheese and asparagus, smoked meats, chicken legs, sausages...
The hallmark of the national cuisine of Slovakia is the first courses. These are vegetable soups, broths, cheese soup, mushroom soup, meat soup and even garlic soup. All Slovak soups have an amazing aroma and taste.
Slovak chefs treat local cheeses with respect. The most famous “parenitsy” and “oshtepki” are sheep cheese, reminiscent of feta cheese. Excellent national dishes are prepared with this cheese:
- "Shepherd's dumplings",
- “expressed cheese” (fresh cheese with garnish, fried in breading),
- “halushki” (dumplings with cheese) and many others.
Things are going very well in Slovak cuisine, with flour and confectionery products. Do not deny yourself the pleasure of trying “longos” - donuts fried in butter with garlic, “Slovak pancakes” - where peaches are used as a filling. There is a wide variety of sweet pastries; by the way, they taste very similar to Austrian ones (remember “ Viennese strudel").
Favorite drink in the national cuisine of Slovakia ,
Beer counts. Although Slovak beer does not have such great fame as neighboring Czech beer, it is in no way inferior in taste. The best varieties are Topvar and Sharish beer.
Slovak wine is also excellent. It takes its rightful place among other European wines and, at the same time, is much cheaper than the latter. Worth a try " Limbashsky Silvan”, “Racensku Frankovka”, “Green Velteliner”, “Vlassky Riesling”. Among the strong drinks in Slovakia, “Borovička” - juniper vodka and “Slivovica” - plum vodka are popular.
Welcome to hospitable Slovakia and bon appetit everyone!
Since Slovakia borders simultaneously with Austria, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Ukraine, this has left a serious imprint on its cuisine.
That is why, when you find yourself in any of the local restaurants, among other things, you will definitely find on the menu Hungarian goulash soup, Austrian strudel, Polish dumplings and “pirOgi” (a type of dumplings) and in some places even Ukrainian borscht. However, Slovak cuisine still exists. It is based, first of all, on soups - thick, aromatic, usually with smoked meats, often seasoned with sour cream. Let's start with them.
SLOVAK SOUPS AND SNACKS
(Fazul’ova polievka): thick, quite spicy, cooked with red beans and several types of smoked sausages.
(Cesnakova polievka): thick creamy soup with garlic flavor, often with added cheese, served with croutons. Contrary to expectations, it is not too spicy, by the way.
Cabbage butterfly(Kapustnica): sauerkraut soup with smoked sausages, reminiscent of Russian stewed cabbage solyanka, but thinner in consistency. In some places it is topped with sour cream.
When it comes to snacks, you should definitely pay attention to dumplings with cheese(Halusky s bryndzou), which are very similar in appearance to our lazy dumplings, and to fried cheese breaded (Vyprazany syr) - for this dish, locally produced cheese called Ostiepok is used.
WELL, WHERE TO GO WITHOUT MEAT?
However, don’t think that this is where Slovak national dishes end. For example, they know how to bake meat very well here. Local chefs are equally good at cooking beef, lamb, and pork.
In the photo: baked beef ribs at the Liptovska Izba restaurant
One of the Slovak specialties is baked pork knuckle(Pecene udene bravcove koleno). However, in the Czech Republic this dish is also considered theirs, but is called “Baked Boar’s Knee”. However, nothing surprising - the Czech Republic and Slovakia were part of the same state for so long that even local dishes were mixed here.
In the photo: pork knuckle in Slovakian style
The chef of the Druzba hotel restaurant told me that this dish takes about three hours to prepare. First, the shank is boiled with vegetables for an hour and a half, and then baked in the oven for about an hour. During the break between boiling and baking, it is marinated in a special mixture of lemon juice, mustard, salt and honey, and then stuffed with garlic cloves. Of course, this dish takes a long time to prepare, but it is very tasty.
In the photo: “Cigansky spiz - pork on a skewer with onions and peppers.
In one of the local restaurants “Liptovska Izba” in the town of Liptovsky Mikulas, where I found myself, they offered me “Cigansky spiz” - a local version of the preparation pork skewers with onions and peppers. Unlike the shish kebab that is familiar to us (and closely related to this dish), the meat is only lightly marinated before cooking, which is why, if you are not used to it, it may taste a little bland.
In the photo: Janosikova kapsa - chicken stewed in a thick meat sauce with spices
However, I personally was very impressed by another local specialty - chicken with mushrooms stewed in a thick meat sauce with spices, “packed” in a potato pancake - that same “pocket” (this is how kapsa is translated from Slovak).
FOR SWEET: DESSERTS AND LOCAL WARMING DRINKS
As for desserts, in my opinion, you should definitely try the tender and airy dumplings with poppy seeds. You can wash it all down with either local wine, of which a lot is produced here, or Czech beer, but personally I preferred “varene wine” - the local version of mulled wine. It’s good and tasty, and it’s perfect for the weather.
In the photo: dumplings with poppy seeds - a traditional Slovak dessert
If you find yourself in Slovakia in the coldest weather, then you should switch to heavy artillery and try local warming drinks. Among them there is a whole range of Czech vodkas - juniper Borovicka, which tastes very much like gin, several fruit types (with a strength of 35 to 40 degrees) - pear (Hruskovica), raspberry (Malinovica) and apricot (Marhulovica). And the bravest ones will probably be interested in trying the local moonshine, the strength of which reaches 52 degrees - Slivovice.
In the photo: Slovak liqueurs Demanovka and Slivovice
Of the Slovak strong drinks, we can name the cranberry liqueur Demanovka (it exists in several other forms, for example, with herbs), as well as a whole line of seven types of strong drinks TatraTea (strength from 22 to 72 degrees), in which you can find citrus and peach flavors, wild berries and much more. In general, you won’t be able to freeze here, even if you really want to.
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Maria Caushan- Professional journalist and PR specialist, I travel for my own pleasure. For some time now I have been trying to figure out how to simultaneously satisfy my interest in world architecture and extreme sports, my love for warm regions and snow-capped peaks.
