cookslovak

I have mentioned it on a few occasions and now it’s official: the second book of A Taste of Slovakia series was launched in Artforum Košice bookshop last week.

It looks like the event marked the end of our summer, as the temperatures have dropped sharply in the last couple of days and the strong winds have brought about the first fall of leaves. Yes, autumn is coming to Slovakia, as is the book that maps the many faces of the season in our kitchen.

We introduced A Taste of Slovakia: Autumn in Košice – the metropolis of Eastern Slovakia, which is just a stone’s throw from the famed Tokaj region. It was in Malá Tŕňa  – one of the winemaking villages in the area – where the cover photography for the book was done.

Mária Macíková from Tokaj Macík Winery came to Artforum Košice bookshop to tell us about the long tradition of winemaking in their family, as well as the culinary specialities from the region.

Talking about food and drink will naturally make you feel hungry – and thirsty. To avoid having our guests drooling over the pictures, we served Čokoládový tekvicový koláč (Chocolate Pumpkin Cake) and a selection of wines from Tokaj Macík Winery. The wine was paired with Syrové pagáče (Cheese Pagatche), a type of yeast-leavened savoury cakes popular at wine sampling events in Slovakia.

Apart from the recipe for Cheese Pagatche, this is what you can find in the autumnal part of A Taste of Slovakia book:

1. Pillars of Slovak Cuisine (Potatoes, Pulses, Cabbage, Grains and Seeds, Nuts)
2. From the Garden to the Kitchen (a collection of recipes with vegetables and fruit native to Slovakia)
3. Spirits and Liqueurs (borovička, fruit distillates, Tatratea)
4. Wines (history, grape varieties, classification of Slovak wines, wine regions, historical wineries, small family wineries)
5. Goose and Duck Festivals (Roast Goose, Roast Duck, Braised Red Cabbage, Lokshe, Skalický trdelník …)
6. From Our Forests and Meadows (history of hunting, traditions, Deer Goulash, Pickled Chanterelles, etc.)

   

The second book has 210 pages, it is spiral-bound and illustrated with full-colour photographs. It will be distributed to all the bookshops that sell the summer part of A Taste of Slovakia book before Christmas. If you know of other places that would like to keep the books, please let us know in the comments below.