Another year is coming to a close and with it the day of Silvester. It is a male name that falls on 31st December in the Slovak calendar. Although not Slovak in origin, and certainly not used as a given name by the Slovaks, Silvester has probably been kept in our calendar in the memory … Continue reading New Year’s Eve canapés
When I was experimenting with various apple cake recipes for the autumnal book of A Taste of Slovakia series, I made this simple pie filled with apples from my friend's garden. They didn't look as impeccable and glossy as those polished apples you buy in supermarkets, but their scent and taste was so pleasant that the … Continue reading Criss-crossed Apple Pie
Bábovka, babka, bundt cake or fluted cake - this classic cake can be found in many European cuisines and has quite a few variations around the world as well. What all these cakes have in common is the fluted ring shape with a hollow space in the centre. To make a Slovak bábovka, I use an … Continue reading Fountain Cake
The Slovak word for a bilberry is one of those funny words we like to teach foreigners when they're curious about our language. Why? Because Slovak is ranked among the most difficult languages in the world, and if we wanted to assess your linguistic calibre, then čučoriedka would be one of the testing words. Čučoriedky (tchou-tcho-ryiedki) … Continue reading Quick-and-easy Bilberry Cake
This recipe was inspired by an overload of zucchini a few weeks ago, and a newsletter from Once upon a chef that landed in my inbox at about the same time. The zucchini came together with hand-picked black and red currants from my friend parents' garden, so I picked this recipe from Jenn's zucchini menu to put … Continue reading Fluted Zucchini Cake
Last year I explored the history behind kiflicki, an ancient name for yeasted rolls that originated in the old Kingdom of Hungary centuries ago. Slovaks were part of the kingdom alongside other nations like Hungarians, Romanians, Croatians, Bosnians or Rusyns, so you'll find variations on kiflicki in all these cuisines, albeit under slightly different names. My search … Continue reading Bryndza Cheese Crescents
This year's strawberry season has been so good and so long. Ample sunshine and an uncharacteristically warm spring made the berries ripen earlier than usual and brought about very good crops, even in areas that aren't normally considered 'strawberry-friendly'. To get hands-on experience of the harvest, we went to a self-pick farm about an hour … Continue reading Delicate Strawberry Pie
There is a host of traditions and beliefs linked to Slovak Easter. Some are Christian with traces of Jewish mythology, others have pagan roots. It seems to me though that they all celebrate Easter as a spring festival that brings new life. The Slovak name for the Thursday before Easter is Zelený štvrtok, which literally translates … Continue reading Potato Kugel
When I was a child, I never questioned the origins of a strange, non-Slovak sounding name my mum used for the delicious spread she often made for our snacks or evening meals. All I knew about šmirkas at that age was that it was made with bryndza. We would spread šmirkas on slices of fresh rye bread, … Continue reading Piquant Bryndza Cheese Spread
A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail from a lady who is married to an American with Slovak roots. She asked about a 'kiflick' cake she wanted to make, but couldn't find a recipe for. It sounded like it was an ancient recipe from her husband's aunt, which she had taken to the … Continue reading Butter Rolls with Poppy Seeds
