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
Včela is the Slovak word for a bee and Včelovina is a drink made by fermentation of honey. We don't like to call it honey wine, because Včelovina has nothing to do with grapes, although the fermentation process might be similar to that in wine making. Mead is a more acceptable English name here, and it's also … Continue reading Pancakes with Včelovina
It's snowing right now. The real winter has arrived at last, and while we could do with a little sunshine, we certainly can't complain about the lack of snow this year. Good for children and skiers, not so good for drivers. Windswept after a cross-country run or tired after frolicking in the snow, it's always … Continue reading Smoked Pork with Sauerkraut
Another year is drawing to a close, and here comes the time to give a brief review of what you liked best on Cookslovak. The 2018 has been a very good year on many levels. The website has attracted a few thousand more visitors than in 2017, got dozens of new fans and followers on … Continue reading The Best of 2018
Chestnut trees are a common sight in our woods and parks, but very few produce fruits fit to human consumption. Most of the chestnuts in Slovakia are only good for playing with and creating works of arts. When they ripen and fall off in late September, children from schools and kindergartens are the first to … Continue reading Chestnut Parcels
Buckwheat is another ancient food staple returning to our cuisine. It used to be a common ingredient of our ancestors, as Ján Babilon - the author of the first cookbook in the Slovak language says. He was a chef and the owner of a restaurant in Pest (today's Budapest), where he published Prvá kuchárka v slovenskej … Continue reading Buckwheat Groats with Braised Cauliflower and Carrots
While walking around the Gourmet Gallery at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair, our guide told us that food and tourism are more closely entwined these days than ever before. As the hunger for new holiday destinations is growing, so is the interest in local cuisines and traditional recipes. If you're planning to travel around Central … Continue reading Searching for A Taste of Slovakia
With October coming to a close the cold, wet weather has sneaked in, and shops have filled with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Very few of them will end up as jack-o'-lanterns here in Slovakia, only perhaps in Bratislava, Košice and a couple of more cities with small expat communities from the West. The … Continue reading Butternut Squash Soup
The Slow Food movement started in 1989 as a response to the opening of McDonald's restaurant in Rome. Carlo Petrini, the Italian journalist who launched the movement, thought it was unfortunate that a city with high-quality local cuisine had opened its doors to mass-produced food. Since then, the Slow Food movement has spread to more … Continue reading Slow Food Slovakia
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
