My first experience of drinking mead (or medovina in Slovak) was years ago at a small Christmas party organized by the local music school staff. My children were taking piano lessons at the school and I was invited as a member of the teachers-parents board. It was a family-style event; the tables were laid with honey cookies … Continue reading Včelovina – Slovakia’s deluxe mead
The best place to see traditional Slovak cheeses being made is definitely Zázrivá Salash. There are quite a few salashes (or kolibas) around Slovakia, but none of those I have been to provided such a complex experience of our folk culture and cuisine as the salash between Zázrivá and Terchová - two villages well-known for their … Continue reading How traditional oštiepok cheese is made
We have an abundance of forests, woods and meadows in Slovakia that are not only a home to flowers, berries, bears, wolves and other wildlife, but they also fill with a great variety of mushrooms every year. It's fair to say that Slovakia is a mushroom paradise. Mushroom picking has become a national sport, so … Continue reading Wild Mushroom & Tomato Risotto
This year's shepherd's season is drawing to a close with days getting shorter and nights palpably colder. Summer greens are still a prominent colour in our countryside, but they are slowly giving in to a rich array of autumnal hues. It's a wonderful time to be out and about, especially when the weather is as … Continue reading At Zázrivá Salash
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, crowned … Continue reading Piquant Bryndza Cheese Spread
When I was preserving cucumbers a few weeks ago, some of the vegetables were not suitable for pickling, mainly because of their size. So I had to put them away in the fridge, and use them either in salads, or cooking. Here's an example of what I did with the last one left in stock. … Continue reading Cucumber Patties with Parenitza Cheese
Have you ever heard of buckwheat? Did you know this long-forgotten food plant is more than 6000 years old? It was first cultivated in Southeast Asia, from where it slowly spread all over the world. As an inexpensive source of valuable proteins, buckwheat had played an important role in Eastern European cuisines before it was … Continue reading Buckwheat Groats with Sautéed Vegetables
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
Most tourists and visitors to our country will naturally head to Bratislava - the capital of Slovakia. Not only does the city have its own (albeit small) airport, but it's only an hour drive from a larger Vienna airport, which is a convenient gateway to other European cities and holiday destinations. There's a very good … Continue reading What’s cooking in Košice
I'm not a big fan of raw cakes. Not only are they more laborious and much more expensive than the regular ones, but I doubt their healthy side as well. I love fresh fruit (or vegetables), and I often indulge in all kinds of seeds and whole nuts, but why mash, squeeze and grind these … Continue reading Raw Poppyseed Avocado Cake
