I first heard about spravovník two years ago, when I was shooting Christmas wafers for the Winter Book at a country house in Mačov. It was one of the few abandoned houses in the village that had been turned into a museum of traditional folk culture. While I was documenting the wafer baking, we chatted … Continue reading Cheese and Potato Bread Cake from Mačov
I know how difficult it is to find bryndza cheese outside of Slovakia. I've been told that Polish shops in the USA and the UK sell a close alternative, but I can't say how close it is to the real thing. Those who have been to Slovakia and tried Slovenská bryndza may be able to … Continue reading Slovak Bryndza Filled Pirohy with Fried Bacon
Halushki - traditional Slovak pasta - have already been mentioned in a recipe for Strapatchki. A slightly different version of halushki was used to accompany rabbit thighs in this recipe. Halushki are sometimes used in soups instead of noodles, but the most important role of these small, gnocchi-like dumplings is for our national dish, where … Continue reading Halushki with Bryndza Cheese
It was a week of exploration and discoveries, sublime food and new friendships. At the beginning of September last year my daughter Monika was married to a wonderful man, and they had chosen Villa Medicea di Lilliano in beautiful Tuscany as a location for their wedding. For me and some others from our family it … Continue reading What Slovak and Italian cuisine have in common
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
I introduced our famed cheese in the post on Bryndza Cheese Sticks last year. With this year's sheep farming season in full spate and some fine weather over the last month, our mountain meadows have turned into luscious pastures, so we are getting fresh supplies of bryndza cheese again. The May bryndza, as we in Slovakia call … Continue reading Bryndza Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
Bryndza (pronounced as brinsa) is a soft variety of sheep's milk cheese that our Slovak ancestors developed at the end of the 18th century. Although the cheese had existed under different names and in varied forms from the 14th century, the first bryndza-making factory in Slovakia, which was set up in 1787, is seen by … Continue reading Bryndza Cheese Sticks
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