Another Christmas is over, another year is coming to a close. The festive cookies that we baked before Christmas are still in sufficient supply, but we have already finished cream-filled Honey Dough Slices and Štedrák - the traditional Christmas cake that would loosely translate as Generous Cake into English. To sweeten the last day of … Continue reading Glazed Apricot Cake with Whipped Cream Swirls
Have you heard about witches' days and do you know what happens at this time of year in Slovakia? Have you tasted the beautifully crafted medovníky and would you like to know how these honey cookies are made? Or do you want to see what our Christmas dinner looks like? This and much more is … Continue reading Winter tastes of Slovakia are coming to bookshops
I'm sure you've noticed it. As you approach someone's home, whether it's a house or a flat, you feel a smell, or more precisely a mix of smells that only belong to that particular place. Plants have their specific aromas and so do animals. We, humans, are not different. Our home is a melange of … Continue reading Smells of our homes
I'm busy working on the third book of A Taste of Slovakia series, which will include lots of Christmas recipes and traditions linked to my country's winter season. It's going to be a very rich volume packed with fascinating photos, folk tales and, of course, timeless dishes - like opekance. Opekance (pronounced as opekantze) are … Continue reading Opekantze with Ground Poppy Seeds and Honey
While working on the Winter Book of A Taste of Slovakia series, I went to document the art of medovníky baking at a small workshop near Žilina. It is where Andrea from Adina medovníky creates her delectable, exquisitely crafted honey dough pieces. Med (pronounced the same way as red, bed, fed, etc.) is the Slovak … Continue reading Slovak medovniky bakers are getting ready for Christmas
The Slovak word for Christmas has no mention of Christ in its name, although for many Slovaks it is a religious festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The Slovak Vianoce is similar to the Czech Vánoce, which is believed to have evolved from the German word Weihnachten, meaning 'holy night'. The face of our … Continue reading When you say Christmas in Slovakia
It is sometimes very difficult to translate the names of our most traditional cakes into English, and the one below is no different. I've spent more time trying to find the best possible name for this recipe than actually writing it. Gingerbread didn't sound right because it's closer in taste and texture to what we … Continue reading Crispy Ginger Cakes or Zázvorníky
My mum used to simply call them Košíčky (Baskets) and that's how these dainty cakes are recorded in my old hand-written recipe book. Mum always made them for Christmas, because she knew they would be winners and none of us would make excuses to avoid helping. It was quite a lot of work, but there … Continue reading Christmas Baskets
On 6th December Mikuláš (Slovak for St Nicholas or Santa Claus) has his day in the Slovak calendar and, by tradition, he brings packets of sweets and chocolates to children, supposing they were nice and good all through the year. In most Slovak households children clean their boots on the eve of St Nicholas's Day, and … Continue reading For chocolate lovers
Much love, excitement and joyful anticipation. Delicious food and drinks, as you would expect. And above all, hope for peace and reconciliation - the key elements for the human race to survive. We'll serve it aplenty, as it is our habit, and not only at this time of year. When the Advent starts four weeks … Continue reading What’s in a Slovak Christmas?
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