A sweet delicacy from a hundred years ago brought to life in the historical town of Kremnica

April 15, 2023April 16, 2023 ~ jarmilascooking ~ Leave a comment

At nine o'clock in the morning the roads are surprisingly quiet. It's Good Friday - a public holiday, and most Slovaks have either moved to their holiday destinations, or are getting their homes ready for Easter. We should be officially welcoming spring at this time of year, but the weather has decided to play a … Continue reading A sweet delicacy from a hundred years ago brought to life in the historical town of Kremnica

Slovak medovniky bakers are getting ready for Christmas

November 16, 2021January 14, 2023 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 1 Comment

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

Cheesy Potato Bread Cake

March 13, 2021March 13, 2021 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 3 Comments

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have turned to home cooking instead of dining at restaurants or buying fast food meals. Thanks to the virus we have become more aware of what we put on our plates, and some of you may have discovered that cooking and baking also have therapeutic qualities. … Continue reading Cheesy Potato Bread Cake

Potato Bread Cakes

August 31, 2020September 5, 2020 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 1 Comment

I have been planning to make zemiakový posúch for quite a while. The idea came from Kathy - an American lady whose Slovak grandma used to make it with extra bread dough. Kathy gave a more detailed description of the cake, and it immediately reminded me of the potato posúch my mother-in-law had sent me … Continue reading Potato Bread Cakes

Summer festivals celebrate life and good food

July 23, 2018May 28, 2020 ~ jarmilascooking ~ Leave a comment

Summer is an ideal time for getting together out in the open. Here in Slovakia, a small landlocked country in the middle of Europe, the summer peaks in July and August with temperatures most likely to be between 26 - 30ºC. We've had extremely hot and dry summers in the last couple of years when … Continue reading Summer festivals celebrate life and good food

Decorating Easter cookies

March 31, 2017March 31, 2020 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 6 Comments

As Mother Nature is awakening after a long winter sleep, so is our need for more warmth, sunshine and brighter colours. Not only do they show on the streets, in the parks and more still in the countryside, the spring colours also enter our kitchens, land on our tables and brighten up our food. I … Continue reading Decorating Easter cookies

Savoury Pagatche Cakes

December 4, 2015January 12, 2020 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 4 Comments

Another recipe from Vierka's rural kitchen is for traditional savoury cakes called Škvarkové pagáče, which would loosely translate as 'Pork Cracklings Cakes'. The vital ingredient for Škvarkové pagáče is škvarky (pronounced as shkvarki in English). They are similar to pork cracklings except that shkvarki are made by melting and roasting fatty bacon WITHOUT its rind on. It does change … Continue reading Savoury Pagatche Cakes

Detvian Strudel

June 6, 2015February 23, 2020 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 4 Comments

The end of May usually brings more sunshine, higher temperatures and a whole lot of outdoor activities. Walking trips, open-air goulash parties, or traditional Maypole dancing - they are all splendid events that deserve a visit. I managed to squeeze all of them in a weekend trip to a small town of Detva. I started … Continue reading Detvian Strudel

Ground Poppy Seed Rolls

May 11, 2015August 11, 2019 ~ jarmilascooking ~ 4 Comments

However controversial this ingredient can be in some parts of the world, poppy seeds are indispensable in Slovak cuisine. Like our much bigger European neighbours, we use poppy seeds in some of our vintage recipes for sweet breads, cakes and various little bakes. I remember quite vividly the summers at my grandparents' house in the … Continue reading Ground Poppy Seed Rolls