Lubos From Slovakia

[lubos]

Howdy folks,

My name is Lubos and I am totally new here - surprise!

About a year ago I started my blog where I post illustrated recipes from the country where I was born, Slovakia. I only got into cooking not too long ago. Basically I got tired of eating the same sandwichy stuff all the time, and began to miss the tasty food my grandma stuffs me with when I visit her. I don't have any formal cooking training at all, but so far no disasters. Still I am hoping to learn a bunch from you. And hopefully also let more people know about Slovak cuisine. It's not exactly well known around the world, which is a huge shame. It's so good!

I live in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. and work in the aerospace industry.

 

[justplainbill]

Welcome to DC, Lubos. Ever been to Presov? For some Eeastern European ingredients, you might find Bende's website to be of interest.

 

[buckytom]

ahoj and vitajte, lubos.

i'm looking forward to your authentic slovakian recipes, and i'll help you with whatever i can, americansky style.

my mother-in-law's family lives in kosice. someday, i hope to ski the visoky tatry, if we're able to go for a visit. have you ever been there?

 

[lubos]

Thanks! You know, I can't remember, which probably means not. Do you have relatives out there? I hope to make it to the Spis region (which is nearby) in the near future and check out the Spis Castle - one of the largest castle ruins in Europe...

 

[lubos]

@Bill: What is Bende's website? I didn't find any members by that name...

@Tom: Oh, you will enjoy them! Kosice is a pretty neat town. I was out there few years back for the Kosice Marathon - the second oldest in the world, after Boston. It's run as two laps, and I finished the first lap, just as the lead Kenyans were completing the whole thing. Nuts! I am originally from Banska Bystrica, smack in the middle of the country. It's in the foothills of the Low Tatras (Nizke Tatry), so that was my main playground. But I have been to the High Tatras (Visoke Tatry) too, but never to ski. If you get a chance to go in the summer, go check out Strbske Pleso. It's this beautiful crystal clear mountain lake (tarn).

 

[justplainbill]

Long ago. My grandparents were from Kapusany and Kosice.

 

[justplainbill]

Bende Inc.

 

[lubos]

Thanks! Just checked out the salami selection and they look exactly like the sausages back home...

 

[justplainbill]

During December through February I order 3 or 4 large Csabai and 6 or so smoked becon. The salami lasts for about a year (refrigerated). The becon is heavily smoked and has an even longer shelf life. Sliced thinly the becon makes a nice sandwich on crusty bread. Their canned Kapusta is quite good but the cost of shipping makes it expensive.

 

[justplainbill]

Would be nice to see your recipe for Halupki.

 

[Claire]

My mother-in-law's family was from Slovakia (father-in-law's from Slovenia). Halupke is something I have to make every winter. After almost 30 years of marriage, I have Halupke down pat, but would love any other recipes you care to post. Oh, yes, she also made a mean potica, which I tried a couple of times and now buy from Vermont Country Store, it is just too darned hard!

 

[BreezyCooking]

Welcome!

Everyone on both sides of my family were originally from Bohemia, so I am also quite fond of & familiar with much of the cooking - Czech bread dumplings, Bohemian potato dumplings (both with sauerkraut, of course), goulash, Jaternice (liver sausages), Jelita (blood sausages), roast duck & goose (always with caraway seeds), chicken in sour cream dill sauce, Kolache & Buchti pastries (mmmm). . . .

What can I say? It's 100% in my blood - lol!!

 

[lubos]

Thanks for all your nice comments! When it comes to "halupki", I'll add a recipe at some point. But the thing is, halupki are not actually common in Slovakia at all. What???? Ok, let me rephrase that. They are not common in the part of Slovakia where I grew up, smack in the middle. They are mostly an eastern dish, common in the Russyn region which spans the Slovak/Ukrainian border. This part of the country has also historically always been the poorest (I guess due to the distance from the western markets), and as such the majority of Slovak immigrants to the United States came from this area. With them, they brought their own traditions, and meals like halupki - "plnena kapusta", stuffed cabbage. Same goes with pierogi, pasha (never heard of this) and eastern cheese (never heard of this either, found out its an orthodox thing). The only kinds of pierogi that are common throughout Slovakia are pierogi filled with bryndza, and also pierogi filled with jam and topped with fried bread crumbs. Meat filled pierogi are quite uncommon.

But things like bread dumplings, goulash, kolache and buchty, jaternica, now those are the real Slovak and Czech dishes

 

[justplainbill]

Eastern cheese? Did you mean Easter Cheese?

 

[justplainbill]

Seems the cuisine of Slovakia was heavily influenced by Hungary, Austria, and Poland. Even the names of many towns changed depending on who was in charge.

 

[lubos]

Ooops typo Yup, I meant Easter Cheese. Never heard of this until I came to the US and people started asking me about it. I eventually found out it's common in the Orthodox church, but majority of Slovakia is Catholic (or at least follows the Catholic traditions, since many Slovaks are not religious). And totally! Slovak cuisine is a melting pot, mostly of Hungarian and German influences. Goulash, which is like THE Hungarian dish, is also one of the most popular dishes in Slovakia. Of course, we have given it our unique twist, in that we serve it with the bread steamed dumpling. You use the dumpling to soak up the juices in the stew. It's so yummy.

 

[justplainbill]

Lekvar filled Roshky

How can one reduce or eliminate leakage when baking plum lekvar filled Roshky made from a pliable & thin rolled up yeast dough?

 

[lubos]

Hehe, the same has happened to me! So I asked my grandma to show me how she makes buchty, which is I think what you are referring to. You can go to my site to see how to roll them right: Baked Buns (Pečené Buchty) recipe - Slovak Cooking

 

[justplainbill]

Thanks. I'll czech it out. Seems to be a cake of a thousand names- orechovnik / biegli / potica

 

[justplainbill]

Nice interesting website Lubos.