Slovak food is hearty, typical of
a country with strong rural roots.
It is heavy on meat (especially
pork), potatoes, dumplings, thick
sauces and cheeses. If you’re
looking for vegetables – there’s
always cabbage, often in the form
of sauerkraut. Salads are not traditional
– but you will find them in
restaurants in bigger cities. Try
soup or a meat/cheese appetizer.
Lunch is traditionally the largest
meal of the day, with dinner on the
lighter side.
Traditional
Slovak dishes include:
- Bryndzove halusky
Potato and flour dumplings,
covered with melted fresh sheep
cheese, lard and bacon.
- Ostiepok and parenica
Smoked sheep cheeses.
- Hus s loksami
Goose meat and liver with potato
pancakes.
- Zemiakove placky
Pancakes made from grated potatoes
with spices (marjoram, caraway seed
and garlic).
- Kapustnica
Sauerkraut soup with smoked sausage,
mushrooms, garlic and plums.
- Makovnik
Poppy-seed and nut roll
(cake)
Schnitzel (flattened
piece of veal or pork, dipped egg
and breadcrumbs and fried) is an Austrian
entrée that appears frequently
on Slovak menus. Hungarian
goulash (thick soup/stew with meat,
potatoes, tomato, paprika, garlic)
is also a mainstay in Slovakia.
A good place to sample traditional
Slovak dishes is the Market
Hall (Trznica) on SNP Square.
There they not only sell fresh produce
but also Gypsy’s roast meat
with loksa (potato-dough patties),
sour cucumbers, other specialties
and – of course - good Slovak
wine.
In Bratislava and some of the other
large cities you can also find restaurants
featuring various international cuisines,
such as Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian,
French, Austrian, Hungarian and others.
Slovakia is a dessert-lovers’
paradise. Cafes, ice cream
parlors, and sweet shops (cukraren)
offer a wide range of temptations,
such as pastries, cakes/tortes, ice
cream, and palacinky (crepes) filled
with chocolate, farmers’ cheese
or jam. If you come here in December,
try the 4-layer Christmas cake with
poppy seeds, plum jam, nuts and cheese.
Yum! And look for Bratislava-based
Figaro brand chocolate.
For a list of restaurants in Slovakia
click here.
Slovakia shares in the Central
European tradition of coffeehouses/cafes.
In these establishments, long before
Starbucks, people would gather to
socialize and talk about ideas, politics,
literature, art, as much as to enjoy
good strong coffee (or tea) and delicious
pastries. Don’t miss the opportunity
to indulge in this grand old tradition!
Among the classic coffeehouses
of Bratislava:
- Café Mayer recalls
the golden days of 19th c. Bratislava
(then called Pressburg, and very
much like its close neighbor, Vienna,
down to the sacher torte served
with coffee)
- Roland Café
in the Art Nouveau/Secessionist-style
bank building with one of the famous
Chess Automat machines, invented
by a Slovak in the late 18th century.
Slovakia has many fine beverages
to sample, all very affordable
- Fine white and red wines
- Including sparkling wines
and sweet Tokaj wine. (See
section below)
- Excellent Pilsner
- Beers on par with more famous
Czech brands
- Kofola - The
Slovak equivalent of root beer,
often served on tap
- Vinea - A sparkling,
non-alcoholic drink, made from white
or red grapes
- Burciak - Is
a grape cider with a short life
– 7-10 days – that packs
a potent punch. In September two
towns, PEZINOK and MODRA, host the
annual Burciak Festival.
- Medovina/Honey wine
- Served in winter, this is the
mead of medieval times
- Borovicka -
Made from juniper berries, like
gin
- Slivovica -
Plum brandy (the smaller the bubbles
at the edge, the higher the quality)
- Demanovka - A
bitter liqueur made from herbs
Beer brands to ask for:
- Zlaty bazant
- Corgon
- Smadny mnich
- Steiger
- Stein
- Saris
- Topvar
- Kelt
- Hell
Slovak beers are generally
Bohemian-style lagers, made
100% from barley, compared with mass-market
beers elsewhere, which often dilute
the brew with corn. Slovakia’s
large barley crop is prized for its
high starch content, making Slovak
beer rich and hearty.
There are several good microbreweries
starting up in Slovakia.
Two good ones are:
- Pivovar
Codecon –
In Svaty Jur (60 minutes from Bratislava)
- Pivovar
Golem – in
Kosice
Wine labels (producers and
location) to ask for, according to
a survey of Slovak sommeliers:
- Vino Mrva a Stanko
– Trnava
- Karpatska
perla – Senkvice
- J a J Ostrozovic –
Velka Trna (Tokaj)
- Galafruit
– Mala Trna (Tokaj)
- Vinne pivnice Svaty Jur
- Vino
Masaryk – Skalica
- Vino Borik –
Pezinok
- Strekov 1075 –
Pezinok
- Vinarstvo Vinanza
– Vrable
- WOOD-SS –
Radosina
- Ravena –
Chateau Topolcianky
- Movino –
Velky Krtis
- Vinohradnicka spolocnost
– Modra
Best vintages, according
to the sommeliers: 1997,
2000, 2002, 2003
Slovak
Wine – Background
Slovakia’s long heritage of
winemaking goes back to the 7th c.
BC, when Celts planted the
first vineyards here. Despite
the 20th century upheavals of two
world wars and 40 years under Soviet
domination, many of the country’s
producers come from families who have
been winemakers for generations.
The best Slovak wine today is made
by small-batch vintners
–primarily in the Small Carpathian
(southwest) and Tokaj (southeast)
regions. You can visit some of them
when you follow any of the Wine Routes
(see below).
Slovak white wines are predictably
good, while reds vary with each year’s
temperature and weather conditions.
Slovak
Grape Varieties:
Whites:
- Rulandske Biele
(Pinot Blanc)
- Devin –
new variety, full-bodied, acidic
- Palava –
new variety, with characteristics
of Tramin and Muller Thurgau
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Tramin (Gewurtraminer)
- Chardonnay
- Muller Thurgau
- Rizling Rynsky
(Riesling)
- Rizling Vlassky
("Italian Riesling")
Reds:
- Frakovka Modra
- Svatovavrinecke
(St. Lawrence)
- Alibernet and Neronet
– related to Cabernet
Sauvignon
- Rulandske Modre (Pinot
Noir)
Tokaj – Sweet
or surprisingly dry!
Tokaj, prized by royalty since it
was developed in the 17th century,
is known worldwide as a Hungarian
specialty. But Slovak Tokaj
is every bit as good as Hungary’s
– and less expensive.
It’s also something you
can only enjoy in Slovakia.
According to a deal cut between Czechoslovakia
and Hungary, Slovak Tokaj may not
be exported. Tokaj is most often a
sweet, after-dinner wine, made with
grapes that produce a fungus
called "noble rot", which
gives Tokaj its distinctive rich flavor.
However, there are wonderful dry
Tokajs, too.
Enjoy wine tasting? Then,
sip your way along one of these wine
routes, which also feature sampling
regional culinary specialties. Contact
a tour operator or Slovak
travel agency to arrange a tour
of any of these:
Small
Carpathian Wine Trail
Begins just outside
Bratislava and includes Svaty Jur
(10th century fortress and a nature
preserve),
Pezinok
Has a museum of viticulture and Modra
(known for ceramics), as well as smaller
communities.
Kamenin
Wine Trail
Connected to the international Danube
Cycle Way along the Hron River, this
route offers wines similar to Tokaj
and picturesque scenery.
Hont
Wine Trail
This 34-community project
was created to help develop agrotourism
and encourage wine-making in the Hont
region, which includes Banska Stiavnica.
Tokaj
Wine Trail
"The wine
of kings, king of wines"
is made in the southeastern part of
Slovakia.
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