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Slovak Recipes

12 recipes

Slovak cooking is hearty and built for cold winters, with influences from neighboring Hungary, Austria, Poland and Czechia. Potatoes, flour and cabbage form the base: potato dumplings (halušky) tossed with sheep cheese or sauerkraut, filled pirohy, flatbreads called lokše, and soups thickened with flour and cream. Bryndza, a tangy spreadable sheep cheese from mountain pastures, is the signature flavor, and smoked bacon and sausage add depth. Pork is the usual meat, with duck and goose for feasts. Paprika, caraway, marjoram and garlic season most dishes. Soups matter: kapustnica (sauerkraut soup) on Christmas Eve, garlic soup with croutons and bean soups through the winter. Sweets are baked or steamed, such as buchty, poppy seed rolls, šúľance with poppy seeds and the Bratislava crescent. Beer, plum brandy and herbal spirits accompany the meal. Many families still cure their own meat and ferment their own cabbage at home.

Staple ingredients

Soups

Salads

Main Dishes

Breads

Desserts

Drinks

Common questions

What is Slovak food known for?

Bryndzové halušky (potato dumplings with sheep cheese and bacon), kapustnica (sauerkraut soup), pirohy, fried cheese and sweet poppy seed dishes. The food is filling and built on potatoes, dairy and pork.

What is the national dish of Slovakia?

Bryndzové halušky, small potato dumplings with bryndza and crisp bacon, is the national dish.

Is Slovak food spicy?

No. Paprika, garlic and caraway add flavor but little heat. Dishes are rich, smoky and sour rather than hot.