Slovakia has preserved its culture and separate identity over the centuries, even as other countries claimed the country for their own. Today, the food culture serves as a reminder that people embrace their uniqueness as a matter of pride.
By John Jacobs

Slovakia is a country with strong rural roots, and that has had an enormous influence on the traditional food. There is no Slovak food, per se, but that is because the cuisine is hearty farm food that was meant to feed hard working farmers and to use local ingredients.

Do not confuse farm food with ordinary food though. Traditional Slovak meals are rich in flavor and make extensive use of thick filling sauces, meats, cheese, potatoes, and other filling ingredients. It is food that reflects an agricultural past with a healthy dose of Hungarian and Austrian influences added, and a dash of German.

Simple but Filling
Many people have heard of Slovakia but cannot pinpoint its location if asked. It is located smack dab in the middle of Europe and was part of the Moravian empire in the 9th century, conquered by the Germans and Magyars in the 10th century, and under Hungarian control from the 10th until 1918. It then became part of the Czechoslovak Republic, followed by years of turmoil as the country was dependent on Germany, quashed by the communist Soviet, and eventually in 1993 became Democratic Slovakia which is now part of the European Union and a NATO member.

It is easy to confuse simple with plain, but Slovak food is anything but plain. It is the type of food that people would likely eat every day because it is satisfying, filling, and has history built into the recipes.

Slovak dishes use typical farm products like cheese from sheep and cows; potato or wheat flour; meats and chicken; and a variety of vegetables that include beans, carrots, corn, and other vegetables. There is rye bread and fruits like peaches, apples, and plums. In other words, meals include a wide variety of ingredients and foods that are always filling and always interesting.

Just talking about traditional Slovak food is enough to make a person hungry. There is bryndzove halushky which is potato dumplings with roasted bacon and sheep cheese. Potato lovers will adore zemiakové placky which are potato pancakes fried in oil with garlic. Lokse is also a potato pancake. In fact, pancakes are a particular favorite of Slovakians because they are served at various meals and as a sweet dish like dolky.

Say Cheese and Pass the Dessert
There is no doubt that Slovakians have a sweet tooth.

Žemlovka is a baked sweet pudding that is made with apples or pears, and white bread. The ingredients are steeped in heated sweetened milk and butter, and cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and raisins are added.

Bábovka is a pound cake with cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Slovakians enjoy nut rolls made with rum and shredded nuts and parené buchty which are steamed buns or dumplings made with jam. There are fried dumplings (sisky) and pasta filled with jam (perky).

Of course, there is trdelník which is a sweet pastry made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, then grilled and covered with sugar and walnuts. Skalický trdelník is a particular version that is said to have been brought to the village of Skalica in the late 1700s by a retired Hungarian general. The townsfolk in Skalica made the recipe their own, and now it is a traditional food.

Cheese is also a popular food, and Slovakians have developed their own traditional products. Oštiepok is produced from sweet sheep cheese. The cheese is placed in a hand-carved, wooden round form to age. Once aged, it is immersed in salt water where it stays until the salt has penetrated the cheese. Parenica is unripe steamed sheep cheese that is shaped into a twisted ribbon. Cheese fried in bread crumbs is another traditional food. These are just a few of the specialty cheeses that are so popular and make frequent appearances at meals on a daily basis.

Steaming Soups
Of course, the foods of this wonderful country include more than cheese and desserts. Hearty, steaming soups are often served. The soups offer perfect opportunities to use a variety of ingredients that create a blend of flavors. There is bean soup made with beans and root vegetables like carrots; goulash soup made with beef, potatoes, marjoram, and paprika; and the outstanding kapustnica made with smoked pork sausage and sour cabbage.

Tekvicový prívarok is a thick soup that is made with different main ingredients. The cook's choice determines the flavor. Cooks may use pumpkin, potatoes, or beans blended with onion, sweet cream, red peppers, vinegar, bay leaves, and other spices, depending on the main ingredient.

There are some unique foods, too. Treska v majoneze is a cod salad with vegetables and mayonnaise. Jaternica is pork blood sausage with rice, and klobasa is pork sausage with spices.

Even the ordinary sounding dishes are unique. For example, sviecková is beef in a cream sauce that is served with dumplings. However, the beef is stewed with vegetables like carrots, celery, parsnips, and onion, plus bacon. The sauce is made with cream and the vegetables pureed after the meat is cooked.

Other popular dishes include pork with dumplings and cabbage (vepro-knedlo-zelo) and segedin goulash (segedínsky guláš). By the way, wiener schnitzel is a traditional Slovak food.

Filling Foods
Slovakia's traditional foods will never be called delicate. They can only be called hearty, filling and delicious. It is food for people who work hard and enjoy a good meal that takes advantage of local products.

Expert local cooks keep traditions alive by passing recipes from generation to generation. Many of the foods found on the tables in homes are the same foods served in restaurants.

If anyone ever has the opportunity to visit this wonderful country and to taste the rich and flavorful foods, it readily becomes apparent that history is solidly encased in the cuisine.

About DiversityPlus Magazine:
DiversityPlus is much more than “just” a supplier diversity magazine.Thanks to its strong media platform, which includes the print edition, digital magazine, website, weekly newsletter, social media, blogs, and video, DiversityPlus is able to provide print readers in seven countries and more than 117,000 digital readers worldwide with access to leading-edge supplier diversity content, webinars, and events.

What you’ll read in the pages of DiversityPlus represents the most current and impactful thinking about diverse supplier relationships. Plus, with over 17 years in print, our trend research, interviews, and feature articles showcase a depth of industry relationships unmatched by any other supplier diversity publication.