Kapustnica is a delicious cabbage soup -a hearty mixture of sauerkraut, dried mushrooms, sliced ​​sausage, and onions. It is served with a dollop of sour cream. You can often find the soup served in a bowl made of bread, which absorbs the juicy flavours while the outside crust remains crunchy. Kapustnica is one of the most recognisable Slovak foods and an essential dish in Slovakian cuisine. It is eaten as an appetizer, but it is also a part of the traditional Christmas dinner.

Fazuľová Polievka is a rich and creamy sour bean soup. It has a base of fazula beans -a spotted, colourful beans native to Slovakia. This traditional soup has a deep, smokey taste. This is due to the combination of softened fazula beans and the use of sliced smoked bacon in the recipe. Sour cream, milk, flour, potato, and vinegar help form a thick, creamy base, while garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves inject a little spice and sour notes into the taste. Fazuľová Polievka is usually served with butter and crusty bread.

Soups, as you can see from the list, form an integral part of Slovakian cuisine. Therefore the popularity of cesnaková polievka, a rich garlic soup, should come as no surprise. The preparation includes frying plenty of garlic chops and then boiling them with paprika, caraway, salt, and potato cubes. Once ready, the soup is poured over the bread, garnished with parsley and grated cheese.

This is my favourite Slovakian dish! The main ingredients are brown lentils, mixed with cream and mushrooms. A delicious creamy soup that my grandma prepares every year for Christmas!

Bryndzové halušky consists of a wholesome combination of potato dumplings with roasted bacon and sheep’s cheese. Locals use a high-quality, soft, and creamy locally-produced sheep’s cheese, bryndza -one of Slovakia’s most beloved cheeses, and it is very much a source of national pride. Once the dumplings are filled with cheese, the dish is topped with sour cream, fried onion, spring onion, and crispy bacon pieces.

Segedin goulash is the Slovak version of Hungarian goulash. It is the perfect combination of sour and savoury. It consists of pork shoulder chunks stewed with sauerkraut and thickened with heavy cream. The sauerkraut used in the goulash is heavily seasoned with paprika. This dish is traditionally served with dumplings, but you can also find it served with rice.

This hearty Slovak entrée is a dish of meatballs and potatoes. Mäsové guľky is simple, filling, and inspired by many European meatball dishes. The meat is rolled in a dough of potatoes and served over steamed cabbage. This Slovak speciality is topped with spring and roasted onion.

Plnená Paprika is a traditional Slovakian food consisting of stuffed peppers, originally from Hungary. The filling is commonly cooked rice mixed with ground beef in tomato sauce.

Zemiakové placky are pancakes made of potatoes. They are excellent for dipping in soup or as a side dish to various main courses. They are made with grated potato, flour, and egg, then fried in high-quality oil and garlic. The pancakes are gooey on the inside but crunchy on the outside.

These rich Slovak biscuits are different from the popular type of bread in Central Europe called pogača. These biscuits are made from leavened dough with ground crackling, but you can also find them with cheese, potatoes, or cabbage. They pair well with sour milk and make for a quick, delicious Slovakian meal that is both great to eat on the go, or at home.

Vyprážaný sýr or deep-fried cheese is hugely popular street food. A thick slab of Emmenthal or Edam cheese is breaded with breadcrumbs, flour, and egg, and then deep-fried. It is usually served with French fries, potatoes, sliced vegetables, or a dab of tartar sauce. This dish is a perfect example of how simple yet delicious Slovakian food so often is.

Laskonky are traditional Slovak cookies. Each cookie consists of two meringues and a buttercream filling in between. Coconut and ground walnuts are often added to the meringue mixture. The meringue is then baked into thin, oval cookie bases. Laskonky are usually enjoyed with a cup of coffee and they are for sure one of my favourite treats.

Slovenske palacinky are thin crêpes with all sorts of lovely fillings. They melt in your mouth when served warm and layered with home-made apricot jam. Strawberry jam, hazelnut spread, powdered sugar and cinnamon are other popular accompaniments. It’s the perfect way to end a meal.

Funnel cakes are amazing in winter, served warm at a Christmas market with a mug of mulled wine. The sugar and cinnamon melt delicately in your mouth, and the cake gives you the energy you need to spend hours exploring. But Slovaks have recently adapted the funnel cake to include a summer variety – one that is served with vanilla ice cream stuffed inside. Now you can enjoy this traditional Slovak dessert year-round!

The strudel roll in Slovakia was introduced during the Austro-Hungarian empire. Today is a typical Slovak dessert that is often stuffed with baked apples and cinnamon, or poppy, and is always covered with icing sugar. I like to eat my Maková štrúdľa in the winter with a warm cup of tea.

The Slivkové Knedle are dumplings made with boiled potatoes, flour, egg and salt, stuffed with fresh plums and shaped into balls. The Slivkové Knedle are boiled and then usually served with melted butter and breadcrumbs.