At the Table with the Slavs by Edi Berk

Janez Bogataj

At the Table with the Slavs C E L E B R AT I N G A W E A LT H OF FLAVOURFUL TRADITIONS

Janez Bogataj

At the Table With the Slavs CELEBRATING A WEALTH OF FLAVOURFUL TRADITIONS

Published by Forum of Slavic Cultures For the publisher Andreja Rihter, MA Editor Andreja Rihter, MA Editorial Board Prof. Janez Bogataj, PhD Andreja Rihter, MA Tina Huremovič Texts Prof. Janez Bogataj, PhD Art Direction and Design Edi Berk / KROG Photography Tomo Jeseničnik Cooking and food styling Jezeršek Culinary House Translation Andreja Šalamon Verbič Copy Editor Jeff Bickert / ARK Print Schwarz print, d.o.o. 1st Edition Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2015 We would like to express our gratitude to embassies of all Slavic countries, Slovene Ethnographic Museum, individuals and everyone else who offered their support and assistance in this project.

CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 641.56(=16)(083.12) BOGATAJ, Janez, 1947At the table with the Slavs : celebrating a wealth of flavourful traditions / Janez Bogataj ; [photography Tomo Jeseničnik ; translation Andreja Šalamon Verbič]. - 1st ed. - Ljubljana : Forum of Slavic Cultures, 2015 ISBN 978-961-92433-7-4 (Forum of Slavic Cultures) 279731200

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Editorial Foreword A wealth of flavours on Slavic tables Belarus Haladnik / Cold Soup Haladnik Draniki / Potato Pancakes Kisel / Kissel

Bosnia and Herzegovina Japrak / Stuffed Vine Leaves Bosanski lonac / Bosnian Pot Stew Tufahija / Walnut-Stuffed Poached Apples

Bulgaria Shopska Salad Kapama / Meat and Sauerkraut Casserole Garash Cake

Croatia Lička juha / Lika-Style Sour Stew Dalmatinska pašticada s njokima / Dalmatian Stew with Gnocchi Imotska torta / Imotski Cake

Czech Republic Dršt´ková polévka / Tripe Soup Svíčková neboli hovězí pečeně “nazajícovo” / Beef Tenderloin in Cream Sauce “a la Chasse” Švestkové knedliky / Plum Dumplings

Macedonia Spinach and Cheese Pie, Pindjur / Pepper Relish, Peppers Stuffed with White Cheese Vine Leaf Sarma, Drob sarma / Lamb Liver with Rice Date Cake

Montenegro Bokeljski brodet / Boka Kotorska Fish Stew Cicvara na kajmaku / Creamy Cornmeal with Kajmak, Kaštradina with Raštan / Cured Mutton with Sea Kale Peraška torta / Perast Cake

Poland Żurek / Polish Sour Rye Soup Pike à la Polonaise Mazurek / Polish Easter Cake

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Russia Šči / Russian Sauerkraut Soup Beef Stroganoff Syrniki / Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Serbia Jagnjeća čorba / Lamb Stew Ćevapi / Meat Rolls, Pleskavica / Meat Patty, Leskovačka mućkalica / Pork and Pepper Stew Slatko od šljiva / Plum Preserve

Slovakia Bryndzové halušky / Potato Dumplings with Bryndza Sheep Cheese and Bacon Pečená hus, lokše, dusená kapusta / Roast Goose, Potato Pancakes, Braised Red Cabbage Šarišské pirohy / Filled Dumplings

Slovenia Štruklji / Rolled Dumplings: Cottage Cheese, Apple, Buckwheat and Walnut Filling Pražen krompir / Sautéed Potatoes, Kranjska klobasa / Carniolan Sausage Pehtranova potica / Tarragon Potica “Pehtranka”

Ukraine Ukrainian Borscht Vareniki / Filled Dumplings Pampuški / Pampushky Christmas Doughnuts Join the Slavs in their finest culinary events Sources and Literature

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Editorial Food has always played an integral role in our lives, culture and heritage, accompanying us everywhere, on every occasion, since time immemorial. It is with us every day of the week and on every special day, it is there when we plan our day in the morning or look back on it in the evening, when we celebrate birth or mourn death, when we share our joys and sorrows, pride and gratitude, love and triumphs. One of the most powerful drivers of our lives, food (kindly) forces us to stop and take a breath when we need a pick-me-up before we continue each on our own way. It is a unique and both intimate and collective bond, tying us closely to our family and loved ones, to our worlds. It opens the doors to our hearts in a very Proustian manner, continuously evoking those pleasant warm feelings of comfort that we once felt in the kitchens of our childhood. In the words of American author Michael Pollan: “Culture, when it comes to food, is of course only a fancy word for your mum.” A decade ago, when we were founding the Forum of Slavic Cultures with the ambition to learn more about and bring together the heritage and creativity passed on to us by the Slavic cultures, the efforts that were once paralysed by conflicts and divided through political history, we made it both our vision and our mission to take on collaborative projects that would succeed in bringing together all Slavic countries while weaving a web of deep, committed friendships between them. And since friendships are best nurtured at the table with good food and drink, and because eating habits and culinary traditions form an integral part of the tangible and intangible heritage of any nation, we came up with the idea of presenting Slavic cuisines on tables laden with Slavic delicacies. We were therefore all too happy to embark on a journey through intimate and collective cooking stories, learning along the way how much some Slavic cuisines have in common on the one hand and how many worlds separate them on the other. We were impressed by the delicious fusion of the Mediterranean and Alpine cuisines. We were excited to see how the sea and the mountains meet in Montenegrin cuisine and how healthy the combinations offered by Bulgarian cooking are. The Bosnian and Herzegovinian staples never cease to enchant us, just as we were fascinated to learn about the common roots of Polish, Belarusian and Lithuanian cuisines. Getting to know each other we learned that to really know and understand a culture you should also be able to taste it. This is especially true for us Slavs, peoples connected through our languages, which are both a whisper and homage to flavours and creations showcased on the table.

So here it is – a book with recipes of the most characteristic and delectable dishes from all Slavic countries. It is a world debut with which the Forum of Slavic Cultures takes the first step in bringing Slavic culinary traditions out of anonymity and to gaining broader recognition for our dishes, and for a life that is governed by seasons and in harmony with nature. The book is also a step towards a more active and comprehensive presentation of Slavic dishes that will soon be yours to enjoy in our open-air tastings. In addition, the book serves as a tribute to the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, an organisation that has, particularly over the past decade, paid particular attention to the safeguarding of the world’s intangible cultural heritage. Dear friends, the Slavs have more in common than we tend to think. We know each other for the flavours offered by our lands, for the curves of our rivers and the melodies, words and verses of our greatest authors. Here before you are 39 recipes from Slavic cuisines, with which we should get to know each other even better! While we ourselves write our own recipes for life, let’s try to get to know each other also through food, by tasting different dishes out in the open air, gathered at the table or under the linden tree like we once used to do. At the Forum of Slavic Cultures we are happy to give voice to the impulses that innervate the creativity of Slavic cultures and build inter-cultural dialogue that fosters mutual understanding of our cultural diversity and likeness. The book is the result of collaboration with many partners, authors and all 13 embassies of Slavic countries in Slovenia, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their support and assistance. I hope this will serve as opportunity for the various others and the different who have been our neighbours and companions throughout the development of European history to learn more about us as well.

Andreja Rihter, MA Director of the International Foundation Forum of Slavic Cultures

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Foreword In 2010, we created a special category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for cookbooks from Eastern Europe. Their increasing appeal and quality had been noticeable for several years. In the past 5 years, all Best in the World books in this category have been inspired by the same cookery as the one in your hands. Professor Bogataj has won twice and it seems only right that he should be the one to undertake this exciting effort of bringing together the best from many diverse countries, united by a common love for their own gastronomy. As the Chinese say “Same, same, but different”. Most countries are becoming aware that food is part of both their national identity and international image. This has brought about new respect for food and local products, marked by a return to local foods with new twists. It is cookbooks that have saved the recipes from the past from quick oblivion. Their key role is to transmit the intangible heritage of humanity from one generation to another, as recognized by UNESCO. It is very important for families to pass their traditional recipes on to their children and cookbooks can be of great help. It is also very important for a balanced local economy to help keep local foods alive, employing the knowledge of the workers who grow and process these foods. Pride and respect for traditional and local recipes has been growing all around the world. For instance, it is a relatively new fact that university professors now study food recipes of their countries and publish their food books with University Press. It is a world-wide effort, evident in the fact that over 120 universities around the world published such books in 2014. In the US, over 40 universities publish culinary books, led by the University of California and Columbia University in New York. In the UK, the leader is Oxford University. In France, this ambition brought together five universities, including Sorbonne and Rennes while in Asia, there are too many to mention. Makarere University of Uganda has taken the lead in Africa, and in Latin America it is the University of San Marin de Porres in Lima, Peru, that has taken this role. The emerging respect for food studies is clearly genuine. In China, they have even created a new word for these scholarly studies; the term “eatology” was coined by Liu Guang Wei of the East Eat Institute.

Besides its cultural and social value, the key engine of the whole cookbook sector today is tourism. A recent Australian Study of 2013 published on the “Restaurant Australia” website showed that food and wine are the first positive factors important for international tourists, following the negative criteria of security and cost. Food and wine stand at 38% in importance, compared to 25% in a similar study conducted fifteen years ago. Food and wine are perceived as the first motivation for 30% of the tourists who come to France. Tourism is a key part of the economy in many countries. International tourism is expected to have a strong potential in the future in the countries presented in this book. English, German and French translations ofthis book should be made widely available for tourists in Eastern Europe as they would make a wonderful souvenir. The book can also be distributed to other parts of the world through both the Internet and bookstores. The large Slavic diaspora around the world will love this book and many tourists would benefit from it when they prepare for their travels. At the Frankfurt Book Fair food and wine books are second only to tourism books and even share the same hall. This clearly shows how important culinary travel has become, for the public, for the economy and, last but not least, for our common intangible heritage, something that belongs to all of us. This is undoubtedly an important book, a milestone showcasing that which unites us, to be shared between countries and generations, in space and time. Sincere thanks to the team that has created such a masterpiece.

Edouard Cointreau Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, President and Founder

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A wealth of flavours on Slavic tables Slavs! The name surely does not evoke thoughts or visions of a gastronomic or culinary culture that would be somehow uniform and recognisable, bringing Slavic nations and peoples together under a comprehensive (and tasty) cultural umbrella. The French, Italian and Spanish, as well as the wider Mediterranean and Asian cuisines have already long established themselves, leaving their mark on the development of culinary art and techniques, and above all, on a fascinating and hugely diverse palette of flavours. Global efforts in gastronomy today are largely focused on discovering, exploring, preserving and enhancing the flavours of local and regional cultures, which is seen as an important part in our quest for sustainable and nature-friendly development. These global trends have enabled many previously exotic, sometimes lesser-known cuisines to have an equal say at the international table of flavours. These include Slavic cuisines, ones that showcase an amazing range of fascinating diversity. Turbulent histories and centuries-old crossroads with Germanic, Romanian, Finno-Ugric and Asian cultures, territorial contact with Mediterranean, Central and Northern Europe and Asia as well as a more recent acceptance of global food and dietary trends have all played a part in the shaping of Slavic cuisines as they are known today. Instead of a single Slavic cuisine we can, therefore, talk about Slavic cuisines, each of them a unique entity, which is hardly surprising as according to some researchers the Slavs’ food culture was not uniform even in their “original homeland” to begin with. Cultural differences in food cultures grew through the invasion of new territories, and the cultural unity that supposedly ruled the period of Kievian culture in the 3rd and 4th centuries was never to be regained. Slavs, a linguistically and ethnically related group of peoples, have always been and continue to be important players in the shaping of European cultures. Their Balto-Slavic ancestors inhabited the territory of present Belarus, southwestern Russia and northern Ukraine. The people who could conditionally be given the historic name of Veneti moved to the southern part of that territory towards the end of the 3rd century BC, from the territory known today as Poland, merging with the Balto-Slavic and other peoples. These were the origins of the Slavs, the eastern neighbours of the Germanic tribes. This was followed by numerous migrations in the 1st century AD, but the main wave took place a little later and in three directions, which subsequently led to the formation of three groups of Slavic languages: South Slavic (Old Church Slavonic, Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Macedonian, Bulgarian), West Slavic (Czech, Slovak, Upper and Lower Sorbian, Polish, Kashubian, and the already extinct Slovincian and Polabian) and East Slavic (Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian). The Slavs lived under Gothic domination in the 4th century, then migrated southand westwards until the 9th century, and later also to the north and east. In the process they assimilated Finno-Ugric, Baltic, Turkish, Mongolian and Tungus peoples as well as a part of the population of the former Roman Empire. The

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period between the 7th and 9th centuries saw the formation of the first Slavic states. Their turbulent political and cultural development was largely influenced by the Western European civilisations, the Russian Orthodox Church and Turkish Islamic influences in southeastern Europe. The South Slavs pressed westward, reaching the Eastern Alps and the Bay of Trieste, Pannonia and the Balkan Peninsula. The Eastern Slavs came as far as Lake Ladoga, the Volga and Kama Rivers and the Black Sea, while the Western Slavs bumped into the Germanic peoples and into the Balts and Finno-Ugric peoples in the north. The Southern Slavs assimilated the neighbouring Antes, Bulgarians and Croatians and other indigenous peoples into their territories. In the territory of the eastern Alps and western Pannonia they successfully mingled with Western Slavs until they encountered the Hungarians in the 9th and 10th centuries. Today, the Slavs include (by numbers) Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Czechs, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Serbs, Croats, Slovaks, Bosniaks, Slovenians, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Sorbs and Kashubians, and are the majority population in 12 European countries. In addition to the natural environment and climatic differences their gastronomy was heavily influenced also by the different religions practiced by the Slavs. Most of the Slavs are Orthodox Christians, followed by Catholics, Greek Catholics and Muslims. Slavs should actually be considered among the luckiest in the world, as their territories offer, cumulatively, almost all of the foodstuffs typical for Europe and beyond. The “ancient” Slavs already grew rye, barley, millet and wheat. Cereals and subsequent flour-based and other foods remain staples common to all Slavic cuisines to this day. Bread represents more than just sustenance, it is imbued with ritual significance and function. Similar names for certain types of bread and other dishes show that although cooking methods and recipes changed through the migration of the Slavs, their names were nevertheless preserved. The same trends are known at the micro level, in Slovenian culinary heritage for example, where we have several different names for one and the same dish on the one hand, and several different dishes prepared under the same or a similar name on the other. Kravaja or kravajca, for example, which in some regions means sacrificial bread, is known from Slovenian sources as the name for droži that was used as a sourdough starter before brewer’s yeast was widely used for leavening purpose. Most of the old names and archaic cooking methods were preserved for ritual dishes prepared for different festivities as they are recognised as a prerequisite to maintaining the structure and process of traditional rituals. These incorporate a variety of kashas, kolivo (cooked wheat grains), tolokno or tlakno (scalded and dried oats), various gruels (močnik), unleavened flatbreads (mlinci), presneci, pirogi, hlebi and kolači, a host of various pogače (layered cakes, pies) and meat dishes such as klobase (sausages, a younger version of kasha blood sausage), slanina (bacon), smoked (pork, sheep or goat) meat and different

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brawns (tlačenke). One should not overlook the myriad meat, vegetable and mixed stews that evolved later as a result of contact with Asia. Soups are thought to be historically younger, and established themselves relatively late as a part of European daily nutrition. A special variation on soup is kiselica, fermented flour, oatmeal or barley flakes. Known in virtually every Slavic country it is considered to be a staple in the food culture of the “original” homeland of the Slavs. One such variety of this soup is kvas, still a very popular beverage with Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. Pasta (especially various stuffed doughy pockets) remains highly popular, especially in the wider cereal-growing region of the Danube, from where it spread to other Slavic countries. This testifies to the Slavic origins of pasta rather than to the influence of Mediterranean or Italian cuisines, and the same can be said for dumplings with various sweet and savoury fillings. Typical and authentic Slavic dishes feature a number of vegetable dishes and dishes made from root vegetables and legumes. Centre stage in this context goes to the cabbage and the turnip. Wild and cultivated fruits are also important in Slavic cooking. Butter, olive oil and other oils are used as dressings and for other purposes. Bacon and a variety of herbs serve as tasty seasonings. The wide variety of herbs and seasonings is largely attributed to historic contacts with merchants who brought oriental herbs and spices from faraway lands. Lamb and pork are the most characteristic meats, especially because of the wide range of treats many peoples still make on the occasion of the slaughter of a pig (pork lard, zaseka or minced lard, bacon, stuffed and conserved stomach or bladder and other meat products). In the past pig slaughter played a vital technological as well as social role, bringing together people from different local environments into a ritual and culinary union. The processing of pork and other meats and combinations with other foodstuffs still showcases a treasure trove of knowledge and skills par excellence and continues to draw huge attention from the gastronomic community, both in terms of sustainable natural development and closed technological and biological cycles. Cattle production is hardly insignificant, with milk and dairy products playing a major role in the eating habits of the Slavs – and not only those made from cow’s milk, but also from sheep, goat and mare’s milk. The processing of milk into dairy products in Slavic lands was developed by shepherds tending flocks in high mountain areas. The Slavs adopted many skills from the indigenous people of the Eastern Alps, as well as the Tatra and Carpathian Mountains during the time of Wallachian colonisation. Slavic lands are in contact with the sea, both in the north and the south. Fish and seafood therefore serve as a healthy alternative to the more meat-oriented eating habits practiced by much of the world today. Close contact with the Mediterranean world, with its diverse and hugely influential culinary heritage, and widely known as the Mediterranean diet, is an added value.

Another economic activity that marks most of the Slavic countries and characterises some of their dishes is beekeeping and honey production. Honey was one of the first sweeteners and many dishes evolved into sweets thanks to this special ingredient. Honey has always had and continues to play an important role in some ritual dishes. It is gaining importance also as we increasingly turn to healthier ways of preparing often traditional sweets and deserts. The Slavs, however, have more to show than just a colourful palette of dishes. Their beverages have a story all their own. Natural mineral water, fruit juices and wild fruit drinks answer the quest for a healthy diet. Fruit, cereals and grapevines provide all that is necessary to make alcoholic beverages. An exciting variety of fruit brandies and liqueurs from honey and forest fruit, together with wine and vodka production, largely complete the colourful picture of Slavic gastronomic culture. The initiative for this book on the wealth and diversity of flavours handed on to us by the Slavic cultures came from the Forum of Slavic Cultures. The Forum is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation established in 2004 at the initiative of the Slavic cultural community. The founding members of the Forum were Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Slovenia, which were soon joined by Belarus, Slovakia and Ukraine, with the Czech Republic as an observer country. All these countries shape the flavour and content of this book, which does not, however, present Sorbs and Kashubians as separate entities. The first are a Western Slavic ethnic community from Lusatia, a region between Germany and Poland. Kashubians are a Western Slavic ethnic group as well and live mainly in Poland, in Pomerania. The book therefore offers an overview and insight into the food culture of 300 million Slavs. As it is the first of its kind in the world to present, one by one, Slavic cuisines in a single book, we decided to choose for each country three of the most popular dishes that serve to represent its most characteristic features. We consulted the embassies of all represented countries in the Republic of Slovenia. Their staff confirmed our selections and offered many useful comments and guidelines once they had considered all of the sumptuous flavours of the dishes collected in this book. The Forum of Slavic Cultures aspires to build dialogue, between all Slavs, and to promote the various and variously different aspects of Slavic culture and creativity everywhere. While we still have to learn a lot about each other’s culinary traditions, there is still much more to be shown to the world from this great body of culinary diversity and richness. Gastronomic cultures play an important part in reflecting and shaping our aspirations, knowledge and skills, and serve as a window on the economy, social relationships and spiritual creativity of individuals, families and markets as well as villages, towns, cities, even entire countries. As the old saying goes: One should eat to live, not live to eat!

Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Macedonia Montenegro Poland Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Ukraine

Wooden salt cellar with straw marquetry inlay, praising salt as food seasoning.

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Belarus The cuisine of Belarus has a lot in common with Polish and Lithuanian cooking traditions, but has been influenced also by other Baltic, Slavic as well as Jewish and Germanic cuisines. Another strong influence were the Lithuanian (Lipka) Tatars, whose cooking relied heavily on flat breads and pies with different fillings, mutton and vegetable dishes. A blend of so many different traditions, Belarusian cuisine is one of the most diverse in the region, but offers, despite similarities with other cooking traditions, a variety of original dishes. Historically, different trends could be observed in Belarusian cuisine, with each social class developing its own gastronomic tradition. Like the Polish elite, the nobility borrowed heavily from Italian, Germanic and French cuisines. Some of these borrowed dishes such as lazanki and grated potatoes were later adopted throughout society. The first dish is a spin on Italian lasagne with meat stew, while the other is a direct descendant of authentic German cuisine. A number of potato dishes such as potato babka were introduced to Belarus by the Jews in the late 18th and early 19th century . Potato is an absolute staple in Belarus, which ranks eighth among the world’s potato producing countries. Prepared in countless ways it is estimated to be the main ingredient in more than 300 dishes, such as the popular potato pancakes known as draniki. Belarusian cuisine saw some interesting developments in the 20th century too, especially after World War II, when the communist Soviet ideology attempted to translate a flourishing national culture into culinary art. These efforts, however, leaned mainly on the reconstruction of the food heritage left behind by the poor peasantry in the second half of the 19th century, when the rural lifestyle was already on the wane; on the other hand, however, they wanted to create a new Belarusian cuisine literally from scratch, indifferent to the centuries of culinary tradition through which it had developed. It was not until the country’s independence at the beginning of the 1990s when these lost traditions were embraced again. Belarusian cuisine today is much more than potato dishes. It reflects active agriculture and considerable influences from its neighbouring countries. Dishes are served with plenty of vegetables, especially beetroot, as well as cereals, berries and mushrooms. A typical menu features pork, beef and chicken meat, a variety of sausages and freshwater fish (tench, sturgeon, pike, eel, trout, perch, carp and similar). Pig’s blood and buckwheat groats are used to make kiška or kryvyanka sausages. Other meat products made

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on the occasion of the slaughter of a pig include round sausages stuffed with minced pork and spices called škalondza or kindziuk. Very popular are stuffed chicken, meat and cabbage pie and meat patties. Also popular are kalduni dumplings filled with minced meat known as pelmeni in Russia. A special delicacy is pauguski, smoked goose breast, known also from Lithuanian cuisine. The most characteristic Belarusian soup is haladnik, a refreshing cold summer soup made from beetroot. The old name for traditional Belarusian soups was poliuka, but they are known also as kapusta (cabbage soup), buraki (beet soup) and gryzhanka (swede soup), depending on the type of vegetable used as the main ingredient. For a typical poliuka fish or mushrooms are first boiled with spices and then barley or millet are added to the stock. They also make black poliuka, a soup similar to the Swedish svartsoppa, which is made with goose or pig’s blood. Like neighbouring Russia and Ukraine they also make meat soup with beetroot and cabbage or borscht and shchi (šči) with sauerkraut or fresh cabbage. Vodka is the drink of choice in Belarus, where it is called harelka, while the main non-alcoholic beverage is the traditional tasty kvass, a fermented drink made of bread and cereals. Another staple is kompot (compote), made with boiled berries and other fruit.

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Haladnik / Cold Soup Haladnik INGREDIENTS

80 g washed dock or sorrel 1 boiled beetroot 100-150 g chopped fresh cucumbers 50-100 g onion a small bunch of spring leeks or shallots 2 eggs Â˝ tsp apple cider vinegar salt, sugar and sour cream to taste finely chopped dill

DIRECTIONS

Cut the dock or sorrel a half centimetre thick, cover with water and quickly boil for 1 minute. Drain and save the dock/sorrel water.

Finely grate cooked beetroot and cover with 1 litre of cold water. Add chopped cucumbers, chopped onion, sorrel and sorrel water.

Chop the leek or shallot, salt lightly and add to the beetroot and sorrel mixture.

Season with salt, sugar, sour cream and apple cider vinegar. Mix everything well.

Add (whisk in) diced hard boiled eggs or, alternatively, place an egg half on each plate.

Add a tablespoon of sour cream if desired and sprinkle with finely chopped dill.

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Draniki / Potato Pancakes INGREDIENTS

10-12 potatoes 2-3 eggs 3-4 tbsp flour 1 onion oil, butter, lard or bacon salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

Grate (shred) potatoes and onion, drain potato juice.

Beat the eggs and mix everything with flour and sour cream to create a porridge-like mixture.

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Salt to taste.

Serve the potato pancakes or draniki with sour cream or with a thick sausage soup (“machanka”).

Heat a skillet and add oil, butter, bacon or lard. Pour some of the potato mixture into the hot skillet and brown on one side. Flip over and cook on the other side.

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Kisel / Kissel INGREDIENTS

350 g washed strawberries, sliced in half (a mixture of raspberries and blackberries also works well) 2-4 tbsp sugar 250 ml water 3 tbsp corn starch

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, process strawberries and half of the water into a smooth sauce.

Press the strawberry sauce through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.

Transfer the sauce into a saucepan and add sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add starch to the remaining water and stir well. Slowly add starch to the sauce while stirring. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Pour into wide glasses and cool well. Serve with sweet cottage cheese or with semolina pudding.

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Imotska torta / Imotski Cake INGREDIENTS

Dough 200 g plain white flour 140 g butter 60 g sugar 1 egg yolk or 1 small egg

DIRECTIONS

Mix the ingredients to make the dough and roll it out thinly. Place the dough on the bottom and around the sides of the cake pan.

Roll out the remaining dough into a thin slice and cut into strips about 1 cm wide.

For the filling beat the eggs with sugar until fluffy, add ground almonds, maraschino, lemon zest and vanilla sugar. Mix everything well and pour on the dough in the cake tin.

Arrange the dough strips on top of the filling into a lattice. Decorate each intersection with a blanched almond.

Heat the oven to 200Â°C. Bake the cake for about 45-50 minutes. Cover the cake with parchment paper if it starts to brown too quickly on top.

When the cake is done open the oven and leave the cake inside to cool.

Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Filling 5 medium eggs 250 g sugar 300 g ground almonds 35 ml maraschino lemon zest 1 sachet vanilla sugar icing sugar to dust

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Svíčková neboli hovězí pečeně “nazajícovo” / Beef Tenderloin in Cream Sauce “a la Chasse” INGREDIENTS

1 kg beef tenderloin 80 g bacon salt lemon juice 4 tbsp lard 120 g root vegetables (carrots, celeriac, parsnip) 1-2 onions a few black pepper corns some seasoning blend a few juniper berries ground ginger thyme 5 tbsp lard white flour (stock) 500 ml sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Make several cuts into the meat and insert bacon, salt and cover with an adequate amount of lemon juice.

Melt 4 tablespoons of lard and pour over the meat.

Slice the vegetables and place in a fireproof dish under the meat. Season with pepper grains, seasoning blend, juniper berries, ginger and thyme. Cover and leave in a cool place for three days.

Remove the meat after three days. Melt 5 tablespoons of lard in a fireproof dish or baking pan and sear the meat on all sides. Add the vegetables and cook until golden, add water, cover and braise on low heat. Remove the lid when the meat starts to soften, but continue to add water.

Remove the meat when completely soft. Bring the gravy to a boil and whisk in flour until thick. Dilute with hot water or stock and cook briefly.

When the sauce is ready, whisk until it is smooth, add sour cream, cook briefly again and taste. The creamy sauce you have made should be a slightly more seasoned version of the regular sauce.

Serve the sauce with sliced roast meat and a side of bread dumplings and cranberry sauce.

Preparation time: 2 hours, and 3 days to marinate the meat.

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Švestkové knedliky / Plum Dumplings INGREDIENTS

400 g potatoes 2 eggs 200 g of white flour (half strong and half plain) 30 g butter (optional) salt 400 g plums 1 pot (200 g) sour cream 60-80 g melted butter ground poppy seeds icing sugar to dust

DIRECTIONS

Boil the potatoes and peel immediately, then leave to cool completely. Ideally, potatoes should be cooked a day before you make the dough and dumplings.

Shred or rice the cold potatoes, add eggs, a pinch of salt and flour. If you wish you can add butter to the dough. The amount of flour will vary, depending on the moisture in your potatoes. Knead into a firm but soft dough.

Wash and pit the plums. Apples, pears or other fruit can be substituted for the plums.

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Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Put the dumplings into boiling water. They are done when they start to float to the surface. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

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Dress with melted butter.

Form half-centimetre-thick discs of dough about the size of your palm, lay one plum on each piece and shape into dumplings. Alternatively, roll out the dough to the same thickness and cut into rounds about the size of your palm.

Whisk sour cream with ground poppy seeds and icing sugar and pour over the dumplings.

Plum dumplings are traditionally made with yeast dough, but today potato dough is used more frequently.

The food offered on Macedonian tables is showcased in a variety of copper dishes boasting a sophisticated serving culture and quality craftsmanship.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S

Macedonia Macedonians certainly know how to enjoy their food. They have turned eating into a special ritual and Macedonia into a land of full flavours and aromas. The country’s warm climate is the result of the Mediterranean currents flowing through the country via river valleys. The land, with its fertile soil and a wealth of sunny days (up to 280 per year) makes Macedonia rich in fruit and vegetables, mountain herbs, lake and river fish, rice, mutton, veal, pork and poultry, milk and dairy products, game, grapes, walnuts, chestnuts, almonds and last, but not least, tobacco. Production of premium quality fruit and vegetables is especially important. Tomatoes and peppers stand out as the basis for various flavourful salads. Every lunch starts with a salad and vegetable snacks known under the popular name of meze. These are served with an aperitif such as plum or grape brandy and mastika with water. But the main meal in Macedonia is unequivocally dinner. Spices play a major role in Macedonian cuisine, with dried and finely ground paprika taking central stage. Sweet or hot, red pepper is the most popular vegetable in Macedonia. Special, more or less spicy vegetable cheese and rice delicacies with peppers and eggplant include ajvar (specially selected, roasted, peeled and preserved red peppers), pindjur (roasted peppers, eggplants, tomatoes and garlic), lutenica (preserved hot peppers and tomatoes), makalo (an old Macedonian dish of dried peppers, potatoes and garlic), malidzano (puréed eggplants with walnuts and white cheese), tarator (sour sheep milk with cucumbers and spices), turšija (various pickled vegetables) and more. White beans grown in Macedonia are delicious, especially when prepared as the delectable gravče na tavče, a dish so good that some gourmets compare it with truffles, oysters and caviar. Other traditional specialties are turli-tava (a stew of meat and vegetables of Turkish origin; the name means mixed (turli) pottery dish (tava), čomlek (slowly braised pork with small whole onions), stuffed peppers, Ohrid and Pelister trout, pastrmajlija (bread pie topped with dry meat, usually sheep or goat), kapama (meat and vegetable stew with spinach or cabbage), šketo (fried lamb with parsley and peppers), musaka (casseroles with vegetable, cheese and meat layers), vine leaf sarma rolls (stuffed with different fillings), tava (a rice dish), and the list goes on. Tasty soups and stews form a special culinary group, prepared in endless combinations of vegetables and meat, some even with egg yolk and yoghurt.

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Macedonia also offers premium quality lamb, veal and poultry, but there is also room for game. Cheese production is widespread, with fresh white brined cheese and yellow kačkavalj the most typical representatives, known also from other Balkan countries. Almost every village in Macedonia offers its own variety of cheese, each with its own special characteristic taste. Milk, kajmak and yoghurt are incorporated into many dishes. Also popular are savoury round breads, Macedonian pies and zeljanicas topped with cheese, spinach, leek, zucchini and similar. Desserts showcase their Oriental origins with sweets like ravanija, kadaif, tulumba, baklava, padobranci and date cakes, to name but a few. Macedonia’s culinary diversity also extends to its brandies and aromatic mastika (seasoned with the aromatic resin mastic). The most popular strumička mastika from the Strumica region has a long tradition stretching back more than 300 years. Macedonia is divided into three wine-growing regions: the Vardar region (Povardarje), the Pčinja – Osogovo region, and the Pelagonija – Polog region, along with 16 wine districts. The most widely grown quality grape varieties are vranec, kratošija, kavadarka, prokupec, belan, semilon, smederevka, temjanika, žilavka and stanušina. The latter is indigenous to Macedonia and is grown mainly in the Tikveš region. St. Trifun, the patron saint of wine and winemaking, is celebrated on February 14th, when growers start pruning their vines and throw a party to usher in a new season with a feast.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S â&#x20AC;˘ M A C E D O N I A

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Spinach and Cheese Pie INGREDIENTS

800 g phyllo dough 300 g spinach 500 g white brined cheese 5 eggs 100 ml sour cream oil milk salt

DIRECTIONS

Wash the spinach, boil briefly and drain well. Finely chop.

Add beaten eggs and crumbled cheese, sour cream, salt and stir.

Grease a baking dish (clay or ceramic are best, but you can use a metal baking pan as well), cover with a layer of dough, brush (splash) with oil and cover with the filling. Repeat until you have used all the layers of dough and all of the filling. Place the last layer of dough on the top, splash with oil and follow with a splash of milk.

Bake the pie at 200Ë&#x161;C for half an hour. Serve alone or with yogurt.

Pindjur / Pepper Relish

Peppers Stuffed with White Cheese

INGREDIENTS

1 kg “bull’s horn” peppers (red and/or green) 200 ml olive oil 10 cloves garlic 700 g tomatoes a pinch of salt chopped parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

Bake peppers and tomatoes in the oven and cool. Peel and remove the seeds.

In a wooden mortar pound salt and garlic with a wooden pestle until a smooth paste forms (you can use a different wooden dish and the wooden part of the meat mallet instead).

8 green peppers (“bull’s horn” are best) 500 g unsalted fresh sheep cheese 3 eggs 20 g kajmak} (salty clotted cream) oil, salt white flour paprika

Add peppers and pound them with the pestle as well, one after another.

Repeat the same procedure for the tomatoes. Pour hot oil over the paste and stir well.

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Salt to taste and add parsley, if desired.

For a spicier pindjur add a few fresh or roasted chopped chilli peppers. Pindjur can also be prepared with roasted eggplants pounded with a pestle and added to the other ingredients listed in the recipe.

Put the pindjur into sterilised jars and seal well.

DIRECTIONS

To make the filling crumble sheep’s cheese, add two egg yolks, paprika and kajmak.

Lightly roast the peppers, peel off the skin, remove the seeds and stuff with the filling.

Roll stuffed peppers in flour, dip in beaten eggs and fry in oil. Serve warm with sour milk or yoghurt.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Buckaloâ&#x20AC;? for kajmak (fresh cheese from clotted cow or sheep milk cream) is a traditional kitchen utensil known in many regions across Europe and beyond as a butter churn.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S

Montenegro The Adriatic on the one side and the continent on the other definitively shape the character of Montenegrin gastronomy. Situated virtually at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea as part of the larger Mediterranean, the country with its rugged mountains and rich valleys in the hinterland offers myriad culinary delights, where Mediterranean elements blend with Central and Eastern European influences, completed with a touch of the Turkish cooking tradition. Montenegrin cuisine offers delicacies like njeguški pršut (Njegoš smoked ham), plevaljski sir (cow cheese from Plevlja), and kačkavalj cheese made from sheep milk, cow milk or both. Njeguški pršut is the culinary contribution of the village of Njeguši at the crossroads of the Mediterranean and continental climates, where this marvellous smoked ham is still made the traditional way. The process starts in November, when temperatures drop below 10˚C. Pork hams of 8 to 12 kg are first cut, salted and pressed to drain out the juices and flatten the hams. For the next 30 to 40 days the hams will be smoked at 12-16˚C over beech wood fires, depending on air temperature and humidity (constantly when it is humid, otherwise only several hours a day). After that they are hung and left to mature in a well-aired dark room for at least 5-6 months, but the best hams come out only after a full 10 to 12 months – and about 30 to 35% lighter. The delicious Njegoš ham is frequently served with grape brandy and dried local cheese (njeguški suvi sir). Mushrooms, dried fish and fried dough or priganice are served as starters. Priganice are fritters served with honey, figs and grape brandy. The northern part of the country is known for roasted and cooked lamb. Lamb is also cooked in milk and is a true delicacy, special to Montenegro and prepared for festive occasions. A 2-kg-piece seasoned with spices and cooked with potato usually serves eight people. Veal is also popular, especially in the form of podgorički popeci, rolled veal steaks stuffed with cheese or aged kajmak (clotted cream) and slices of smoked ham, dipped in flour and egg (and breadcrumbs) and fried. Other staples include creamy cornmeal (cicvara) with kajmak and boiled potatoes with kajmak and cheese. Kačamak is a hearty porridge-like meal prepared from wheat, buckwheat, barley or corn flour and served with cheese and sour milk. A finer and heartier version of this dish is smočani kačamak (fatty hominy), to which they add kajmak while stirring constantly with a special, long wooden spoon. This version is bursting with calories and village people prefer it when there is hard

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work to be done, as it provides them with a full day’s sustenance; Kačamak is also served in many restaurants. The most typical dishes are prepared with cooked fresh or cured mutton (kuvana kaštradina) in central Montenegro and Montenegrin Littoral, with fish and seafood on the coast and with fresh or smoked carp from Lake Skadar in the Skadar region. Bokelj fish stew (bokeljski brodet) is a traditional dish served with polenta and boiled chard. Pašticada (stewed beef), known also in Dalmatia, and makarule, an otherwise typical pasta dish with beef from Dubrovnik in Croatia, are also popular. Lamb is still baked in the traditional way under a heavy cast iron bell (sać) covered with hot coals to allow the meat to retain its juices and cook slowly and evenly in the most natural way. Montenegrins make excellent wines. The winery 13 July Plantation in the south of the country produces red wines like vranac, vranac pro corde and the white krstač. Popular beverages include excellent Nikšič beer (nikšičko pivo), fruity grape brandy very much like grappa (loza) and in the north of the country also aromatic fruit brandies from plums, apples and pears (šljivovica, jabukovača, kruška). And Montenegrins particularly enjoy the elaborate feasts with food and drink that accompany important celebrations, parties and events.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S â&#x20AC;˘ M O N T E N E G R O

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Bokeljski brodet / Boka Kotorska Fish Stew INGREDIENTS

1 kg mixed salt-water fish, cut into pieces, salted and drizzled with lemon 200 ml olive oil 200 g onion, finely chopped 5 cloves garlic bay leaf 200 g tomatoes lemon 200 ml white wine 20 g white flour 200 ml fish stock (from fish heads) pepper, salt

DIRECTIONS

Fry the onion in oil, add flour and garlic. Stir in the wine and the fish stock that you have prepared with fish heads. Add the bay leaf and tomato and cook for 20 to 30 minutes.

Strain the sauce and add the fish to it. Simmer slowly for an hour.

Serve with polenta or boiled chard with olive oil.

Cicvara na kajmaku / Creamy Cornmeal with Kajmak INGREDIENTS

1 l water 500 g cornmeal 250 g kajmak (a type of clotted cream) or fresh cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s milk cheese 2-3 tbsp lard 2-3 eggs salt

DIRECTIONS

Bring water, salt and lard to a boil and add cornmeal while stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Add kajmak or fresh cowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s milk cheese (or both) and continue to stir.

When the lard comes to the surface of the gruel it creates a shiny greasy layer. At this stage, separate the gruel gradually from the bottom of the saucepan.

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Taste and add salt, if necessary.

Serve with kajmak, fresh cheese, boiled potatoes or sour milk.

Remove from heat, add eggs and stir. Place back on the stove and stir for another 2-3 minutes.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S • M O N T E N E G R O

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Kaštradina with Raštan / Cured Mutton with Sea Kale INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS

Kaštradina 2 kg fresh mutton, cut into pieces 100 g salt 10 g saltpetre 10 g coarsely ground pepper 2 bay leaves

Raštan 500 g raštan (sea kale) leaves 500 g smoked mutton (kaštradina), smoked sausages (optional) 3 medium potatoes 2 large onions 2 medium carrots 4-5 cloves garlic

Thoroughly wash sea kale leaves, remove the stems and boil in a large pot of salted water.

Cut the mutton (and sausages) into pieces and cook briefly in water.

Drain the sea kale leaves when half cooked, cool, finely chop and add to the meat. Add a little water if necessary.

Finely chop the onions, cut the carrots and potatoes and add to the meat. Cook for over an hour to allow the potatoes to break down and thicken the dish.

If you like you can dress the dish with an additional tablespoon of lard mixed with a tablespoon of white flour and a teaspoon of paprika.

DIRECTIONS

Mix together salt, saltpetre, pepper and crushed bay leaf and rub the mixture into the meat. Place the meat into a casserole dish and cover with a tea towel. Leave to stand in a cool place for 6 days, turning the meat every day.

After six days wipe the meat thoroughly and hang to smoke gently for 21 days.

Slow cured mutton like this is cooked with sea kale (raštan, lat. Crambe maritima), potatoes or beans.

Decorative BolesĹ&#x201A;awiec pottery is known for its white and blue ornaments.

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Poland Poland’s diverse gastronomy developed at the crossroads of old trade routes between Europe and Asia, through contact with neighbouring countries (Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia) and under the influence of ethnic minorities that have lived in Poland for centuries (e.g. Jewish, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Lithuanians). The quality and substance of Polish cuisine reflect the fact that a quarter of the country’s considerable population depends on agriculture and livestock production for a living. Typical staples include sauerkraut, beetroot, cucumbers (pickled cucumbers, for example, are one of the symbols of Polish cuisine), swede, potato (the town Podlasie is known for its potato sausage, aka kiszka ziemniaczana), cream and other dairy products, dried meat, mushrooms, fruit (apples), honey, meat, poultry, game and fish. Polish cuisine boasts a variety of regional dishes, including original Polish ones. Six gastronomic regions have developed thanks to the diversity of culinary traditions. The “heart” of Poland is Mazovian (Mazovia) regional cuisine in the northeast of the country. Agriculture is reflected in its bread and baking culture, with different kinds of bread and pastries often topped with sesame and poppy seeds. The Poles love soups and they make all kinds. The popular žur (traditionally eaten at Easter) and žurek are soups made of fermented rye flour. Young beets are cooked into a cold barszc or a chłodnik made of sour milk, beetroot (with young leaves) and cucumbers, while mushrooms take over the autumn soups (zupa grzybowa). Poultry, pork, game and freshwater fish have defined Polish cuisine for centuries. Boiled leg of pork or golonka is a widely known specialty. Another delicacy is roast pork stuffed with prunes (pieczony schab) and the popular blood sausage (kaszanka), which was originally enjoyed by peasants when they slaughtered a pig, but have now become a staple on the menus of the best restaurants. The colourful palette of dried meat products boasts various regional sausages, salamis and smoked meat. Kaczka po krakowsku or stewed Cracow-style duck with mushrooms is only one of many different ways the Poles cook poultry. During the communist era after World War II when Polish cooking was all about thrift, they came up with the famous Polish fried breaded pork chop (kotlet schabowy) served with potatoes and cucumbers in sour cream (mizeria salad) or with fried cabbage. While dough pockets or boiled pierogi are known also in some of its neighbouring countries, they rank among the best-known Polish specialties. They can be savoury or sweet, filled with cottage cheese, minced meat, potatoes,

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chopped cabbage, mixed mushrooms or fruit. Ruskie pierogi are known as some of the tastiest, filled with cottage cheese, potatoes and sautéed onion. Potato dough is used for dumplings or pyzy and fruit-filled knedle. In winter months they like to make bigos, which is considered the national dish of Poland. It is a stew composed of sauerkraut, fresh or smoked meat and mushrooms. Cabbage leaves serve as wrappings for gołąbki, cabbage rolls filled with minced meat, groats or rice cooked in tomato or mushroom sauce. Cold starters and snacks feature herring prepared in various ways, fish stews, fish in aspic, attractively decorated and served with different sauces. Desserts are virtually a must in Polish cuisine. This is where the influence of French and Jewish culinary traditions has been strongest, but the Poles have nevertheless developed a host of original sweets and desserts, all very sweet, generously stuffed and a mainstay of the Polish table at Easter or Christmas. The glazed Polish Easter cake, mazurek, is a fine example. The Polish cheesecake (sernik) is equally delicious. The famous Torun gingerbread is a local delicacy. Doughnuts (pączky) are traditionally eaten on Fat Thursday during Lent, when they are fried and consumed by the millions. The traditional Polish apple pie Szarlotka is very popular all over Poland and really showcases the goodness of Polish apples. In the northeast they are known for a tree cake called sękacz, made by pouring liquid dough on a hot rotating spit. The northern regions prepare different flat cakes and roulades (kołacze), also with poppy seed and cottage cheese. Yeast dough is transformed into delicious desserts with different fillings and flavours (such as poppy seed, makowiec). Characteristic Polish beverages consist of beer, mead, aged house liqueurs of all kinds (quince pigwówka, blackcurrant smorodinówka, cherry wiśniowka), fruit juices and, last but not least, vodka, which they make from wheat, rye and potatoes. Żubrówka with its characteristic bison grass aroma, is one of the most popular vodka varieties. And with their long tradition of beekeeping Poles have long been well adept at making mead, which they classify into three quality classes.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S • P O L A N D

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Żurek / Polish Sour Rye Soup INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

Fermented rye flour or “zakwas”

Žurek ¼ l fermented rye 250 g soup vegetables (chopped onion, carrots, parsnip, celeriac) 2.5 l water 15 g grated horseradish 45 g sour cream white sausage 2-5 hard-boiled eggs salt 1 clove garlic, grated bay leaf marjoram

115 g rye flour 225 g rye bread crust 2 garlic cloves, chopped 480 ml lukewarm water Note: You can buy fermented rye flour in specialised stores.

DIRECTIONS

Place the ingredients into a jar with a hermetically sealing top.

Bring soup vegetables to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes.

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Leave in a warm place for 4 to 5 days.

Cook the white sausage in the soup for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain the soup and remove the vegetables and the sausage.

Pour fermented rye into the pot, add spices and cook for about 20 minutes. Add sour cream.

Cut the sausage into chunks, quarter the eggs, arrange on plates and ladle the soup.

After 4-5 days open the jar, remove the mould or the green bits that may have accumulated on top and drain. You will have about 480 ml of fermented rye.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S â&#x20AC;˘ P O L A N D

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Pike Ă la Polonaise INGREDIENTS

85 g mixed fresh vegetables (do not use cabbage) 1250 ml water 2 medium onions salt, spices bay leaf 2 tablespoons 6-percent vinegar 1.5 kg pike 450 g potatoes horseradish cream 2 egg yolks parsley leaves 45 g butter

DIRECTIONS

Clean and wash the vegetables and boil in a pot of water. Add onions, salt, spices and vinegar. Drain.

Clean the pike and wash well. Transfer into a large pan, cover with cooked vegetables and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

Wash and peel the potatoes. Boil in salted water.

Make horseradish cream with roux and sour cream. Add raw egg yolks.

Chop green parsley leaves and brown the butter.

When the pike is cooked, remove it from the pot, drain and slice. Transfer to a long, fireproof platter.

Pour a thin layer of horseradish cream over the fish slices and drizzle with some of the browned butter. Put in a warm oven for 20 minutes.

When the horseradish cream dressing has turned golden, take the fish slices out of the oven and arrange potatoes on both sides of the fish. Drizzle the remaining butter over the potatoes and sprinkle with parsley.

For an extra touch, you can decorate the pike platter with grated or shredded horseradish and serve immediately.

Wood painting handicraft or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Golden Khokhlomaâ&#x20AC;? has been passed on from one generation to the next since the 17th century. Linden wood articles are given several coats of varnish before they are hardened in kilns to achieve their golden lustre.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S

Russia The proverbial Russian hospitality is best reflected in their custom of greeting arrivals with an offering of bread and salt, two staples on every Russian table. Having conquered French and other European cuisines already in the 19th century caviar is probably the most famous Russian dish. There are three varieties of caviar. The green-blue caviar with round roe ranks among the best, the dark gray with flat roe is the most widespread, while red caviar is a savoured delicacy. The “ritual” of eating caviar starts with a shot of vodka after which a thin toast is offered with butter and a slice of lemon to go with the caviar. Cooking in Russia is not something to be taken lightly. No meal can start without zakuski (starters), which consist of cold snacks (caviar, salmon, sturgeon, porcini, pickles, Russian salad, venigret, marinated or grilled fish and similar) and are followed by a warm or cold soup. Russian menus feature a host of soups, which are one of the staples of the country’s cuisine. Winter is the time for hearty warm soups such as šči, cabbage soup, boršč, fish soup (ukha), rassolnik, solyanka (with pickles, spinach and cabbage). The most characteristic by far, šči (shchi), employs various vegetables in many different varieties of this soup. Green shchi, for example, is made from onions, carrots, cabbage, leeks, celery, parsley root, beef, duck or other poultry, bacon, sausage and finished with sour cream. Young nettles orchestrate the flavours of nettle shchi, while sauerkraut takes the lead in sour shchi. Vatrushki (yeast dough pastry filled with cottage cheese, eggs, sugar, sour cream and salt) are frequently served with shchi. Cold soups are popular in the summer, served either as a starter or as the first course. Some of the more popular are okroška (vegetable soup with meat and cream), botvinya (tangy vegetable and cream soup) or beet soup. Soups are frequently accompanied by dough pockets or pirozhki with meat, bacon, cottage cheese or fish fillings, or stuffed with buckwheat groats or cabbage. Slightly bigger pockets or kulebyaka are usually filled with salmon, but other fillings can be used as well. Next on the menu is a warm meat or fish dish, but cereals are also common, served either as a stand-alone or side dish. The menu is complete after a sweet pie or other dessert. Russian cuisine relies heavily on sour cream, often replaced with sour milk and yoghurt, a fine reflection of Caucasian influence. Tvorog, thick and dry cottage cheese, is widely used to make pirozhki, pancakes and soup dumplings. The most popular Russian non-alcoholic beverage is kvas, made of yeast (hvas), sugar, bread and cereals. Vodka is the queen of alcoholic beverages. Compared to other Slavic cuisines Russian was less affected by the rest of Europe, save for

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some culinary influences from its neighbouring countries. Boršč (borscht) came from Ukraine, and šašlik (shashlik) and spicy Armenian soup from the Caucasus, back in the days, of course, when these lands were under the domination of the Russian Empire. Western European or French cuisine contributed beef Stroganoff, a beef fillet cut in strips, originally created by a French chef for the Stroganoffs, a Russian family of merchants, industrialists, landowners and statesmen. There are several theories about the exact origins of the dish, some placing it at the beginning of the 18th and some even in the mid-19th century. The dish became popular in Europe already in the 18th century and still represents Russian cuisine at its best. There is more that makes Russian cuisine unique, however. A metal dish with a pipe running vertically through the middle used to boil water for tea, for one. It is called a samovar and is a musthave appliance in virtually every Russian home. It originates from the Tula region in Russia. Diverse as it is, traditional Russian cuisine is divided into several regions: central Russia, Russian north (Karelia and the White Sea region), the Volga region, the steppes along the Don River and the region along the Kuban River, Caucasus, the Kama River and the Ural region, western Siberia, the Baikal region and the exotic far north and east. Each holiday has its own culinary tradition. Orthodox Christmas is associated with roast goose with apples, kasha, dried apricots and raisins. Various aspics with pork or fish, roast ham, chicken thighs, and lamb with kasha are no strangers to a Christmas table either. Come spring comes the popular pancake week, maslenice. Special food is prepared also for Easter. Easter lamb and Easter eggs are a staple, as are pork shank, veal roast and various desserts. Fish, however, is not likely to find its way to an Easter table.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S â&#x20AC;˘ R U S S I A

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Beef Stroganoff INGREDIENTS

750 g beef fillet (narrow end of tenderloin) 8 shallots 300 g button mushrooms 300 ml sour cream 30 g butter 2 pinches salt 1 pinch ground black pepper 1 bunch parsley

DIRECTIONS

Wash the meat well under running water, dry thoroughly and cut into thin strips about 5 cm long and 5 mm wide or, alternatively, dice.

Peel, wash and finely chop the shallots. Wash the mushrooms, dry and cut them in half.

In a large frying pan melt the butter until it starts to foam. Add the meat and fry over high heat for 5 minutes. Stir constantly to make sure it browns evenly on all sides. With a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the pan and transfer to a plate.

At this point add the chopped shallots to the pan. Follow with mushrooms and braise for 5 minutes until they are soft. Return the meat to the pan, season with salt and pepper and stir well. Fold in sour cream and simmer at low heat for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the dish with plucked parsley.

Serve over mashed potatoes or with boiled potatoes dressed with butter and herbs.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S â&#x20AC;˘ B E L A R U S

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Slatko od ĹĄljiva / Plum Preserve INGREDIENTS

1 kg pitted plums 800 g sugar 2-3 slices lemon 2-3 basil leaves 150 ml water

DIRECTIONS

Wash and pit the plums. You can also peel the plums if you wish.

Put sugar in a pot, cover with water and cook at moderate heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.

When it starts boiling add the plums. As you continue cooking you will see foam forming on top. Remove it with a spoon. Do not stir the plums, just twist the pot to the left and to the right to push the foam to the middle, which makes it easier to remove.

Finally, add lemon slices and basil leaves, which give the slatko a special aroma. Remove the basil leaves.

When the slatko is cooked and still hot ladle the preserve into hot glass jars and leave them to cool overnight.

Seal the jars and keep in the larder or a cool, dark place.

Serve with a glass of cold water.

AT T H E TA B L E W I T H T H E S L AV S • S L O VA K I A

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Pečená hus, lokše a dusená kapusta / Roast Goose, Potato Pancakes and Braised Red Cabbage INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

Braised red cabbage

Lokše / Potato pancakes

Goose

700 g red cabbage (head) salt ground caraway seeds 1 onion 1 tbsp lard 3 tbsp sugar water as needed ground black pepper salt vinegar

1 kg boiled potatoes salt 300 g plain or semi-strong flour butter or goose fat

1 goose salt caraway seeds

DIRECTIONS DIRECTIONS

DIRECTIONS

Thinly grate the cabbage, season with salt, ground caraway seeds and leave to stand for at least one half hour.

Fry finely chopped onion in lard, add the cabbage and braise. If you like you can add some caramelised sugar.

While the cabbage is cooking, caramelise three tablespoons of sugar, add 100 ml of water and cook for 5 minutes until the caramelised sugar dissolves into syrup. Pour the syrup into the cabbage and braise until soft. Add water if necessary.

Salt to taste, add pepper and vinegar.

Roast goose, lokshe and cabbage can also be served with steamed yeast dumplings.

Cook, peel and cool the potatoes. Finely grate them or push through a potato ricer, add flour and a dash of salt. Be careful when you add flour; if you add too much your lokshe will be hard. Knead into soft dough.

Roll the dough into a log and cut into equal pieces. Roll these out into 2 - 3 mm thick pancakes the size of the pan in which you will prepare them. Pierce (cut) several small slots in each pancake. Bake on an ungreased pan, but remove any excess flour that may have stuck on the pancakes to make sure it does not burn while baking.

Bake lokshe on both sides and stack them on a plate or a linen tea towel, brushing the top of each pancake with melted butter or goose fat.

Wash the goose and dry thoroughly. Rub it with salt, inside and out, and sprinkle with caraway seeds.

Put in a baking pan, breast side down, and pour about 300 ml water under it.

Heat the oven to 200°C and roast the goose, one hour per kilo, basting regularly with pan juices. When half done turn the goose breast side up and continue to roast, still basting regularly.

Potica pan called â&#x20AC;&#x153;potiÄ?nikâ&#x20AC;?. Potters make them as big as 60 centimetres in diameter, but they can be even bigger.

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Slovenia Slovenian cuisine and gastronomy are largely a reflection of the country’s geographical position at the crossroads of European Alpine, Mediterranean and Pannonian regions, which has exerted particular influence on its cultural and economic development. Many innovations in the country’s culinary tradition can be traced back to the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but the first cookbook in the Slovenian language saw the light of day during the French occupation, in 1799. Further innovations appeared after 1918 and 1945, when Slovenian cuisine adopted and adapted recipes from the Balkan region. The 1960s saw the arrival of the Italian pizza, which soon gained popularity in the region. In the 1980s Slovenians started to rediscover their gastronomic heritage, which gave rise to the publishing of many new culinary books that had a significant influence on contemporary cuisine and eating habits. This new awareness led to the protection, via geographical indication, of certain foods, also by the European Union, e.g. prekmurska gibanica (Prekmurje layer cake), savinjski želodec (stuffed pig’s stomach from the Savinja Valley), idrijski žlikrofi (Idrija flour dumplings), kranjska medica (Carniolan honey wine), potica, kranjska klobasa (Carniolan sausage), belokranjska pogača and povitica (flat bread and cottage cheese or pork fat roll from Bela Krajina), honey from Kočevsko, prleška tünka (meat from the minced lard barrel from Prlekija); and to the establishment of food lovers’ societies (e.g. Society for the Recognition of Sautéed Potatoes as an Independent Dish), competitions for the best dish or food product, and a great proliferation of culinary events. In 2006, Slovenia adopted a Gastronomic Strategy, listing 24 gastronomic regions with some 200 representative dishes. Central Slovenia with Ljubljana is a culinary hub with numerous inns (gostilna) and restaurants inviting visitors on a contemporary gastronomic journey of the highest quality. Kras (Karst) offers combinations of vegetables (e.g. šelinka, hotpot with celery), meat sauces, and pasta with kraški pršut (Karst prosciutto ham), all topped off with select, earthy wines like teran. Come spring the most popular of such dishes are the delicious frtaljas, omelettes with herbs. Similar dishes are known from the Kraški Rob (Karst Edge) area, Istria and the coastal towns, where they are offered up as superb combinations of seafood, fish, and with wines like refošk and malvazija. The Soča Valley with Kobarid and its vicinity alone is a culinary treasure trove. Central Slovenia with Ljubljana and vicinity and the Dolenjska region offer original dishes such as wheat or buckwheat štruklji (rolled dumplings with walnut, tarragon, apple and cottage cheese in addition to at least 90 other sweet or savoury fillings). The most representative delicacy among Slovenian desserts is potica, especially tarragon, walnut, honey, carob, plum and raisin poticas that stand out from the great body of 100 other sweet and savoury versions of this nut roll. Potica was first mentioned as early as in 1575, but the

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first recipe was not published until 1689. Makova potica (poppy seed roll) is a staple of Prekmurje, Slovenia’s northeasternmost region known for its flour-based culinary tradition. Here and in neighbouring regions is the home of a thousand and one pogača (flatbread), gibanica (layered cake), kvasenica (leavened cake), zlevanka (a type of thin, baked pancake), posolonka (cottage cheese flat cake), krapci (buckwheat cottage cheese flat cake) and different kinds of bread. A very special custom in this, as in other regions of the country, is koline – the biggest secular festivity in Slovenia, rituals that accompany the slaughter of a pig, when people prepare an impressive array of fresh, semi-dry and dry meat products. Koroška is known for mežerli, an exquisite warm starter made of lungs and offal. Culinary specialties of the Gorenjska region include dishes like krapi, dough pockets with different fillings, or masounik, mixed buckwheat or corn flour with cream. Another musttry is buckweat groats with beans or mushrooms. The most recognisable Slovenian dish is ajdovi or koruzni žganci (buckwheat or corn mush) dressed with cracklings and served with sauerkraut or sour turnip, whereas the Primorska region favours other flour-based dishes such as njoki (gnocchi) and pasta. Bled boasts its blejske kremne rezine or kremšnite (Bled cream cakes, a rich creamy layered pastry). Freshwater fish lovers will enjoy zlatovčica trout, a special delicacy coated with buckwheat or corn flour and deep-fried. Another specialty is the Soča trout, which is rolled in corn flour and crisp fried. The capital Ljubljana continues to offer some of the more traditional city dishes such as ocvrti žabji kraki (fried frogs’ legs), ljubljanska jajčna jed (Ljubljana egg dish) and ljubljanski štrukelj (Ljubljana rolled dumpling) (both according to a recipe dating back to 1868), lamb’s lettuce salad, beef broth with noodles, Ljubljana goulash, Ljubljana cottage cheese pancakes with tarragon. Dolenjska is known for matevž, bean and potato purée. Roast lamb and suckling pig are staples in Bela Krajina, whereas every region across Slovenia boasts a variety of seasonal soups, stews and casseroles (e.g. jota sauerkraut or sour turnip stew and mineštra or minestrone soup in Primorska, hearty bograč meat stew in Prekmurje). In addition to the popular fried chicken, both roast duck and goose merit special attention: they have become a ritual dish enjoyed as part of the biggest wine celebration – on St. Martin’s Day (11 November) – when Slovenians celebrate the new wine harvest on festivities that can continue for days. With three wine-growing regions – Primorska, Posavje and Podravje – Slovenia boasts a good variety of excellent wines. Last, but not least, Slovenian gastronomy would not be complete without liqueurs and brandies: medica (honey wine) and honey liquer, borovničevec (blueberry liqueur or brandy), slivovka (plum brandy), sadjevec (mixed fruit brandy), brinjevec (juniper brandy), tepkovec (pear brandy) and similar; alongside a host of natural fruit juices and many natural mineral waters.

Štruklji / Rolled Dumplings DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

Dough ½ l white flour ¼ l warm water 1 egg salt 1 slice of butter lemon juice or vinegar oil

Combine the ingredients to make medium soft dough and knead well.

Shape the dough into a ball, rub with oil and leave to rest for at least half an hour.

Roll the dough on a floured tablecloth, brush with oil and stretch until thin. Trim off the thick edges to get a rectangular base ready to be spread with different fillings.

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Cottage Cheese Štruklji

Apple Štruklji

Buckwheat Štruklji with Walnut Filling

INGREDIENTS

phyllo dough for štruklji ¼ l sour cream 1/8 l semolina 200 g cottage cheese 2 egg yolks a few grains of salt 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten 1 tbsp oil a handful of white breadcrumbs

phyllo dough for štruklji 4 tbsp sour cream (or 2 tbsp lard) 1 egg a handful of white breadcrumbs a handful of semolina 5 apples, peeled and thinly sliced a handful of sugar a handful of raisins, washed a sprinkle of cinnamon 1 tbsp breadcrumbs

½ l buckwheat flour ½ l boiling salted water 1 tbsp wheat flour 2 tbsp sour cream 1 egg a pinch of cinnamon 1-2 handfuls ground walnuts 1-2 handfuls bread crumbs butter 1 tbsp breadcrumbs

DIRECTIONS

For the filling, start by mixing the sour cream and semolina. Let rest until the semolina has expanded a bit.

Add the cottage cheese, egg yolks and salt, and fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.

Roll out the dough and brush with oil. Stretch the dough and spread with the cottage cheese filling, sprinkle with bread crumbs and roll up. Wrap the roll in a wet, wrung out linen tea towel (or aluminium foil) and tie with a string. Boil in a large saucepan of salted water for half an hour.

Unwrap the cooked štruklji, cut into slices and dress with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs browned in butter.

Start by preparing the dough and let it rest.

Prepare the filling. In a bowl whisk together sour cream (or lard) and the egg. Spread this over the rolled out and stretched dough, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, semolina, sliced apples, sugar, raisins and cinnamon.

Roll up and wrap in a wet, wrung out linen tea towel and tie with a string. Boil in a large saucepan of salted water for half an hour.

Unwrap the cooked štruklji, cut into 2-cm-thick slices and dress with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs browned in butter. Alternatively, you can sprinkle the štruklji with a spoonful of sugar or drizzle with honey.

Put ½ l of buckwheat flour in a bowl, scald it with ½ l of salted boiling water and mix to form a dough. Let cool slightly before you transfer it to a board sprinkled with white wheat flour. Knead the dough briefly and immediately roll out to about half the thickness of your little finger.

In a bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of sour cream, 1 egg, a pinch of cinnamon and 1-2 handfuls of ground walnuts to make the filling and spread it over the rolled out dough.

Sprinkle with 1-2 handfuls of bread crumbs, roll up, wrap in wet and wrung out tea towel, tie with a string and boil in salted water for 30 minutes.

When they have cooked, unwrap the štruklji, cut into slices and dress with a tablespoon of breadcrumbs browned in butter. Štruklji can be sprinkled with sugar or served as a savoury dish, either with salad or as a side dish with meat and sauce.

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Pražen krompir / Sautéed Potatoes

Kranjska klobasa / Carniolan Sausage

INGREDIENTS

1 kg potatoes salt 60 g lard 4 tbsp onion, sliced a ladle of beef stock (optional)

DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

Boil unpeeled potatoes in salted water for 30 minutes. Drain, peel while still hot and cut into thin slices.

Fry the onion in lard until golden, add potatoes and sauté on both sides. If you like, you can add a ladle of good beef broth and stir well again.

(according to the oldest recorded recipe) 6 kg pork (leg or belly) firm fresh bacon 180 g salt 5 – 10 g saltpetre 5 – 10 g crushed pepper ¼ l water 1 bulb crushed garlic pig’s small intestine

Potatoes are best when sautéed long enough to form a golden-brown crust. DIRECTIONS

Remove all fat and tendons from the pork.

Finely dice (or chop) the pork. Replace the removed fat and tendons with an equal amount of finely diced fresh bacon and add to the meat.

Sprinkle with salt, saltpetre and pepper. Soak the crushed garlic in water and pour this garlic water over the meat mixture.

Using your hands, thoroughly mix all the ingredients together and stuff the small intestine with the mixture to form sausages.

Skewer the ends. Hang the sausages and smoke them gently for 1-3 days, then transfer to a cool and well-ventilated place.

Boil the sausage for at least 15 minutes. Serve warm with mustard, grated horseradish and a bread roll, or with a side of sauerkraut or sour turnip. It also goes very well with pražen krompir (sautéed potatoes).

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Pehtranova Potica / Tarragon Potica “Pehtranka” DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

Potica dough 3 tbsp lukewarm milk 1 tsp sugar 20 g yeast ½ l warm milk 100 g butter 2-3 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt dark rum grated lemon zest vanilla sugar 750 g plain white flour 2 egg yolks

Tarragon filling

In a small pot mix together 3 tablespoons of lukewarm milk, a teaspoon of sugar and yeast. Let rise in a warm place.

Put the warm milk, butter, 2-3 tablespoons of sugar, a teaspoon of salt and warmed flour in a large bowl and mix well. Add the proofed yeast and 2 egg yolks. Beat the dough well with a wooden spoon for 20 to 30 minutes.

Dust the beaten dough with flour, cover the bowl and put in a warm place to rise.

When the dough has risen, dust the work surface with flour, roll out the dough to the thickness of your little finger and trim the edges to make a neat rectangle. The dough is now ready to be filled (spread).

Beat the butter until fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 egg yolks, 3 stiffly beaten egg whites and mix well.

Stir in finely chopped tarragon leaves (without the stems).

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Spread the filling evenly over the dough.

Cover the potičnik with a tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise.

Brush the potica with a beaten egg before baking. Bake at 180°C for about 45 minutes. Lower the temperature to 150°C and continue baking for another 25 minutes.

Remove potica from the pan and lay it upside down to cool. Dust with icing sugar and serve cut into wedges.

250 g butter 2 tbsp sugar 3 eggs 3 bunches fresh tarragon

Potica calls for a potica pan or “potičnik”, a round, ridged cake mould, widely known as a bundt pan.

Roll tightly into a roll and transfer to a round, buttered potica pan – “potičnik”. Bring the ends of the roll together and seal well. If the roll is too long, cut off the excess and bake it separately, with ends sealed, in a small rectangular baking pan.

TIPS

You can add cottage cheese, sour cream and vanilla to the filling.

Alternatively, you can use chives instead of tarragon for a chive potica.

The dough and filling should be about the same thickness.

Potica must rise slowly and should not rise over the baking pan.

Instead of a warm rise you can use the cold rise method. In this case, all the ingredients for the dough and the filling should be cold. Spread the yeast dough with a cold filling, roll and place in a buttered potica pan. Brush with beaten egg and put in the refrigerator for 7 hours. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 170˚C, depending on the size and thickness of the potica.

When baked, leave the potica in the baking pan to cool slightly before removing it from the pan.

The legendary Ukrainian soup borscht is served in a tureen. This one is decorated with a flower motif in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

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Ukraine More than 3,000 years ago, Ukrainians already grew wheat, barley and oats. Rye was introduced 2000 years ago and the 11th century saw the arrival of buckwheat, which was imported from Asia. People raised cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry, and were no strangers to beekeeping and fishing. With its exceptionally fertile soil and mild climate with abundant rainfall Ukraine has developed into the granary of Europe, which has had a profound impact also on the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food culture. Trade ties with other countries paved the way for the introduction of certain plants from east and central Asia, such as melons and eggplants. The potato came from the Americas via Europe in the 17th century and was soon to be followed by corn, tomato, pumpkin, beans, cayenne pepper, cocoa and other plants that have served to further enrich Ukrainian cuisine, where other cultures such as German, Turkish, Russian and Polish have also left their mark. Ukrainian cuisine relies heavily on vegetables, fruit, wild or forest fruits, honey, potato, cereals, cabbage, peas and beans, beetroot and sugar beets and pork. There are several regional variations of Ukrainian cuisine, stretching from Bukovyna to the Dnieper region. White and light rye bread are made with wholegrain flour. The latter is made with a sourdough starter, which gives this bread its characteristic flavour. White bread is more popular in the north and northwest of the country. Ukrainian ritual or festive breads are made with special dough and include braided bread known as kalach, paska (Easter bread), knysh (filled bread), korovai (wedding bread), babka (sweet bread) and bulka (egg bread). Considered an object of reverence bread plays a major role in Ukrainian folk customs and no wedding, birth or housewarming takes place without one. Visitors are greeted with bread together with salt. The variety of shapes and names, each with their own symbolic meaning, mark different holidays. Cooked or baked cereals such as buckwheat (kasha), millet and corn grits represent ancient Ukrainian dishes. Groats can be cooked in water or milk into a thin gruel called iushka or with millet into a thicker kulish or lemishka. Also popular are flour-based dishes such as zatyrka (dough boiled in water or milk) and wheat, buckwheat or corn dumplings with or without added potato or cheese known as halushky, but the favourite are definitely stuffed pockets called vareniki filled with cottage cheese, potatoes, cabbage, meat, fish, buckwheat or plums. Another variety, varenytsi, is made of rolled out dough cut into triangles and dressed with fried bacon, onion or sour cream. Flour is used to prepare some old traditional dishes such as kvasha (made from fermented buckwheat or rye flour), lemishka (thick buckwheat gruel) and salamakha (thin porridge of buckwheat or rye flour boiled in water). Salamakha and millet grits were staple

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foods of Zaporozhian Cossacks. Potatoes are an indispensable ingredient in soups or served boiled or baked, alone or with meat, fish, cheese, cabbage, mushrooms and a host of other dishes. Cabbage and sauerkraut, another staple of Ukrainian cuisine, is used for soups (kapusniak) or served as a side dish with meat, peas and potatoes. It is used as a popular filling for vareniki and as a wrapping for holubtsi, cabbage rolls stuffed with buckwheat or millet groats, rice or meat. In the Hutsul region and Bukovyna holubtsi are made from yeast dough and baked in sour cream. Popular pea and bean purĂŠes are seasoned with garlic or fried bacon. The most important, indeed world famous among Ukrainian soups, is borscht. Known in Russia, Poland, Moldavia and Romania it is considered an original Ukrainian national dish. Its origins in this region go back to the 14th century and its name is thought to be derived from the old Slavic word for cow parsnip. Meat dishes are a mainstay on holidays, Sundays and family celebrations. Pork and pork products such as different sausages (kovbasa, kyshka) and other dishes prepared upon pig slaughter are very popular, whereas lamb is preferred in Southern Ukraine. Holiday festivities, especially Christmas, Easter and other religious holidays as well as weddings and wakes are each marked by their own special dish. Kolyvo, for example, boiled wheat or barley sweetened with honey, is a ritual food from pagan times, symbolic of death and resurrection and as such indispensible in burial rites. Popular beverages include mineral water, kvas and kefir as nonalcoholic alternatives to vodka (horilka) and beer.

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Vareniki / Filled Dumplings INGREDIENTS

The dough

DIRECTIONS

280 g white flour salt to taste 2 – 3 egg yolks 15 ml vegetable oil 10 ml water 1-2 lightly beaten egg whites 55 g butter

The potato filling 85 g butter 1 medium onion, chopped 3 large potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed 110 g farmer cheese 55 g grated semi-hard cheese salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor, blend flour and 6 g salt. While blending, add the egg yolks, oil and water. Continue until the dough forms a ball around the blade. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until smooth. Lightly dust with flour, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Prepare the filling. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese, add the sautéed onions together with the cooking fat, season with salt and pepper and mix well into a vareniki filling.

Divide the dough into two balls. Keep one ball covered while you roll out the other dough, on a floured surface, into a very thin (4 mm) sheet. Make sure it does not tear.

DIRECTIONS

With a round cookie cutter, cut out circles about 7 cm in diameter. Gather the scraps, add them to the covered dough ball and keep covered.

Prepare a bowl with the beaten egg white and keep it near you. Place a heaping teaspoon of the potato filling in the middle of each dough circle. Fold over to make a half circle (pocket), brush the edges with the egg white and press together with a fork to seal. Place the vareniki on a large floured surface and cover with a tea towel.

When you have prepared the first batch of dough, repeat everything for the second batch. In the meantime, bring 5-6 litres of water to a boil in a large pot.

Reduce the heat and make sure the water is simmering before you carefully lower the first batch of vareniki into the pot. Boil, carefully stirring from time to time with a wooden spoon. About 7 minutes later, once they are cooked through, the vareniki will rise to the top. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer them to a bowl. Dress with butter and cook the second batch of vareniki in the same way.

This recipe makes about 55 vareniki, which serves 4. Serve vareniki with a side helping of sautéed onion and sour cream served separately. They can also be sprinkled with cracklings. Ukrainian vareniki can be savoury, with fillings such as cheese, cabbage, meat (beef, pork or chicken), or sweet, filled with sour cherries, blueberries and similar.

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Join the Slavs in their finest culinary events

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January

March

• “Pršutijada” (Prosciutto Festival), Mačkat (Serbia), January • Winter Food Festival, Bratislava (Slovakia), January – February • City Holiday of Pampushka, Lviv (Ukraine), January

• Days of Istrian Asparagus, Umag, Novigrad, Buje (Croatia), March – April • Easter Flavour of Malopolska, Krakow (Poland), weekend before Easter • Vinofest (Wine Festival), Vršac (Serbia), March • “Sevniška salamijada” (Sevnica Salami Festival), Sevnica (Slovenia), 10th March • “Odprta kuhna” (Open Kitchen), Ljubljana (Slovenia), every Friday from March to October • Wine & Winemaking, Odessa (Ukraine), March

February • Praznik sv. Trifuna (St.Trifun’s Day), Tikveš (Macedonia), 14th February • Bokeljska noč (Boka Night), Tivat (Montenegro), February • Maslenitsa Festival (Pancake Week) Moscow (Russia), February • “Sremska kobasicijada” (Srem Sausage Festival), Šid (Serbia), February • “Slaninijada” (Bacon Festival), Kačarevo (Serbia), February

April • International Gastronomy Festival, Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), April • Asparagus Festivals, Lovran, Medveja, Lovranska Draga (Croatia), April • Hrvatski festival hrane i vina (Croatian Food and Wine Festival), Zagreb (Croatia), April • Nacionalna šunkijada (National Ham Festival), Stari Mikanovci (Croatia), April • Days of Olives and Olive Oil, Zadar and Rab (Croatia), April • Granny’s Cakes (Babičini kolači), Hum na Sutli (Croatia), April • Dalmatia Wine Expo, Split (Croatia), April • Wine & Delicacies, Prague (Czech Republic), April • Siberian Beer, Novosibirsk (Russia), April • Šljivovički sajam domaće rakije (Šljivovica Fair of Homemade Plum Brandy ), Šljivovica/ Zlatibor (Serbia), April • Chocolate Festival, Radovljica (Slovenia), April